Penelope Overton

Press Herald

Penelope Overton writes about the lobster and marijuana industries in Maine, a mix of the iconic and the emerging, the economic powerhouse and the mysterious darkhorse. Just the right mix of old and new for a Maine transplant. Penny joined the Press Herald in 2016. She has covered politics and government, the environment and Indian Country in Florida, Connecticut, Arizona and Washington, D.C. Her favorite stories are when she gets to dive into a world where readers seldom venture. When she’s not newspapering, Penny and her young daughter like to hike, body surf, travel and explore new books, places, poems and people. She is plovertonpph on both Instagram and Snapchat.

Latest

Published
April 2, 2017

Trapped by heroin: Lobster industry struggles with its deadly secret

Maine lobstermen are plagued by opioid addiction, leading to deaths, ruined lives and even fishing violations to pay for the habit. Some in recovery also recognize the challenge: Getting help to an intensely independent breed that rarely asks for it.
Published
April 2, 2017

Many in Stonington, Maine’s lobstering capital, keep quiet about drug problem

But a few people – worried about heroin’s impact on the local economy, the fishery and the addicts themselves – believe it’s time to speak out.
Published
April 2, 2017

Death of mild-mannered young lobsterman shows ‘it can get to anybody, this heroin’

The father of Sam Stevens lets his son’s addiction go public, signaling that an insidious threat lurks within the Machias community.
Published
March 26, 2017

Speed limit lowered to 65 mph on stretch of I-295 starting today

The previous, 70 mph limit had contributed to an almost 30% percent increase in crashes between Falmouth and Topsham during the two years it was in effect.
Published
March 19, 2017

Lobster industry fears lost sales from ramped-up Canadian exports

A weak loonie coupled with disappearing tariffs helps Canada sell more lobster in the EU.
Published
March 4, 2017

LePage removes lobster license fee increase from proposed budget

Instead, the governor says he will ask lawmakers to pay for additional lobster research, new field technology for fisheries scientists and raises for Maine Marine Patrol officers out of the state budget surplus.
Published
March 3, 2017

Maine lobster catch tipped the scale at a record 130 million pounds in 2016

The fishery also surged to a record value of $533 million, thanks to dealer networks and marketing efforts.
Published
February 25, 2017

Maine lobstermen’s union votes to buy Hancock County lobster business

Purchase of Trenton Bridge Lobster Pound’s wholesale operation means lobstermen will have more control over the prices they get for their catch, a spokesman says.
Published
January 28, 2017

Value of Maine lobster exports to China on pace to triple for 2016

Growing demand for live lobster in Asia has buoyed the state’s lobster industry, rapidly pushing up prices.
Published
December 9, 2016

New net opens a way to help fishermen and protect cod

A new design releases bycatch like cod, which lets fishermen focus on their intended catch ratrher than quotas, restrictions.