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
March 20, 2020

Coronavirus concerns push back Maine elver season

The state will delay the start of the fishery’s $20 million-a-year season by at least 2 weeks.
Published
March 19, 2020

Maine fitness clubs struggle to work out a coronavirus strategy

Some have closed, some have moved online or outside, while a few say they will stay open as long as they can.
Published
March 13, 2020

Maine issues first round of conditional marijuana licenses

Among them are four manufacturing facilities, 11 growing operations and 16 retail outlets in 10 communities, with five of the stores in Portland.
Published
March 13, 2020

State releases list showing who’s seeking marijuana business licenses

About 300 people, including an ex-governor’s brother, are vying for more than 200 state licenses to grow, manufacture or sell recreational marijuana in Maine.
Published
March 12, 2020

Industry wins some, loses some in changes to medical marijuana reform bill

A legislative committee strips out a ban on small extraction labs, federal background checks, plant size limits and fines from a department-backed bill, but adds a testing requirement.
Published
March 9, 2020

Lawmakers strip secrecy and extraction rules out of marijuana bill

The controversial provisions would have driven up the cost of alcohol-based extractions and allowed marijuana companies to shield certain state license data from the public.
Published
March 8, 2020

Maine lobstermen to federal regulators: We’re not killing right whales

The Maine Lobstering Union accuses the agency of caving to environmental organizations when it should be defending the industry.
Published
March 6, 2020

Though Maine’s lobster harvest was smallest in 9 years, value remained steady

The average per-pound price in 2019 was a whopping $4.82, the highest since Maine began tracking lobster hauls back in 1880.
Published
March 2, 2020

Adult-use cannabis delivery gets a boost from lawmakers

A legislative committee votes to give the state the power to create a recreational marijuana delivery license.
Published
February 28, 2020

State now expects retail marijuana stores won’t be open until June

Maine pushes the target date for adult-use marijuana sales back by 3 months, and lowers its projected sales tax revenue for the fiscal year that ends June 30.