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
February 5, 2020

Maine abandons plan to double per-acre fees on hemp farmers

Strict new state THC limits have also been dropped, but new federal guidelines will still go into effect on Oct. 1.
Published
January 30, 2020

Some customers dissatisfied with regulators’ ruling on Central Maine Power

Numerous consumers who have complained of inexplicably high bills said they aren’t expecting any major changes as a result of the Maine Public Utilities Commission’s decision on the billing controversy.
Published
January 27, 2020

Lawmakers debate pros and cons of bill to allow home marijuana delivery

Advocates say it would allow legitimate businesses to compete with black market sellers, but the state says it would be too hard to regulate at this time.
Published
January 27, 2020

Maine’s marijuana market in legislative spotlight

At least a dozen marijuana bills are under consideration by state lawmakers this session.
Published
January 22, 2020

Maine wants to ‘put the brakes on’ fast-growing lobster bait fishery

The Department of Marine Resources wants to close the pogy fishery to newcomers for 2 years while it crafts a new management and enforcement plan.
Published
January 18, 2020

Maine’s public advocate decries CMP disconnect notices as ‘scare tactic’

Central Maine Power says it is allowed to send the notices to customers with past-due bills, even though it can’t shut off their power in the winter without permission from the Public Utilities Commission.
Published
January 15, 2020

China trade deal could help Maine lobster industry

The deal requires China to spend $32 billion over next 2 years on U.S. agricultural goods, which could include lobster.
Published
January 12, 2020

CMP customers stunned by PUC staff’s findings

A report concluding that the electric utility’s systems were not at fault for extremely high bills has left many of them reeling.
Published
January 9, 2020

Lobstermen Down East throw cold water on state plan to protect whales

About 75 people pack the first meeting in the state’s monthlong presentation of its proposal, with many complaining that they would give up too much to fix a problem they aren’t causing.
Published
January 8, 2020

Maine lobster landings sank about 16% last year, commissioner says, but still beat expectations

The state’s top fisheries official predicts a 100 million-pound harvest for 2019, which would be lower than 2018 but better than the industry had expected.