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
May 1, 2019

First-grader on bike killed in collision with school bus in Rumford

The 6-year-old boy was hit when he fell off the bike while trying to stop in an intersection just two blocks from his school.
Published
April 22, 2019

Maine releases draft rules for its recreational marijuana market. Read them here.

Proposed regulations, made public at the request of the Press Herald, cover everything from licensing, inventory tracking and enforcement to advertising, packaging and labeling.
Published
April 19, 2019

Maine hires second marijuana consultant for $10,000

The LA firm BOTEC will analyze proposed rules for Maine’s recreational pot industry.
Published
April 12, 2019

U.S. lobster dealers expanding into Canada to shore up their business

With an acquisition in Nova Scotia, Ready Seafood joins a growing group of dealers that want to secure access to hard shell lobster year round and hedge against unfavorable trade conditions.
Published
April 10, 2019

Maine on track to launch recreational marijuana market this year, says state’s pot czar

Residents can now grow cannabis for recreational use at home, but still have no way to legally buy or sell it.
Published
April 5, 2019

Portland man charged with murder in shooting death of Deering High grad

Mark Cardilli Jr. was arrested Friday in the killing of Isahak Muse in Portland’s Riverton neighborhood March 16. Muse’s family says it’s ‘only the first step in ensuring justice for him.’
Published
April 4, 2019

Maine cancels right whale meetings with lobster industry

The Department of Marine Resources said the federal government hasn’t shared enough information about what the lobster industry must do to protect right whales from entanglement to hold meetings planned for next week.
Published
March 27, 2019

Mills signs bill allowing sale of CBD items

The bill clarifies the use and sale of hemp-derived cannabidiol products.
Published
March 21, 2019

State hires director for its recreational marijuana program

Scott Lever will report to Erik Gundersen, who leads the state’s new Office of Marijuana Policy.
Published
March 8, 2019

Crash forces state police to close part of Maine Turnpike in Biddeford

Just before the crash just south of Exit 32, dispatchers were receiving reports of a northbound vehicle weaving in and out of traffic at speeds exceeding 125 mph.