NIH PFAS Push in MaineHealth: MaineHealth won a five-year, $1.1M NIH grant to study how “forever chemicals” affect children and to mentor the next generation of environmental health clinician-scientists, with lab work tied to obesity, diabetes risk, and cardiovascular outcomes. Midcoast Economic & Forest Funding: Rockland, Vinalhaven, and Matinicus are among 19 Maine recipients of $16.2M from the Northern Border Regional Commission for projects spanning infrastructure, workforce, housing, childcare, transportation access, and forest economy. Camden Police Chief Search: Camden set a June 23 special meeting to discuss its police chief interview process, with executive sessions planned for personnel and legal matters. Education Citizens’ Assembly: Bangor’s Maine Citizens’ Assembly on Education Priorities advanced K-12 recommendations, including expanded experiential learning and better alignment of funding with community needs. Paraquat Ban Effort: Rep. Chellie Pingree and Rep. Anna Paulina Luna introduced a bill to fully ban paraquat nationwide over Parkinson’s disease links. Health Care Accreditation: MaineHealth Surgical Care Rockport earned dual reaccreditation for vascular testing and vascular interventional services. Grid + Data Center Tension: FERC ordered faster data center interconnection processing, but the electricity supply crunch remains a separate problem. Forever-Chemical Cleanup Pilot: Superior approved a pilot to treat PFAS-laden landfill leachate using targeted technology tests. Offshore Wind Retreat: The Interior Department reached an agreement with Invenergy to surrender four offshore wind leases in exchange for $765M, shifting investment toward other energy sources. AI Misuse in Policing: A UK case alleges an officer used generative AI to fabricate “evidential material,” raising new concerns about AI in investigations.