Paul Bagnall
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pbagnallwrites.bsky.social
Paul Bagnall
@pbagnallwrites.bsky.social
160 followers 340 following 36 posts
I am a journalist living and writing for the local newspaper, The Times Record, as part of the weekly newspapers at the Maine Trust for Local News. My deep passion for getting to the bottom of the stories happening in local communities is what drives me.
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pbagnallwrites.bsky.social
Attended the first ever Vigorous Tenderness concert in the Midcoast region at the Maine Maritime Museum in Bath. The outdoor concert series focuses on uplifting marginalized voices in classical music.

www.pressherald.com/2025/12/23/o...

#localnews #portlandpressherald #maine #classicalmusic
Outdoor concert ushers in the winter solstice in Bath
Vigorous Tenderness elevates marginalized voices in classical music for the first time in the Midcoast.
www.pressherald.com
December 29, 2025 at 8:17 PM
pbagnallwrites.bsky.social
Some new development coming to downtown Freeport and I would like to find out how much the rents will be once completed. Both Freeport and Bath have made some significant investments in housing for the past two years.

#localnews #portlandpressherald #maine

www.pressherald.com/2025/12/09/f...
Freeport approves downtown apartment complex
M&R Development plans to build 51 apartments on the corner of Depot and Mills streets by 2027.
www.pressherald.com
December 13, 2025 at 4:00 PM
pbagnallwrites.bsky.social
Preparing for a pitch of a novella I have been working on steadily for the past decade. Let's see if there is any interest for it.

#fiction #novella #storytelling #horror #mystery #writing
October 24, 2025 at 3:54 PM
pbagnallwrites.bsky.social
I covered the return of the Poetry and Hummus event at the Chocolate Church Arts Center, where Virginia Poet Laureate Zeina Azzam and her brother, Fateh, shared stories of the Palestinian American experience.

#Palestine #Gaza #thetimesrecord #maine #localnews

www.pressherald.com/2025/10/02/p...
Poetry and Hummus brings stories of humanity amid Gaza war
Former Virginia Poet Laureate Zeina Azzam and her brother read poetry that details their family’s history and its connection to Gaza and Palestine.
www.pressherald.com
October 7, 2025 at 3:21 PM
pbagnallwrites.bsky.social
Wrote a piece in The Times Record about a local fire station raising funds for a piece of firefighting history in Maine.

#localnews #historywriting #bath #maine #portlandpressherald

www.pressherald.com/2025/08/07/b...
www.pressherald.com
August 8, 2025 at 6:14 PM
Reposted by Paul Bagnall
heykellyjensen.bsky.social
We can still save the Institute for Museum and Library Services. Here's a practical guide to what to do right now to save not just the agency's funding but its future all together: bookriot.com/we-can-still...
We Can Still Save the Institute for Museum and Library Services
Act now to help save the Institute for Museum and Library Services and ensure the well-being of public libraries nationwide.
bookriot.com
July 8, 2025 at 12:34 PM
pbagnallwrites.bsky.social
A look into river restoration in rural Midcoast Maine in the town of Bowdoinham.

#localnews #portlandpressherald #environment #resoration #bowdoinham #maine

www.pressherald.com/2025/06/26/b...
Bowdoinham receives grant to plant trees at new riverfront park
Bowdoinham has received Maine Forest Service Canopy grant funding to support reforestation efforts at the new Riverfront Park, aiming to address shoreline erosion, reduce stormwater runoff, and provid...
www.pressherald.com
June 30, 2025 at 6:10 PM
pbagnallwrites.bsky.social
The news does not stop on the weekends, especially for "No Kings Day." I felt the need to take a drive over to see if they could span the Sagadahoc Bridge.

#portlandpressherald #nokingday #protest #bath #maine

www.pressherald.com/2025/06/17/n...
“No Kings” rally draws 3,000 protesters to Bath
A few months into Trump's second term, hundreds of protesters gathered along the length of the Sagadahoc Bridge in Bath to speak out against the administration's policies and actions.
www.pressherald.com
June 18, 2025 at 4:38 PM
pbagnallwrites.bsky.social
One of my latest stories about Midcoast Youth Center receiving the John T. Gorman grant to benefit the transitional housing program in Bath, ME.

#localnews #bath #maine

www.pressherald.com/2025/06/11/m...
Midcoast Youth Center’s transitional housing receives $15,000 grant
The Midcoast Community Alliance was awarded the private funding for its transitional housing program for young adults through the Midcoast Youth Center.
www.pressherald.com
June 12, 2025 at 5:21 PM
pbagnallwrites.bsky.social
A local news piece about an award-winning chef cooking a school lunch for elementary school kids in Freeport, ME.

#localnews #freeport #schoollunch #seafooddiet

www.pressherald.com/2025/06/02/e...
Expert chef cooks up fish lunch for Freeport students
Barton Seaver, an expert sustainable seafood chef and educator, volunteered his culinary expertise to cook a flounder-based dish for Morse Street School.
www.pressherald.com
June 4, 2025 at 4:44 PM
pbagnallwrites.bsky.social
The latest Times Record and Portland Press Herald update on what the largest employer in the city of Bath, ME, plans to do with its employee parking and how city residents are reacting to it.

#localnews #portlandpressherad #bath #maine

www.pressherald.com/2025/05/07/b...
Bath residents worry shipyard parking changes will lead to more traffic issues
Bath Iron Works leadership goes over the plans for the improved parking for the Washington Street corridor project and answers Bath residents' concerns during a presentation at the Maine Maritime Muse...
www.pressherald.com
May 12, 2025 at 5:03 PM
pbagnallwrites.bsky.social
An important story is unfolding in local libraries in Maine, one worth keeping an eye on to see what changes emerge.

#localnews #bowdoinham #maine #publiclibrary

www.pressherald.com/2025/04/17/f...
Federal funding cuts trickle down to Midcoast libraries
Local libraries face a reduction in online resources, with rural libraries being hit the hardest. The cut in federal funding for the Maine State Library has already led to layoffs and a temporary clos...
www.pressherald.com
April 18, 2025 at 1:10 PM
pbagnallwrites.bsky.social
The news doesn't rest, especially for the weekend. On my day off, I went to the protest in Brunswick, ME, to take photos of one of the largest protests I have seen so far.

#localnews #nationalnews #photography #thetimesrecord #maine #activistprotest

www.pressherald.com/2025/04/07/h...
‘Hands Off!’ protesters gather in Brunswick
Brunswick is one of many municipalities and cities across Maine and the country that witnessed the "Hands Off!" rallies in reaction to the current president of the Untied States' actions.
www.pressherald.com
April 8, 2025 at 5:59 PM
pbagnallwrites.bsky.social
A story about citizens' concerns with cruise ships in Bath, ME, that I plan to follow up on in the evening.

#localnews #bath #maine #cruiseshiptourism #municipalgovernment #mainetrustforlocalnews

www.pressherald.com/2025/04/01/g...
Group of Bath residents want fewer cruise ships
A presentation on the Maine Maritime Museum and American Cruise Lines' use of the Deering Pier is scheduled for Bath City Hall on Wednesday.
www.pressherald.com
April 2, 2025 at 3:37 PM
pbagnallwrites.bsky.social
Not the greatest thing in the world to cover a business closing its doors after over 100 years of service to the community was the sense I got from my street interviews.

#smallbusiness #pharmacy #bath #maine #localnews

www.pressherald.com/2025/03/20/b...
Bath drugstore shutting doors after 109 years in business
Wilson's Drug Store is closing, to the disappointment of locals and loyal commuters.
www.pressherald.com
March 26, 2025 at 3:42 PM
pbagnallwrites.bsky.social
One of my latest stories is about the executive branch's mixed messages and how they are currently affecting the business of building ships. It took longer than I expected, but it was worth it in the end.

#localnews #bath #shipbuilding #jobmarket

www.pressherald.com/2025/03/17/h...
Hiring freezes, Trump’s plan for shipbuilding office send mixed signals to shipbuilders
Lawmakers representing districts with some of the nation's largest naval shipyards are concerned the recent hiring freezes send mixed messages with the president's recent commitment to "Make Shipbuild...
www.pressherald.com
March 20, 2025 at 1:20 PM
pbagnallwrites.bsky.social
My short coverage of an Indivisible Protest over the prior weekend with people concerned over the recent actions center around the Department of Government Effiency.

#localnews #bath #maine #publicprotest #thetimesrecord

www.pressherald.com/2025/03/10/m...
Midcoast group protests federal workforce cuts
Indivisible Sagadahoc gathered in Bath to protest the slashing of the federal workforce by the Trump administration and the Department of Government Efficiency run by billionaire Elon Musk.
www.pressherald.com
March 11, 2025 at 4:09 PM
pbagnallwrites.bsky.social
Following the trend happening across the nation and how it affects people locally.

#bigboxstores #closure #localnews #thetimesrecord #midcoastmaine

www.pressherald.com/2025/02/20/t...
Two Midcoast big box stores closing their doors
The Topsham Fair Mall location is on the list of store closures for Joann Fabrics following a trend of big box store closures across the nation.
www.pressherald.com
March 4, 2025 at 3:32 PM
pbagnallwrites.bsky.social
Shortened work day for covering local news with some community outreach thrown in for scheduling interviews next week.
February 21, 2025 at 4:59 PM
pbagnallwrites.bsky.social
My coverage of the LGBTQIA group Bath Pride hosting a banned book club inspired by the book bans happening in other parts of the United States.

#bannedbooks #localnews #LGBTQIA #Bath #Maine

www.pressherald.com/2025/02/13/b...
Bath group launches ‘banned’ book club
The increasing number of book bans and challenges across the nation inspired Bath Pride to begin a different kind of book club for anyone to attend and host conversations at the Patten Free Library.
www.pressherald.com
February 19, 2025 at 7:33 PM
Reposted by Paul Bagnall
rawstory.com
“The American team has almost no experience in high-level international negotiation, no regional expertise on Ukraine and Russia, and no relevant foreign language knowledge."
‘Bloodbath by design’: Trump’s Russia negotiators criticized for ‘almost no experience'
After a week of disastrous messaging by U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, resulting in a 180-degree turn and leaving European leaders and some Americans wondering what U.S. foreign policy is, th...
www.rawstory.com
February 18, 2025 at 7:35 PM
pbagnallwrites.bsky.social
With everything going on in the world right now, combined with the winter season, is frankly depressing. So, I will reorganize my office space to face the window instead of a wall.
February 14, 2025 at 4:46 PM
pbagnallwrites.bsky.social
New state funding will allow the Bath-based nonprofit to expand existing programs and hire more staff to prevent kids and young adults from experiencing homelessness in Sagadahoc County.

#nonprofit #localnews #thetimesrecord #midcoast #maine

www.pressherald.com/2025/01/30/m...
Midcoast Youth Center funding to expand homelessness prevention
The new state funding will allow the Bath-based nonprofit to expand existing programs and hire more staff to prevent kids and young adults from experiencing homelessness in Sagadahoc County.
www.pressherald.com
February 7, 2025 at 7:27 PM
pbagnallwrites.bsky.social
What happens when federal funds already allocated to a nonprofit get frozen with very little communication coming from the reshuffled federal agencies?

Especially when a local nonprofit whose main goal is to prevent hunger in Maine.

#federalfunds #nonprofit

www.pressherald.com/2025/02/03/m...
Midcoast food nonprofit regains access after brief funding pause
Mid Coast Hunger Prevention recently regained access to its allocated federal funding after almost a week of being cut off from it. The Trump administration's planned freeze on federal funding leaves ...
www.pressherald.com
February 5, 2025 at 10:29 PM
pbagnallwrites.bsky.social
I want to thank my neighbor for letting me know that my car was marked for towing because of last night's parking ban. I appreciate her help that I can write the news without distractions.

#localnews #winterparkingban #workflow
February 3, 2025 at 2:18 PM