Maine is changing all the time, from the makeup of the population and the look of the landscape to the laws we have to abide by, the challenges we face and the places where we live, work and play.

On the eve of a new year, we’re taking stock of the ways Maine changed in 2023 that will have lasting effects on how our state defines itself and is viewed by the rest of the world.

We felt the most fundamental change to our fabric in October when the deadliest mass shooting in the U.S. this year claimed the lives of 18 residents, left families and friends grieving, and put Lewiston on the long list of communities devastated by gun violence.

Also going down in the history books are stretches of record-breaking wet and hot weather, along with a storm this month that caused some of the worst flooding parts of the state have ever seen.

Homelessness, in Portland in particular, reached new heights this year, while drug overdose deaths took a downturn, reversing the recent trend. Housing prices hit a record high in June, and rents continue to rise, though Maine’s short-term rental market seemed to reach a saturation point with increased vacancy rates this summer.

More people continue to move to the state, including natives returning home, city folk seeking a quieter life, climate refugees from other states and asylum seekers from Africa.

In good news for news readers, as well as our staff, our parent company was sold to the nonprofit National Trust for Local News, preserving 22 daily and weekly newspapers in the state.

Oh, and if you didn’t hear, we got a Costco.

Here’s more on the records that were broken, trends that emerged or changed course, and other major events and developments that made an impact on Maine and its people.

A VIOLENT YEAR

Many will remember 2023 as the year that the rampant, random gun violence that regularly impacts other states finally arrived in Maine. Even before Robert Card gunned down 18 people in Lewiston on Oct. 25, the state was on track to see a significant jump in homicides – based on unofficial counts, 2023’s roughly 51 victims were more than double the 22 that Maine averaged between 2012 and 2021, and 25% more than the previously reported record of 40, set in 1989.

Several crimes involved a level of randomness that stood out in a state that statistics suggest is usually America’s safest. After allegedly killing his parents and two family friends in April, Joseph Eaton, 34, opened fire on several cars on the interstate near Yarmouth, wounding three members of a family who were on their way to the grocery store. He later admitted to the shootings in a series of unusual jailhouse interviews with the Press Herald, during which he detailed many of the factors that he says led to a “psychotic break” on April 17, including a history of childhood sexual abuse, addiction to drugs and a brutal incarceration system.

Two months after Eaton’s rampage, Brittney Cockrell and Michael Hayter were killed in a Westbrook parking lot in front of their two young children. The man accused of shooting them, Marcel LaGrange, 24, apparently did not know the couple, but court records show he has a documented history of threatening to shoot “innocent people.”

The spate of violence brought scrutiny on Maine’s gun laws, which experts say are some of the weakest in the nation, and on law enforcement’s failure to get weapons away from men like Card and LaGrange even after friends and family members shared fears they were capable of violence. As several agencies investigate the Lewiston shootings in an effort to discover what could have been done differently, some lawmakers in Augusta and Washington have redoubled their Sisyphean effort to tighten Maine’s gun laws. Meanwhile, police departments have dramatically increased the rate at which they use the “yellow flag” law that some say could have prevented the Lewiston massacre.

WILD WEATHER

Unusual weather in 2023 provided frequent reminders of how climate change is already affecting the state.

Portland had the second-least snowy December on record, with 0.5 inches, following 1999 when there was only a trace amount of snow – one of numerous climate-related extremes the state experienced this year. Even areas of northern Maine that usually see 2 feet of snow fall in December had no measurable snow on the ground last week.

Many parts of the state saw little sunshine and persistent rain during the summer, and the 52 days of precipitation in Augusta between June and August broke the record of 47 days, set in 2009. Portland nearly broke its record, too, with 46 days of rain during the summer.

The average temperature for the year at the Portland International Jetport was 48.8 degrees, nearly two degrees above the 30-year average. Portland also broke the record for the number of consecutive days (25) when the low temperature was 60 degrees or higher, making for uncomfortable sleeping weather this summer and giving more Mainers reason to give in to installing air conditioning.

But multiple recent extreme rainstorms provided the most dramatic examples of the changing climate. Parts of Maine received 6-8 inches of rainfall during a 24-hour storm this month that knocked out power to half the state, flooded homes and businesses, washed out roads and took the lives of four people.

Extreme weather also rendered some of the worst-ever harvests, including the state’s small peach crop, which was completely devastated by a February cold spell. A snap freeze in late May killed many apple blossoms, and freak hailstorms in July and August damaged more apple crops, resulting in a 50% loss.

Maine maple syrup saw its lowest production since 2012, with 634,000 gallons – a 25% drop from the year before – thanks to cold temperatures early in the season, followed by a warm snap.

The unusual weather, however, was a boon to some crops, giving us juicy blueberries and brilliant sunflowers.

And the impacts of climate change in other states, from flooding to wildfires to extreme heat, are now contributing to population growth in Maine as so-called climate migrants move from other states to escape more severe effects.

HOUSING CRISIS 

Maine’s housing availability and affordability crisis reached a crescendo this year.

The year started with a historic lack of inventory, with fewer than 1,000 homes selling per month from January through April. However, the squeeze appeared to ease slightly as developers tried to push out more housing in the second part of the year. 

Home prices rose every month through June, capping the first half of the year with a record-high median home price of $385,000. Prices are still up, year over year, but the median price in November was down to $355,000. 

A report in October found that Maine needs 84,000 more houses in the next seven years to accommodate its existing population and the people expected to move to Maine. 

Developers are trying to build more housing fast, with several large-scale projects in the works. 

A proposed development in Portland’s Bayside neighborhood is expected to add more than 800 units. The former Mercy Hospital site will be remade into about 260 apartments and condominiums. Another development near Biddeford’s downtown will add about 500 units. The redevelopment of the Scarborough Downs has already built about 500 housing units, with another 1,500 in the pipeline.

But as these larger projects have popped up, so has opposition. 

A proposal for almost 400 units in Gorham Village has residents riled up about traffic, school overcrowding and other impacts. 

In Saco, a cadre of concerned neighbors spoke against the proposed 332-unit Lincoln Village. The Saco Planning Board rejected the proposal, but now developer Loni Graiver is suing the city. 

While the state desperately needs more housing, it especially needs affordable housing. Market-rate rent for a two-bedroom apartment in Portland was $1,721 in 2022, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. In 2024, it is expected to be $1,946. 

Some municipalities have been working to address the affordability issue. 

In November, Portland voters soundly rejected Question A, a referendum that would have exempted anyone with nine or fewer rental units in the city from the rent control ordinance. 

This summer, the Brunswick Town Council passed an inclusionary zoning ordinance to incentivize affordable housing and, two months later, established a $1 million affordable housing fund for developers.

At a statewide level, L.D. 2003, a law designed to increase density and boost the number of houses by allowing accessory dwelling units, went into effect in July but the actual requirements won’t kick in until sometime next year. 

While developers and builders make their way through city planning boards, existing residents are frantically searching for a place to live. 

Applications for Avesta Housing units have nearly doubled in the last two years, lengthening the waitlists. 

A man in Portland who listed a tiny bedroom in his Portland apartment on Craigslist received over 400 responses in three weeks. 

Renters who do have a lease are afraid to rock the boat and ask for too much because their landlords could line up another tenant in the blink of an eye. Or they could turn the apartment into an Airbnb, something more and more are doing. 

In July, Portland had 844 licensed short-term rentals. But this summer also saw an increase in vacancy rates for the vacation spots. It’s a sharp reversal from recent years – the market was saturated with summer getaway options, pushing prices down, sometimes by up to $100 a night. 

HOMELESSNESS IN PORTLAND

Maine’s largest city saw its homelessness crisis reach a fever pitch as it ushered in new leaders in 2023.

For the first time in recent memory, Portland saw large-scale homeless encampments popping up everywhere from Deering Oaks to the Marginal Way park & ride. The number of unsheltered homeless people in Maine nearly tripled between 2019 and 2023, from 95 to 299, according to an annual January census. Portland saw hundreds of tents pitched throughout the city, with numbers peaking in the summer and fall.

After drawing ire for its practice of sweeping encampments, forcing their residents to move elsewhere, the city formed the Encampment Crisis Response Team, which brought in community partners from organizations like Preble Street and the Opportunity Alliance to ramp up outreach efforts and more humanely move people into shelter.

In March, the city’s Homeless Services Center opened in Riverside, increasing Portland’s ability to offer shelter to the homeless population. However, many living in the encampments were reluctant to accept the beds. The city finally saw more success placing people in the shelter after the opening of a new shelter for asylum seekers at the end of November and ramped-up outreach efforts through December.

The homelessness crisis was front and center during the city’s mayoral election. Five candidates – Pious Ali, Justin Costa, Mark Dion, Dylan Pugh and Andrew Zarro – vied for Portland’s highest office in an unprecedented string of debates and events. Dion won the election after five rounds of ranked-choice voting, beating out runner-up Zarro by 600-some votes.

It was also the first election cycle in which the city’s clean elections program was in place. Two mayoral candidates and four city council candidates participated in the program, ultimately acquiring more funds from the city than their opponents were able to raise the traditional way.

Non-elected leadership positions in the city also saw turnover this year. A new superintendent, Ryan Scallon, took the reins at Portland Public Schools in July, replacing Xavier Botana, who resigned last December amid a breakdown in the district’s payroll system. Mark Dubois was appointed as the new police chief in August, following interim chief F. Heath Gorham’s departure.

DOWNTURN IN OVERDOSE DEATHS

After years of increasing drug overdose deaths – fueled by the opioid crisis – Maine may have turned a corner in 2023 with a downturn in drug deaths.

Whether the trend will continue in 2024 is uncertain, but advocates say a comprehensive strategy, including increasing access to treatment and the life-saving antidote naloxone, among other measures, may be starting to pay off.

Through October, fatal drug overdoses declined by 11.7% in 2023 when compared to the same time period in 2022, dropping to 513 from 581 last year. Maine logged a record 723 fatal overdoses in 2022, and, except for 2018, Maine has seen a steady increase in drug deaths for the past decade.

The percentage of the total overdoses that were fatal has also dropped, from 6.9% in 2022 to 6.2% through October 2023.

The reduction in fatal overdoses can be attributed partly to greater access to and use of naloxone, the life-saving antidote. Naloxone reversals now number about 2,500 per year, up from about 1,500 annually in 2020.

Earlier this month, Gordon Smith, director of opioid response for the Mills administration, told the Press Herald that it seems like Maine is “on the right track” after many years of devastatingly high overdose deaths.

“There’s a lot of reason to be hopeful,” Smith said. “It’s gratifying to see the investments we have talked about, and the plans we have talked about for five years, beginning to show some results.”

The Mills administration is spending about $40 million to $60 million per year on sustaining and improving the system to prevent and treat substance use disorder.

In other health care news in 2023, three birthing centers closed – at York Hospital, Northern Maine Medical Center in Fort Kent and Rumford Hospital – continuing a long-term trend of small hospitals shuttering maternity wards. Seven in Maine have closed since 2015, spurred by the state’s declining birth rates, in addition to consolidation of services at larger hospitals, and mirroring a national trend.

Maine also reported a lack of access to many health care services, especially mental health and dental care. High demand caused by people delaying care during the pandemic, population increases and a decrease in the number of health care practitioners has resulted in months-long waits for appointments.

ABORTION RIGHTS EXPANDED

Maine passed a new law expanding access to abortion, giving the state some of the strongest abortion rights in the nation at the same time that other states approved new restrictions or bans in the wake of the 2022 U.S. Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.

The law, which took effect in October, allows abortions to be performed at any time during a pregnancy with the approval of a physician. It’s one of five abortion access bills Gov. Janet Mills signed in the last legislative session, including one that waives insurance co-pays and deductibles for abortions.

Lawmakers and Mills also approved the creation of a new paid family and medical leave program that will be fully implemented by 2026, and a statewide housing first program that will fund apartments for people who have struggled with long-term homelessness.

The paid family and medical leave program will make nearly all workers in Maine eligible for up to 12 weeks of paid leave for qualifying conditions.

A bill to create the housing first program was approved by lawmakers and then included as part of the supplemental budget that passed this summer. Funding for the program, which would help create permanent housing for people now sleeping in emergency shelters, comes from a portion of real estate transfer tax revenue and is expected to become available starting in 2025.

Lawmakers also approved a proposal to ask voters if they want to restore a version of the original Maine flag, which features a pine tree on a beige field and blue star. The governor has not signed the bill, but has said she intends to allow it to become law.

The Legislature has the option to recall the bill, but should it become law, a November 2024 referendum would be required.

Voters in Maine this year passed the automotive “right to repair” referendum ensuring that independent auto repair shops have access to vehicle diagnostic and repair data. They also rejected an effort to try and replace the state’s two largest utility companies with a publicly owned power company.

SEA DOGS, SPORTS BETTING AND A WORLD SERIES

Bill Burke and his sister, Sally McNamara, had some impressive gifts to give away on their final day as longtime owners of the Portland Sea Dogs.

Once their sale of the team to Diamond Baseball Holdings became official in February, the pair shared profits from the transaction with the team’s 18 full-time employees.

The Burke family had owned the highly successful minor league baseball team since its inaugural season in 1994. The sale of the Sea Dogs to a corporation marked a new era and was just one of the ways that sports changed in Maine in 2023.

Sports betting in Maine finally made its debut in November, roughly 15 months after it became legal. The state took in nearly $500,000 in sports gambling revenue in the first four weeks, meeting industry expectations. Maine’s law gives exclusive rights to the lucrative online betting market to the state’s Indigenous tribes.

High school sports had some notable events in 2023, including the first time that a girl won a state wrestling title while competing against boys. That honor goes to Maddie Ripley of Oceanside High in Rockland, who pinned Nick Allen of Wells in the championship bout of the Class B 106-pound division in February.

Another first came in October, when a 15-year-old runner became the first transgender athlete to win a regional high school cross country championship in Maine. Soren Stark-Chessa, a sophomore at Maine Coast Waldorf School in Freeport, won the Class C South girls’ title in front of a supportive crowd at Twin Brook Recreation Area in Cumberland. State law makes it clear that students cannot be excluded from extracurricular activities on the basis of “sex, sexual orientation or gender identity.”

Folks who attended a high school basketball game in Cumberland on Jan. 31 will never forget it. The Greely boys emerged with a marathon 117-115 victory over Fryeburg Academy in what is believed to be the longest game in Maine high school basketball history – eight overtimes.

And then there was the feel-good story of the summer when a group of 11- and 12-year-old baseball players representing Gray-New Gloucester/Raymond won the New England Championship and went to the Little League World Series in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania. They were just the fourth team from Maine to play in the World Series, and the first since 2005.

Staff writers John Terhune, Hannah LaClaire, Grace Benninghoff, Joe Lawlor and Rachel Ohm contributed to this story.

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