Changes have come to the Kennebec Journal and Morning Sentinel. Below you’ll find answers to questions about how you get the newspaper, new sections and features inside its pages and other platforms to check out for stories from our journalists.

The Maine Trust for Local News is making these updates to ensure long-term sustainability and focus investments where they matter most — in local journalism and coverage. Transitioning weekday print delivery to U.S. Mail, refreshing sections and consolidating syndicated content like puzzles and comics are part of a broader effort to adapt to changing reader habits, reduce costs and strengthen the quality of community and statewide coverage.

These shifts allow the organization to prioritize its mission of delivering trusted, community-focused journalism across both print and digital platforms. We’ll be able to better deliver the stories, voices and local news that matter to you.

Distribution

The Tuesday through Friday newspapers are now delivered by mail. The majority of households within our delivery footprint will have home delivery on Sunday. Delivery deadlines will be extended to 11 a.m. on Sunday to accommodate longer and larger delivery routes.

There will be no print edition on Saturdays. However, we will offer comics, puzzles and TV listings as ePaper pages online. For Saturday news coverage, we encourage you to check out our sister publication, the Portland Press Herald, at pressherald.com/epaper. Your subscription entitles you to access the websites and ePapers of Pressherald.com and Sunjournal.com as well.

Newsstand sales

Tuesday-Friday will continue to be available at select newsstands (Augusta, Belgrade, Benton, China, Palermo, Fairfield, Farmingdale, Gardiner, Randolph, Manchester, Norridgewock, Oakland, Skowhegan, Waterville, Winthrop and Winslow). Sunday will continue to be available at newsstands within our home delivery footprint.

What are the new sections inside the Kennebec Journal and Morning Sentinel?

On Thursdays, readers will receive the “Go” entertainment section, featuring “Best Bets” event lists, interviews with Maine artists, musicians and celebrities, and ideas for planning your weekend. Each issue includes a column from culture writer Leslie Bridgers, “Screen Time” from film critic Dennis Perkins and archival “Throwback Photos.”

On Sundays, readers will receive three new sections:
• Audience, with features on Maine culture, arts criticism, book reviews and poetry.
• Food & Dining, which includes recipes, food and gardening features, and restaurant reviews and news.
• Opinion as its own separate section, with additional pages of letters and columns from around the state.

Additionally, we have heard reader concerns about reduced local events listings. In response, our newsrooms are developing a weekly “Top 10” regional events list every Wednesday. The Thursday Go section will continue to expand to include more regional event listings.

And daily event listings powered by our Cityspark event calendar can also be found online.

Why does the daily Opinion section look different?

The new focus for the Opinion section will be local and statewide, prioritizing letters and columns about Maine. We are stepping away from syndicated national columnists and will share state and local-focused letters from all parts of the state. We recently introduced Steve Collins as our new statewide politics columnist, whose columns will be included in this section.

What are the changes to the comics line-up?

Kennebec Journal and Morning Sentinel readers will have access to 11 new comics moving forward. Starting the week of April 7, these include: Rhymes with Orange, Adam @ Home, Big Nate, Close to Home, Get Fuzzy, Non Sequitur, Pearls Before Swine, Pickles, Pooch Café, Red and Rover and Luann. We are discontinuing Hi and Lois, Herb & Jamaal, Doonesbury and Phoebe and Her Unicorn to make room for the new comics. 

Arlo & Janis will be among the comics returning in this new lineup. Coming in May will be a daily version of the locally produced comic Anvil Falls from Ernie Anderson.

What other features are changing?

Central Maine readers will see advice columns from Carolyn Hax and Dear Abby. In addition, there is a new crossword and a Bridge column. Dear Annie and Hints from Heloise will no longer be featured. Community and calendar listings will no longer appear in print editions. User-submitted events will continue to appear online at centralmaine.com.

Where can I find more local coverage?

You can find more local coverage at centralmaine.com and in our newsletters. For coverage consideration, email: news@centralmaine.com.

Where is the local section in Sunday’s newspaper?

Local news, legal notices and obituaries can now be found in the first section of the Sunday newspaper. In addition to a fuller local section, you will receive the Maine Sunday Telegram, with the Maine/New England, Audience, Food & Dining and Opinion sections.

If you have questions you don’t see answered here, fill out the form below, or email us at: news@centralmaine.com. Delivery-related matters may be sent to: circulation@metln.org.