There’s been a lot of talk lately about potential re-election troubles for U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe.

WASHINGTON — In her quest to not miss a Senate vote, Sen. Susan Collins has turned an ankle, persevered through icy drives to Boston when airports in Bangor and Portland were closed, and scrambled off a plane just before its doors closed.

If an agreement can’t be reached, Maine’s four members of Congress say they won’t accept pay for as long as government is shut down.

Maine has more than 11,000 federal workers, but it’s not yet clear how many of them might be asked to stay home.

WASHINGTON — When Sarah Smith’s Grassland Organic Farm in Skowhegan needed help to create pastures where cows could graze even in a summer drought, a U.S. Department of Agriculture program chipped in $1,300 and priceless expert advice.

WASHINGTON — The start of the 112th Congress with its GOP House majority also ushered in a new reality for U.S. Reps. Chellie Pingree and Mike Michaud.

WASHINGTON — The Senate already has handily nixed a proposal approved by the House on Friday to end a federal subsidy program for small airports, including Augusta’s and three others in Maine.