By Lauren McCauley | Editor

“A whole new organism that’s never been here before has come to our shores.” - biologist Christopher Peters, on the influx of certain crab populations to Maine and New Hampshire.

Former Gov. Paul LePage, the Republican nominee running for Maine’s 2nd Congressional District, touted his business experience at a press conference in Fairfield Thursday. (Photo by Kaitlyn Budion/Maine Morning Star)

ELECTION 2026

By Kaitlyn Budion

With U.S. Rep. Jared Golden on his way out of Congress, the business and labor groups that united behind him are once again at odds in the 2nd District. 

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce endorsed Republican Paul LePage in the race Thursday. In contrast, Democrat Matt Dunlap has the backing of several major unions.

ENVIRONMENT

By Molly Rains, New Hampshire Bulletin

Lobsters have long reigned as king among New England’s shelled sea creatures, but the chances of a coup are growing — and climate change is tipping the scales.

IMMIGRATION

By Nikita Biryukov

Maine and a group of other mostly Democratic-led states sued the U.S. Department of Transportation over the federal government’s demands for Social Security numbers and other private information from a cross-state database of commercial driver’s licenses.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

Thanks for reading Top of the Morning. Did you know our weekend digest is also free? Sign up here. And if you enjoyed today’s edition, please forward to a friend. Increasing our readership helps us cover more news.