Freeport
As part of a mental-health initiative, L.L.Bean posted photos of a campsite in a lush valley, overlaid with text that read “Off the Grid,” before shutting down its social-media feeds for an entire month.
Sanford
On Discovery Channel’s Naked and Afraid: Solo, an in-the-buff survival show that leaves people alone in extreme environments for up to three weeks, Sanford resident Cheeny Plante lasted the whole time in South African grasslands. She ate lots of grubs.
Denmark
Tornadoes are rare in Maine, but a type of twister known as a landspout damaged buildings and trees after touching down in a rural area. Landspouts are usually less intense than supercell tornadoes — this one clocked relatively modest 55-mile-an-hour winds.
Ogunquit
When a pair of swimmers was spotted floundering in waves 150 yards from land, a fisherman gave first responders a ride out, and firefighter Nathanael Pierce jumped into the surf and helped both people swim to shore.
Acadia National Park
Six local fire departments responded to a blaze on St. Sauveur Mountain, and a Maine Forest Service helicopter dropped water on the flames. Together, they managed to contain the burn to just half an acre.
Portland
The nonprofit Portland Downtown teamed up with Maine College of Art students on snarky banners for city lampposts, and one — “We were here first, Oregon. You’re not even a port.” — made the news in both Portlands (as Oregon’s is, in fact, a major port).