Limestone

The proposed Maine SpacePort — a complex that could include a commercial rocket launch site in Limestone and “mission control” in Brunswick — got a boost Tuesday from the award of $1.2 million in new federal funding.

Steve Levesque, the former Midcoast Regional Redevelopment Authority leader who transformed Brunswick’s naval air station into a thriving business community, has similar goals for Loring.

The magazine released its annual rankings of the country's best high schools on Tuesday, including 113 in Maine. Only one placed in the top 10% nationwide.

The grants go to all 16 counties and represent a broad cross-section of projects, such as protecting historic downtowns from rising sea levels, addressing public health risks from rising temperatures, and installing electric vehicle chargers and solar power arrays.

Creation of the proposed Maine Space Complex could cost from $50 million to $250 million over five years, but would create more than 5,000 high-paying jobs by 2042, according to a nonprofit backing the idea.

The five land ports in Maine are among 26 nationwide that are receiving federal funds for new facilities and infrastructure. On average, the country's land ports are nearly 40 years old.

Twenty-foot-tall figures heralded the entrance to the band Phish’s IT Festival in 2003. The University of Maine at Presque Isle later acquired the figures, which now need restoration. A cabin master who’s a passionate Phish fan is thrilled by the opportunity.

Northern Maine’s economic viability has always had a vulnerable side. The Eastern Maine Development Corp.’s new plan for Penobscot, Piscataquis, Hancock, and Waldo counties has taken on added importance.

The company is now one of the preferred "launch providers" — along with the businesses of Richard Branson and Elon Musk — for the commercial space division of a Los Angeles engineering firm.

The purchase represents at least 60 student payloads per launch, including test flights, suborbital launches and orbital launches. The deal signals “strong demand for affordable and frequent science payloads to space,” said bluShift’s founder.