Portland Press Herald from Portland, Maine • A1

pressherald.com Wednesday, October 30, 2019 $1.80 WEATHER: Mostly cloudy, with drizzle High 62 Details, B6 Score some soccer regional quarterfinals action Sports, D1 Business Classified Comics Commentary Crossword Deaths Dispatches Editorials A6 Copyright 2019 MaineToday Media Volume 158 Number 113 Lottery On the Move People Public Notices Sports D1 Sudoku Varsity Maine D1 The Wrap INDEX PPH DAILY By RAY ROUTHIER Staff Writer ill Green does not be- lieve in wasting time. When he was cov- ering the World Se- ries in Los Angeles last year for News Center Maine, he and fellow reporter Jessica Gagne were at the 18-inning Game 3 until about 3:30 a.m. East Coast time. Then they filmed a report for the early newscast. Without stopping to sleep, Green went out to Hollywood to do a story on Mainers who have stars on the Walk of Fame.

Then he went back to the ballpark to cover the Red Sox beating the Dodgers. can still outwork any- one. In that way, a typ- ical said Lee Gold- berg, morning anchor at News Center Maine. not the typical news anchor with the three-piece suit and his hair all sprayed up. your neighbor, working hard to get the job Green announced Monday retire from News Center Maine in Portland on Nov.

22, after 47 years on Maine tele- vision. The announcement prompted hundreds of people across the state to praise him for his dedication to bringing them the stories other TV reporters might skip, about the small towns, for- gotten characters and the great outdoors. Green, 66 and a native of Bangor, said been overwhelmed by the re- sponse. He deflected much of the praise, as any real Mainer would do. was not great or flashy or anything, I think I just wore everyone Green said Tuesday.

talked to a lot of people. I might talk to 20 people a week, getting piz- za, getting coffee, so after 40 years talked to 40,000 people. I guess maybe just established a comfort level with NOW READY TO SIGN OFF Hard-working, affable and genuinely curious, Bangor native Bill Green has been welcomed in living rooms across the state for 47 years as he reported on sports and the outdoors. One colleague summed up the secret of his success: your By JOE LAWLOR Staff Writer Open enrollment for the Affordable Care Act marketplace begins Friday, and Medicaid expansion will likely contribute to a decline in 2020 sig- nups for ACA coverage, experts say. But with more people having either an ACA marketplace plan or Medicaid, the uninsured rate should plummet.

Several thousand Mainers who cur- rently have ACA insurance but qualify for Medicaid under expansion will be automatically switched to Medicaid during the Nov. 1-Dec. 15 enrollment if they already signed up for Med- icaid. People who are interested in re- newing or obtaining individual health insurance for 2020 can find out more information at CoverME.gov and at en- roll207.com. Those earning up to 400 percent of the federal poverty level, or $83,120 for Obamacare enrollments expected to fall in 2020 But a good one health policy analyst says, as 2019 Medicaid expansion likely contributes to that decline.

Brianna Photographer News Center Maine TV reporter Bill Green best known for his signature news broadcasts Green and is photographed Tuesday in the Portland newsroom. After more than 47 years behind and in front of the camera, the 66-year-old Bangor native has announced his retirement next month. Bill Green says retire from News Center Maine on Nov. 22. Aordable Care Act enrollment in Maine Aordable Care Act enrollments are expected to decline for a fourth straight year, in part because of Medicaid expansion in Maine.

44,258 74,805 84,059 79,407 75,809 70,987 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 SOURCE: Kaiser Family Foundation STAFF GRAPHIC MICHAEL FISHER 0 20,000 40,000 60,000 80,000 100,000 By PENELOPE OVERTON Staff Writer The U.S. Department of Agri- culture announced the creation of a federal hemp growing pro- gram Tuesday, offering some new protection for rap- idly expanding hemp industry. The new federal regulatory framework will establish nation- al standards for the production of hemp, which federal lawmak- ers legalized in the latest farm bill, and make qualified growers eligible for such key federal agri- culture programs as farm loans and crop insurance. USDA, we are always excit- ed when there are new economic opportunities for our farmers, and we hope the ability to grow hemp will pave the way for new products and said U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue said in a statement Tues- day.

An interim final rule that will be published in the Federal Reg- ister this week formalizes the program, spelling out federal growing, testing, disposal and licensing standards. The rule will allow farmers to grow hemp under the federal program or under state and tribal programs approved by the USDA. Maine farmers have been able to grow hemp under a state re- search program since 2016. Three years ago, the state had two approved farmers growing less than a quarter acre of hemp. As demand for wellness products containing CBD, or cannabidiol, the active ingredient in hemp, surged, however, the program has taken off.

The state licensed 167 farmers that produced 2,700 acres of hemp in 2019. National industry analysts es- timate the U.S. CBD market hit $591 million in 2018, and, with Federal regulators roll out hemp standards Approved growers will be eligible for key agricultural assistance, including farm loans and crop insurance. By KEVIN MILLER Staff Writer AUGUSTA A state task force is considering recommending that all public water systems be required to test for PFAS contamination and that fire departments report any usage of the so-called to state environmental regulators. Those are just two of dozens of draft recommendations discussed Tuesday by a group charged with helping guide response to a class of chem- icals that are popping up in drinking water, municipal sludge and food prod- ucts around the country.

Collectively referred to as PFAS, per- and poly-flu- oroalkyl substances are being linked to health problems after decades of use in firefighting foam and countless consumer products. Members of PFAS Task Force plan to present Gov. Janet Mills Among the dozen proposals is expanded testing for public and private drinking water sources. Task force has recommendations for dealing with File photo by Gregory Photographer Fred dairy operation in Arundel had to be shut down because the spreading of municipal sludge contaminated the soil and milk with Manuel Balce Army Lt. Col.

Alexander Vindman arrives to testify Tuesday on Capitol Hill. IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY A Ukraine expert and an Iraq War veteran, Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman gives a firsthand account of the July 25 phone call at the center of the controversy. STORIES A4 Please see ACA, Back Page Please see PFAS, Page A7 Please see GREEN, Back Page Please see HEMP, Back Page Single Game Tickets On Sale Nov.

1 Come See Tacko Fall In Maine Season Tickets On Sale Now! 207-210-6655 MaineRedClaws.com.