The leaves are beginning to change and the mornings are becoming colder here in Dover-Foxcroft, meaning that winter is right around the corner. Around town, many of our neighbors have already expressed their concerns to me about struggling to heat their homes this winter due to the rising costs of oil and electricity. According to the Governor's Energy Office, as of September 26, the average price of heating oil in northern Maine has risen almost 70 percent over the past year, increasing from $2.71 per gallon to $4.51 per gallon.

AUGUSTA - Rep. Lori Gramlich, D-Old Orchard Beach, will deliver the keynote address at the First Annual Coastal Conference hosted by SOS Saco Bay on Tuesday, Sept. 27. The conference will focus on the challenge of confronting rising seas and coastal erosion, and Gramlich's remarks will provide an overview of climate change and its implications on Maine's shoreline and the economy.

Thanks to up to $500 million in federal and state funding, and the work my colleagues and I in Augusta did to advance access to high-speed internet for rural Mainers, we have a monumental opportunity to close the digital divide once and for all. Our leaders must prioritize solutions that bring broadband connectivity to communities still living without it and avoid proposals that will waste the finite funds we have or do little to address the factors driving our state's internet divide.

AUGUSTA - Rep. Jay McCreight, D-Harpswell, has been named a 2022 recipient of the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network's National Distinguished Advocacy Award. The award recognizes lawmakers who have led efforts to fight against cancer and to support patients, survivors and their families.

AUGUSTA - Rep. Kristen Cloutier, D-Lewiston, was named a 2022 recipient of the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network's National Distinguished Advocacy Award at a reception held in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, Sept. 14. The award recognizes lawmakers who have led efforts to fight against cancer and to support patients, survivors and their families.

AUGUSTA - Rep. Lori K. Gramlich, D-Old Orchard Beach, was recognized by Defend Our Health on Sunday, Sept. 11, for her extensive work to protect the environment and public health. The advocacy organization highlighted Gramlich's work in the Maine House with its 2022 Legislative Leadership Award.

AUGUSTA - Rep. Michele Meyer, D-Eliot, was named a 2022 recipient of the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network's National Distinguished Advocacy Award at a reception held in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, Sept. 14. The award recognizes lawmakers who have led efforts to fight against cancer and to support patients, survivors and their families.

AUGUSTA - Rep. Lori K. Gramlich, D-Old Orchard Beach, has been named House chair of the Commission to Study the Role of Water as a Resource in the State of Maine. The commission held its first meeting Monday, Sept. 12.

AUGUSTA - Rep. Grayson Lookner, D-Portland, has been selected to accompany Hawaii State Senator Stanley Chang and fellow state legislators and advocates from across the United States to examine social and public housing in Vienna, Austria this month.

AUGUSTA - Rep. Lori K. Gramlich, D-Old Orchard Beach, joined leaders from Maine and Quebec last week to build support for a Montreal-to-Boston passenger train route that would include stops in Old Orchard Beach and other Maine locations.