However you feel about these particular rules, this is not a good look for Maine. It will just make the lobster protests and boycotts even more empowered and frankly takes a huge chunk of authenticity out of the claims that Maine's lobster industry is a responsible steward of the fishery.

Bethel is probably the closest I can think of, not a perfect match though.

You might want to work with an insurance broker, they are a middleman who shops around for insurance. They will generally know the various companies and policies and will be able to advise you.

There are different styles but I think most (all?) have some sort of straps to adjust, either with a buckle or ratchet. It's not a big deal to get them on and off though. I wouldn't worry about it.

I own a few types of snow shoes, I think the best style to get started with is the type with a rigid plastic deck, e.g. MSR Evo. That style is a good combination of comfortable, lightweight, good grip, and not too expensive.

I would avoid the cheaper style that is basically ametal tube bent around the circumference (there are many versions of this style). Those are not as comfortable and provide only minimal grip in my experience.

Unless you know you will be in breaking trail in deep powder I would round down on the sizing (size is based on your weight). You really don't need all that much floatation and you are less likely to trip or stumble with a slightly smaller size.

I'm not sure what you mean by "fixed front toe box", all the ones I've ever used pivot. I see no reason to use the old-school style that is fixed to your foot. Also, boots don't really matter, you can wear any hiking or snow boots that are comfortable for walking. No need to buy something special.

I'm not sure I agree. It's easy to dunk on Walmart patrons but in my opinion the bizarre layout of the bollards and irregular angles of the lanes are the root cause here.

There's a kernel of truth to that. But you are really missing the bigger picture. If the root cause was "inadequately attentive drivers" in general, you would expect to see this kind of thing all over the area in various parking lots. But you don't. It's just this one specific part of one specific parking lot that has been proven to be confusing many, many times. There is something different about this one.

It's actually kind of a weird parking lot. There are several of these bollards that are just out in the middle of nowhere between the building and the parking spots, no curbs or anything. You can see in the photo it's just sort of in the middle of the pavement.

Also the parking lanes are not 90° to the building, they are more like 110°, which makes all the intersections feel a bit wonky. You can see it on Google Maps if you are curios.

Not that it's really an excuse but there is a reason.

I'm confused about what the agreement is, are they trying to build something or trying to prevent it? And what area is it even talking about? Quite vague.

...these numbers are already adjusted for population. According to OP, 1.5% of kids in NY are abused and only 0.2% in NJ.

This is nonsense, they are extremely similar. NY has more somewhat more people but the demographics are extremely similar. E.g. from the census info for NJ vs NY:

• under 18: 21.8% vs 20.7%
• white: 71.1% vs 69.1%
• foreign born: 22.7% vs 22.4%
• college degree: 40.7% vs 37.5%
• lacking health insurance: 8.4% vs 6.1%
• poverty: 10.2% vs 13.9%

Nothing there explains a 10X difference in child abuse rates.

The data doesn't make any sense. I have no opinion about whether Maine is high or low. NJ and NY are similar states with very similar populations, you would expect them to be similar in this respect. Likewise WA and OR are showing as wildly different even though they too are quite similar.

What does that have to do with this post or my comment?

Those numbers vary so much from one state to another that I have a hard time believing any of them. E.g. is it really plausible that NY and NJ differ by almost 10X?

GENERALLY you will pay taxes in the state where you did the work. So if you are in Maine working full time you will pay taxes here.

There are some exceptions though... e.g. New York State is notorious for its aggressive rules about taxing out of staters. So if your income is derived from NY specifically you might have to pay taxes there. Also certain industries like airlines, trucking, and the military have their own rules. So there is no single answer to this.

There's not much of an off-roading culture in Maine. There are plenty of dirt logging roads but they are mostly wide and dusty... not really that much fun to drive on except as a way to get somewhere for camping, hiking, fishing, etc. If you have a gazetteer you could pick a smaller road to explore but you are likely to end up at a locked gate or a downed tree. They're not maintained for recreation.

You might have better luck in New Hampshire and particularly Vermont.

Right now on indeed.com there are 13k+ job listings for at least $52,000 per year

I think you'd have trouble staying comfortable using only 1 bag per 24 hours in the middle of winter in Maine. But it depends a LOT on the insulation of the house and personal preference. (Also most houses are bigger than 1500 sf.)

I don't think anybody is making any money on the one-time transponder charge of $10 or whatever. Plus in some situations you get a discount on the toll so it will likely pay for itself. Just get an EZ pass if you ever go through tolls.

OK but the truncated version completely changes the meaning.

Uhh, wrong title. This is not about Lewiston at all.

Sounds like just a run-of-the-mill boundary dispute. Not really your fight, I would stay away if there is any ambiguity at all about whose land it is.

Maine currently uses an amended version of the 2015 IRC building code, which includes a section about wood decks (R507). There are other sections that may be relevant depending on the specifics, e.g. Egress (R311) and Fall Protection (R312). Your local city/town may have additional requirements related to decks (most commonly relating to setbacks but really could be anything).

Note that building codes are not instruction manuals for construction... you have to follow the code but if you are inexperienced it will not be much help. Sort of like reading traffic laws won't really teach you how to drive a car.

IANAL but that section says "licensee MAY refuse to serve liquor to any person who fails to display" (emphasis added). Does not say "MUST". Also the only IDs permitted under that section are issued by the state of Maine... are you saying that nobody from out of state can by alcohol.

Oxbow Brewing Co has a nice outdoor beer garden in Oxford with fire pits and pretty good pizza. Not much of a "view" per se but it's a cool outdoor spot. They are known for their farmhouse style beers, if that's your thing you should definitely check it out. Not so much IPAs.

Gritty's in Auburn has a deck with a view of the Androscoggin river and Lewiston skyline.