PORTLAND — The amount of at-sea monitoring that New England’s cod fishermen will be required to submit to will be reduced in the coming fishing year, federal regulators have decided. At-sea monitors are workers who collect data on fishing trips that helps inform fishing regulations. The government shifted the cost of paying for the monitors […]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Two companies crucial to the business of U.S. energy exploration have abandoned their planned $34 billion merger, the Justice Department said Sunday. The department filed suit April 6 to block the merger of Halliburton and Baker Hughes. It claims the transaction would unlawfully eliminate significant competition in almost two dozen markets crucial […]

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama is reviewing design proposals for his future presidential library from the seven architectural firms chosen as finalists. The White House says the president’s wife, Michelle, joined him at Sunday’s meeting in Washington with staff of the Barack Obama Foundation. The foundation plans to build the library in one of […]

WASHINGTON (AP) — CIA Director John Brennan says a 28-page secret chapter from a congressional inquiry into 9/11 contains preliminary information about possible Saudi links to the attackers that hadn’t been corroborated or checked out at the time. The Obama administration may soon release part of the material. Brennan tells NBC’s “Meet the Press” there […]

WASHINGTON (AP) — A CSX freight train derailed near a Metro stop in Washington, D.C., on Sunday morning, sending about 10 cars off the tracks and spilling hazardous material from one of them, officials said. No injuries were reported and no evacuations were ordered.

GENEVA — U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has opened a second day of talks in Geneva aimed at finding a way to restore at least a partial truce in Syria amid continuing attacks in Aleppo. Kerry met on Monday with Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir and planned to meet later with the U.N. envoy […]

Here is a list of regularly scheduled meetings for area councils, boards of selectmen and school boards. All meetings are public. Acton: Selectmen meet at 7 p.m. the second and fourth Tuesday at Town Hall, 35 H Road; the next meeting is May 10 . The school board meets at 6 p.m. the second Tuesday […]

PORTLAND (AP) — Maine Democrats are divided over the best candidate for president – Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders – but the theme will be unity as they gather for the state convention. About 3,500 Democrats from all corners of the state will descend on Portland for the convention on Thursday and Friday at the […]

PORTLAND (AP) — Democratic U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree is joining a group of American organic food producers and advocates on a trip to Cuba. Pingree says her goal for the trip that begins Monday is to get a foot in the front door as the U.S. normalizes relations with Cuba. The group will meet with […]