NEW GLOUCESTER, Maine — Lyme disease cases in Maine are nearing record highs, with nearly 2,800 cases reported through the end of August. By August 26, the Maine CDC had reported 2,740 Lyme cases, which was over 20 percent more than the same period last year.

This summer, more people visited the emergency room due to tick bites.

Experts at the University of Maine Tick Lab say rising rates of tick-borne illnesses point to a longer tick season as ticks carrying diseases expand their range in Maine.

Tick submissions to the University of Maine Tick Lab are up 20 percent compared to this time last year, and Griffin Dill, who manages the lab, is not surprised.

"The geography of those submissions is expanding, with more and more submissions from Downeast Maine, Washington County, and the

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