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The tide is turning
Editor’s Note: The Maine Climate Council is submitting its Climate Action Plan to the Legislature on Dec. 1. Topics related to the plan have been covered in a series of Sea Change columns this fall. Alongside the challenges of a raging pandemic, failing health care...
Maine begins search for new public defense director, approves rule changes
In the final six weeks of the year, Maine's public defense agency is racing to meet multiple deadlines to overhaul its operations while also beginning a search for a new executive director. A "very lean" staff of three people will be expected to run the state agency...
Chasing Maine: The Quarantine
Chasing Maine is a biweekly video series that explores Maine from a distinct visual perspective. Join veteran Maine journalist and storyteller Roger McCord as he chases the people, places and things that define the unique character of the Pine Tree State.
Finding holiday gratitude in the time of COVID
I searched for the Christmas stocking. The felt red and green stocking appliqued with Santa’s jolly face. The one marked Emma. I pulled it from the plastic bin among a pile of other stockings tagged with Mom, Dad and Nora stickers. It was strange to retrieve the...
Making way for ducks
As loveable as ducks are, they are – undeniably – fowl, exuberant in start-to-finish mess-making. Domesticated ducks routinely splash into full bowls of food or water, and – if the spirit moves them – defecate there. They rinse their nostrils while eating, rapidly...
Top Stories
Ineffective financial oversight, missed obligations of Maine’s public defense agency detailed in new report
The Maine Commission on Indigent Legal Services lacks established financial policies, a strong oversight structure and adequate staffing to meet its constitutional obligations to provide high-quality representation to criminal defendants who are too poor to afford an attorney, the state’s watchdog unit detailed in a report released on Monday.
Running on empty
With a fixed income and little wiggle room in her budget, a Sangerville woman worries about keeping her home warm this winter.
Farming helps reduce food insecurity among Somali Bantu community in Lewiston-Auburn
Heightened hunger due to the impact of COVID-19 has underscored the importance of programs that enable people to grow their own food.
Preparing for a cold, hungry winter
As temperatures drop and the pandemic continues to strain the economy, Mainers expect demand for food and heat assistance to rise.
The drive toward vehicle electrification in Maine
With the gasoline era coming to a close, how can a rural, aging and economically challenged state navigate a path to electrified transportation?
Building a renewable future poses daunting task for Maine
To achieve the legislated goal of decarbonizing Maine by 2050, the state must dramatically expand renewable power generation and transmission. Overcoming negative public opinion in the wake of the Hydro-Quebec corridor debate is just one obstacle in the way.
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Coronavirus in Maine: Daily Headlines
A compilation of top stories about the pandemic from The Maine Monitor’s media partners across Maine.
The Last Responders
Along with provoking a pandemic, COVID-19 has triggered a grief epidemic. It has robbed families of final goodbyes, left loved ones to die with strangers, postponed wakes and funerals. And it has overwhelmed Maine’s “Last Responders,” priests, chaplains, funeral directors and hospice workers who must work around restrictions aimed at diminishing virus infections.
2020: A Class Dismissed
The Maine Monitor spoke to seniors from high schools across the state to tell the story of Maine’s Class of 2020 and how these soon-to-be graduates are dealing with the unexpected developments that come with a pandemic and a disrupted senior year.
Due Process: Inside Maine’s County Courthouses
The Maine Monitor examines Maine’s criminal justice system at a time when there’s appetite for major change. Our series looks at the system – successes and failures – to test whether defendants and victims can rely on it to give them due process.
Video
Chasing Maine: The Astronomer
Chasing Maine is a biweekly video series that explores Maine from a distinct visual perspective. Join veteran Maine journalist and storyteller Roger McCord as he chases the people, places and things that define the unique character of the Pine Tree State.
Chasing Maine: The Harvesters
Chasing Maine is a biweekly video series that explores Maine from a distinct visual perspective. Join veteran Maine journalist and storyteller Roger McCord as he chases the people, places and things that define the unique character of the Pine Tree State.
Chasing Maine: The Messenger
Chasing Maine is a biweekly video series that explores Maine from a distinct visual perspective. Join veteran Maine journalist and storyteller Roger McCord as he chases the people, places and things that define the unique character of the Pine Tree State.