The Maine Monitor/Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting

Fascinating discussion between Stephanie McFeeters and Emily Bader diving into Emily's excellent reporting on two unique opioid recovery solutions from The Maine Monitor/Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting. Check out The Maine Monitor Radio Hour.

The Maine Monitor Radio Hour is a monthly program in which reporters and editors from The Maine Monitor discuss the newsroom’s recent reporting on Maine's WERU community radio station. This month, deputy editor Stephanie McFeeters was joined by health care reporter Emily Bader to talk about Bader’s reporting on two unique approaches to recovery — one in Machias and one in Millinocket. 

Good deep dive by Emmett Gartner into how one town in Maine is navigating severe storms, emergency funding, and preparing for the future in The Maine Monitor/Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting. “Maine people have been forced to confront the consequences of climate change, not as a future hypothetical, but as a present reality.” .... In Norridgewock, town officials understand the urgency of the problem and are taking matters into their own hands. 

While we can't help but enjoy these glorious September days, they tell us something about our environment. In this week's Climate Monitor, Annie Ropeik explores how climate change is impacting autumn in Maine, where we have experienced above-normal temperatures in September almost every year since the late 1990s. "Among the impacts for people: more energy demand for cooling, including at the start of the school year in buildings that may be ill-equipped to provide it; a longer and more intense allergy season; and more smoke from deadlier wildfires drifting cross-country in hotter weather, increasing respiratory risks."

This is an in-depth and deeply researched piece that really demonstrates how climate change impacts small towns and communities here in Maine. And if it is happening here, it is happening elsewhere threatening a way of life we have long cherished. A piece well worth reading. Thank you Emmett Gartner and The Maine Monitor for focusing in on this.

‘All emergencies are local until they’re not’: How one Maine town is prepping for its next disaster Like much of inland Maine, Norridgewock was isolated when rivers surged late last December. Town officials don’t want to be in that position again. Check out this story by Emmett Gartner. Read or listen - Emmett prepared an audio story as well!

Great work Rose Lundy and Samantha Hogan!

Congrats to Rose Lundy and Samantha Hogan for receiving a Publick Occurrences award for their respective investigations! The award recognizes “the very best work that New England newspapers produce each year."

Excellent, thorough examination of transportation as a critical health service by Adrienne Washington in The Maine Monitor/Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting.

Living without a car in Maine can be really, really hard. For many, it's not just an inconvenience, but a health issue. That's the case for those Mainers that Adrienne Washington, The Monitor's rural reporter, has been speaking with over the past few weeks. The people Adrienne has been talking to have insurance through MaineCare, the state's version of Medicaid, and don't have reliable access to transportation. MaineCare is supposed to provide coverage for rides to and from certain medical appointments. But the people Adrienne spoke to say they're missing appointments because drivers don't show up, or arrive too late. The director of one cancer center in Ellsworth estimates that she's made 100 trips back and forth to Bangor to pick up patients stranded at their appointments. Those missed appointments can have real impacts on people recovering from cancer, or dealing with chronic health issues. This is one arena where we really do need to be able to get there from here.