Maine Things Considered show

Maine Things Considered

Summary: Weekdays at 4 p.m. join host Nora Flaherty and hear Maine’s only daily statewide radio news program. Maine Public Radio's award-winning news staff brings you the latest news from across Maine and the region, as well as in-depth reports on the most important issues.

Podcasts:

 New England ACLU Chapters Sue Feds For Immigration Enforcement Information | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 88

The northern New England chapters of the American Civil Liberties Union want to know more about immigration enforcement in the region. They say their previous Freedom of Information Act requests have gone unanswered, so they have filed suit against federal agencies to compel them to produce the records. The ACLU chapters have documented what they say is an unprecedented and harsh pattern of federal immigration detentions, arrests and deportations since Donald Trump became president. The lawsuit

 Maine's Two U.S. Senators Undecided On Haspel Vote | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 171

Maine’s two U.S. senators say they have plenty of questions for Gina Haspel, President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Central Intelligence Agency.

 Study: Spending By Acadia Visitors Hits All-Time High In 2017 | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 49

A study released Monday claims that visitors to Acadia National Park last year spent $284 million in support of about 4,163 jobs with a cumulative benefit to the local economy of $338 million. The annual economic benefits analysis released by the National Park Service showed that most park visitor spending was for lodging and camping (32.9 percent), food and beverages (27.5 percent), gas and oil (12.1 percent), souvenirs and other expenses (10.1 percent), admissions and fees (10.0 percent), and

 Maine Hospital Prescribing Medication For Opioid Addicts Who Seek ER Treatment | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 236

Until recently, the most that Mid Coast Hospital could do for patients showing up in the ER with opioid use disorder was to hand them a phone number to call for long-term help. But last fall, the hospital started something new in Maine and around the country — it started giving patients a dose of Suboxone, medication used to treat opioid addiction, and connecting them to other services.

 WATCH: Thousands Attend Funeral For Maine Sheriff’s Deputy Killed In Line Of Duty | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 207

More than 3,000 law enforcement officers from around the state and nation turned out in Bangor Monday for a memorial to Somerset County Cpl. Eugene Cole, the deputy sheriff who was killed last month in Norridgewock.

 Maine's Consumer Advocate Calling For Investigation Into 'Outrageous' Power Bills | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 146

Maine's Public Advocate is calling for a more comprehensive investigation of whether Central Maine Power (CMP) overbilled customers in the early months of this year – and whether it covered up ongoing problems it knew were an issue.

 Gun Rights Supporters Plan Rallies Nationwide | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 150

The organizers of a pro-Second Amendment rally in Augusta Saturday are urging supporters to attend, but to leave their guns at home. The afternoon rally will be held on the plaza between the State House and the Cross State Office Building, an area designated as a gun-free zone. Organizers are concerned that promotion of similar events being held at state capitols in other states may have confused the issue. Gun rights advocates will gather in more than 45 state capitols Saturday, organized by

 Voters to Decide Fate of Proposal to Help Elderly and Disabled Mainers With Daily Activities | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 60

Maine voters will decide on an initiative that would provide elderly and disabled people help with daily activities, like bathing and medication management. The Maine Senate Friday voted to hold a public hearing on the measure first, but the House chose to send the issue directly to the public. Most Senators argued that a public hearing would help to educate the public about the issue they will vote on, but others argued that a campaign before the election would serve that same purpose, and that

 Hundreds of Children, Young Adults with Developmental Disabilities On Wait List For Needed Services | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 375

Hundreds of Maine children with developmental disabilities are on a wait list to receive support services in their home.

 Rural School District Helps Families Outside the Classroom With Home Visits | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 378

This story is part of Maine Public's Rural Maine Reporting Project , a year-long series of news reports that highlight the benefits, challenges and opportunities of life in today’s rural and western Maine . While the economy has improved nationally in recent years, that's not the case for rural parts of Maine. Take Oxford County, for example. More than a quarter of the children in the county live in poverty, and many families struggle with basic needs like food, housing and transportation. Now,

 CMP, Kennebec River Gorge Deal Never Came to Fruition | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 294

This story was originally published at 4:56 p.m. Thursday, April 12, 2018. As part of a deal to win a state permit for a major transmission project eight years ago, Central Maine Power (CMP) agreed to transfer the scenic Kennebec River Gorge to the state. But that never happened. Environmentalists say that raises troubling questions about a new CMP project that would cross the same gorge.

 Bowdoin, Bates and Colby Under Federal Investigation For Possible Antitrust Violations | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 59

Three of Maine's most prestigious private colleges are among several elite educational institutions across the nation that have been caught up in a U.S. Department of Justice antitrust investigation.

 Supreme Court Hears Arguments on Ranked Choice Voting; Still No Ruling | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 198

The Maine Supreme Judicial Court held oral arguments Thursday in a rare case that could determine whether Maine's ranked-choice voting system will be used in the June primary. The expedited hearing was in response to a request by Maine Senate Republicans that the court halt state implementation of the new voting system. But during a 35-minute hearing, nearly all seven justices appeared skeptical of the Republicans' arguments, and some wondered why the court was asked to solve a problem that

 Mainers Petition to Get Assisted-Suicide Initiative on Ballot | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 124

Mainers can expect to see petitions circulating in the coming weeks asking if they'd like to see an initiative for physician-assisted suicide on the fall ballot next year. Valerie Lovelace from the Wiscasset-based Maine Death With Dignity is one of those spearheading the petition drive, to be launched next week. She volunteers for hospice. "I've sat at the bedside of individuals who have died, and that have not gone well," says Lovelace. Lovelace says two cases in particular were excruciating,

 Tiny Homes Subdivision Could Be Coming to Swanville | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 56

What is believed to be Maine's first tiny homes subdivision moved closer to reality Tuesday night after the Swanville Planning Board gave its final approval to a proposal to build a half-dozen of the 440-square foot structures on a 50-acre parcel on Oak Hill Road. Derek Davis, of Thorndike, and Chad Tozier, of Unity, have formed a partnership to market the homes which are being constructed by the Amish-owned Backyard Buildings of Unity. Davis says the next challenge for the project will be

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