Maine Things Considered

Police officers have shorter life spans than the rest of us, are more prone to suicide, but for years, a stoic police culture has made it difficult for many to admit they may struggle with mental health issues.

Time is running out for the Downeast Correctional Facility: It will close for good June 30, unless lawmakers authorize additional funding for another year. Right now, lawmakers can't agree on whether a planned pre-release center should move forward in Washington County or whether the governor's decision to abruptly shut down DCF should be carefully reviewed. And with the legislative session nearing its end, hopes for either option are dimming. For now, the Downeast Correctional Facility

Wind, ice and nor’easter after nor’easter have walloped Maine this winter. The brutal weather is also forcing schools to deal with unprecedented cancellations. Some have seen 10 or more snow days already, with more snow in sight. Now, school officials are trying to figure out how to make up all those days without extending too far into the summer. The town of Lewiston has been hit hard by snow days this winter. Nine school days have been called off due to snow. Lewiston High School Junior Abukar

Maine utility regulators are recommending that an embattled biomass company forfeit 20 percent of its $1 million state subsidy for falling well short on purchases of waste wood from Maine loggers — a reduction that some loggers say is not nearly enough.

President Donald Trump unveiled his initiative to tackle the opioid crisis in New Hampshire Monday afternoon. His multipronged plan would increase prevention efforts, enact stiffer penalties on drug traffickers — including the death penalty — and expand access to treatment. The director of Grace Street Recovery Services in Lewiston, Marty O’Brien, says one of the biggest barriers to getting more people into treatment is a lack of insurance. “If expansion to treatment includes federal funding for

Gov. Paul LePage says he’s “readjusting” operations at the Downeast Correctional Facility in Machiasport now that a judge has ruled that his administration lacks the authority to unilaterally close the prison. But while the governor suggests he’ll return some inmates who were transferred and rehire staff who were let go, it’s not clear how many, and an attorney for the workers is concerned because the statement is so vague. In a written statement released Monday afternoon, LePage said the

Across the globe, about one in 10 women have endometriosis. It’s a painful, chronic disease that can be difficult to treat. Maine writer Abby Norman was first diagnosed with it seven years ago, but she says the disease was never really explained to her, and as it’s progressed she’s struggled to convince doctors that the pain she feels is real. Norman says it’s a problem for women that has a long history in medicine, and she’s written a book about her experience, Ask Me About My Uterus: A Quest

Governor Paul LePage is proposing to significantly reduce the area in which wind-turbine projects can get a streamlined permit review. Maine lawmakers, residents, businesses and environmental groups are divided on the issue.

Thousands of students across the country walked out of their schools Wednesday in remembrance of the 17 victims of last month's school shooting in Parkland, Fla. and to protest for stricter gun laws. A major snowstorm delayed many school walkouts in Maine until Thursday. Some students were punished for their protests, but said they still felt empowered to take action.

Supporters of the Downeast Correctional Facility in Machiasport are wondering what happens next now that a superior court judge has issued a temporary injunction keeping the jail open until June. The judge sided with the Maine Attorney General, labor unions and the Washington County Commission, ruling that the LePage administration lacks the authority to unilaterally close the prison.

Maine Democrats have announced that a party member from Greene will run against a Republican Maine State House candidate from Sabattus, Leslie Gibson, who has been criticized for calling one Florida school shooting survivor a " skinhead lesbian " and another "a bald faced liar." Democrat Eryn Gilchrist is a political newcomer who works for a medical device company in Bowdoin. Maine Democratic Party Chair Phil Bartlett says Gilchrist was moved by Gibson's comments. “She really was upset, as I

It’s Thursday, and time again for Across the Aisle, our weekly foray into Maine Politics. This week, Cynthia Dill, an attorney and former state lawmaker, Meredith Strang Burgess of Burgess Advertising and Marketing, who served in a Augusta as a republican, and former independent legislator Dick Woodbury, who is an economist. They spoke with Keith Shortall.

Gov. Paul LePage is pushing for the passage of a $50 million bond to subsidize student loans. LePage says the goal of the measure is to keep young Mainers in the state after they complete college and also to attract young adults from other states to work in Maine. “And this should not be and is not a partisan issue,” the governor says. “We are requesting a $50 million bond to help lower the debt load for Maine students as well as refinance the student debt for graduates who move to Maine from

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Maine has filed suit against the Long Creek Youth Development Center, the Department of Corrections, and medical and dental providers on behalf of an 11-year-old boy who was allegedly beaten by corrections officers. The ACLU’s complaint also says the boy was denied adequate medical treatment. The case is prompting a call for possible legislative or judicial oversight of Long Creek.

Joel Clement, a scientist from Maine and the former whistleblower from the Department of Interior, spoke at Bates College Wednesday evening and at Maine Audubon Thursday. He joined Nora Flaherty on Maine Things Considered to discuss his whistleblower complaint and his turn to climate change-centered activism. This story was originally published March 14, 2018 at 7:47 p.m. ET.