Beacon

18/12/2025

A new report from the Maine Center for Economic Policy finds that while Portland and its surrounding communities have seen decades of economic growth, much of rural Maine has been left behind. Western and Northeastern Maine have seen little to no progress since 2001, with lower wages, higher unemployment, and fewer supports like child care and health care.

Report author and economic policy analyst James Myall says those gaps aren’t inevitable.

“Where someone lives in Maine shouldn’t determine whether they can find a good job, put food on the table, or access health care,” Myall said. “This report shows that smart policies can narrow these divides, and harmful policies can make them worse.”

Click the link below to read the story and check out the full report!

A new report from the Maine Center on Economic Policy finds that while Portland and the area surrounding it has been experiencing major economic growth, the western and northern parts of the state are stagnating economically. The report, State of Working Maine 2025: Strengthening Economic Oppor

17/12/2025

As dirt roads freeze and heavy machinery rolls into the woods, new tariffs on Canadian timber and foreign-made equipment are squeezing an industry already struggling with falling pulpwood demand. Rumford logger Andy Irish, who’s preparing to pass his family business to the next generation, says the math is getting harder to make work.

“An old guy told me a long time ago, ‘If you’re in this business, there are going to be some years that you just gotta eat [the costs],’” Irish recalled. “But I’m not sure how this is going to go.”

Click the link below to read the full story. Originally published by The Maine Monitor.

The dirt roads in the northern corner of Oxford County froze early this year, marking the unofficial start of the winter logging season in Maine. The hardened roads make it possible for loggers such as Andy Irish and his Rumford-based company, Irish Family Logging, to drive a fleet of semi-trucks

17/12/2025

Health care advocates, like Vaishu Jawahar from Protect Our Care, say Republican lawmakers are deliberately dismantling the health care system to protect tax breaks for their ultra-wealthy donors.

“Republicans want to take us back to the past, where coverage was harder for people with preexisting conditions to afford,” Jawahar said. “People couldn’t afford their cancer treatments. They couldn’t afford their diabetes care.”

After more than $1 trillion in Medicaid cuts and the loss of ACA subsidies, over 30,000 Mainers could lose coverage.

Click the link below to read more.

Maine health care providers warned unprecedented cuts to Medicaid and the loss of Affordable Care Act subsidies will harm all families, no matter their insurance status. More than 30,000 Mainers are expected to lose their health insurance coverage after congressional Republicans slashed more than

16/12/2025

Maine is set to limit local police involvement in federal immigration enforcement with a new law sponsored by Rep. Deqa Dhalac. The law won’t take effect until the summer of 2026, but advocates say it’s a crucial step to protect immigrant communities.

“I appreciate that Gov. Mills will allow LD 1971 to become law, but I am disappointed that she decided to wait this long,” Dhalac said. She added that local police departments helping ICE “damages their relationship with immigrant communities, erodes public trust and makes us all less safe, whether we are immigrants or not.”

Click the link below to read the full story.

A bill aimed at preventing Maine law enforcement agencies from participating in federal immigration enforcement, LD 1971, will become law when the legislature reconvenes in January. But it won’t take effect until this summer. Gov. Janet Mills announced this week that she will allow it to take e

16/12/2025

A federal grant that supports some of Maine’s most essential anti-poverty programs is facing possible elimination. The Community Services Block Grant helps community action agencies provide heating assistance, food support, early education, and transportation, especially in rural areas where resources are limited.

Claire Berkowitz, president and CEO of Midcoast Maine Community Action, said the grants ensure people’s most basic needs are met.

“It’s the glue, I think, that holds these agencies together that do this multifaceted work to support low income families,” Berkowitz explained.

Click the link below to read the full story.

Advocates for rural and low-income families in Maine say a critical source of federal funding is at risk. The Trump administration has called for the elimination of the Community Services Block Grant, which supports home energy, early education, and food assistance programs and transportation in

15/12/2025

Lewiston City Councilor Scott Harriman won the Lewiston Democratic Caucus, securing the party’s nomination in the Feb. 24 special election for House District 94. He says his campaign is focused on housing, healthcare, childcare, and protections for immigrants and refugees.

“State legislatures are taking on more responsibilities and must resist federal overreach more than ever,” Harriman said. “We need legislators with tenacity and a strong moral compass. I’ve stood up to bullies throughout my time in public service, and I’ll continue to do that in Augusta on behalf of Lewiston people.”

Click the link below to read the full story!

Lewiston City Councilor Scott Harriman won the Lewiston Democratic Caucus on Saturday, securing the party’s nomination in the Feb. 24, 2026, special election for House District 94. Harriman says that if he’s elected to the House, he plans to continue focusing on housing affordability, access to ...

15/12/2025

🎙️On the podcast, Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner chats about why he’s jumping into politics and what a true populist agenda looks like to him. Platner shares how his campaign defies the status quo with movement-driven organizing and economic justice at the center.

Platner also explains the major differences between him and Gov. Janet Mills — the other frontrunner in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate — and how the two of them represent contrasting wings of the future of the Democratic Party.

Our host, Cate Blackford, also questions Platner on his controversies, as well as his platform on the issues that matter most to Mainers. Listen to the full conversation by clicking the link in our bio!

12/12/2025

This week on the podcast, Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner chats about why he’s jumping into politics and what a true populist agenda looks like to him. Platner shares how his campaign defies the status quo with movement-driven organizing and economic justice at the center.

Platner also explains the major differences between him and Gov. Janet Mills — the other frontrunner in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate — and how the two of them represent contrasting wings of the future of the Democratic Party.

Our host, Cate Blackford, also questions Platner on his controversies, as well as his platform on the issues that matter most to Mainers. Listen to the full conversation below!

Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner joins our host Cate Blackford this week on the podcast to chat about why he’s jumping into politics and what a true populist agenda looks like to him. Platner shares how is campaign defies the status quo with movement-driven organizing and economic j...

12/12/2025

The U.S. Senate on Thursday failed to reach an agreement on two competing plans to tackle rising health insurance costs. Sen. Susan Collins voted to advance both plans, including the GOP's bill, which would have raised costs and imposed new abortion restrictions.

"Senator Collins’ vote is shocking, as Mainers and Americans all over the country are facing insurmountable increases in health care costs next month,” said Lisa Margulies, vice president of Public Affairs for Planned Parenthood Maine Action Fund. “If this bill had passed, it would have deeply hurt Mainers and had real consequences in our state and nationwide.”

Click the link below to read the full story.

The U.S. Senate on Thursday failed to reach an agreement on two competing plans to tackle rising health insurance costs. Sen. Susan Collins voted to advance both Republican and Democratic plans, later saying that “neither is the perfect solution to this problem.” Sen. Angus King opposed the Repu

11/12/2025

Even as federal climate policy backtracked this year, Maine kept moving forward. A new report highlights the creation of a cabinet-level Department of Energy Resources to help the state bring more affordable clean power online and hit its accelerated 100% clean-energy target by 2040. Nick Janzen, director of policy and partnerships for Maine Conservation Voters, said the new office has the purchasing authority to bring more clean electricity online.

“That gives a lot of certainty to the industry,” Janzen said. “Companies know that they can make investments in projects and there will be a market for it.”

Click the link below to read the full story.

Despite a rollback of federal climate policies this year, Maine lawmakers continued to press ahead with the state’s clean energy goals. A new report highlighted the creation of a cabinet-level Department of Energy Resources to lead state planning in support of more reliable and affordable solutio

10/12/2025

A new investigation found that Genesis HealthCare (which owns 11 nursing homes in Maine from Kennebunkport to Orono) spent years delaying or avoiding payments to families who sued over severe neglect and deaths, even as regulators repeatedly cited safety and staffing problems.

Now many families may never see the settlements they were promised. Vanessa Betancourt's mother, Nellie, died after a hip fracture in a Genesis facility. "It just feels like they killed my mom and got away with it," she shared.

Click the link below to read the full story.

Nancy Hunt arrived at an emergency room from a Genesis HealthCare nursing home in Pennsylvania in such dreadful shape, including maggots infesting her gangrened foot, that the hospital called an elder abuse hotline and then the police, her son alleged in a lawsuit. Hunt died five days later. Her

09/12/2025

In his last column of 2025, Ethan Strimling suggests three things Gov. Janet Mills could spend Maine's surplus budget on: housing, education or health care.

"Whatever Mills does, she should make it bold. Use it to confront our growing income disparity," Ethan writes. "And, for heaven’s sake, do something for the everyday Mainers that put you in office, and those you need to win next year."

Read the full column at the link below.

One thing Gov. Janet Mills has done well during her tenure is to budget in a way that has left us with surplus cash. This year is no different with the recent news that the state brought in $250 million more than projected. The downside is that because her administration has been so conservative