Articles – 2014

Gotham is Dutch; How New York became North America’s premier global city; The Monocle Magazine Forecast 2015; ESSAYS, Issue 1 (December 2014), pp. 126-127

When Indians ruled Maine’s seas; New research sheds light on the Wabanaki tribes’ use of European sailing vessels – ships they traded for or took by force – during the Colonial era; Maine Sunday Telegram; INSIGHT; 14 December 2014, p. E1

A rare look at the Irving family; New Brunswick’s all-powerful family and the new book by Jacques Poitras that reveals their secrets; Maine Sunday Telegram; INSIGHT; 23 November 2014, p. E1

How did America’s craziest governor get reelected? How the confounding victory of Maine’s Paul LePage helps explain the national GOP wave; Politico Magazine, LETTER FROM, 5 November 2014; PORTLAND, MAINE

In memoriam: Remembering Don Gellers; He was a champion of justice who paid a steep price for helping Maine’s Passamaquoddy tribe; Maine Sunday Telegram; INSIGHT; 26 October 2014, p. E1

Don Gellers, counsel to Passamaquoddy tribe, dies in New York at 78; Gellers, who later became Rabbi Tuvia Ben-Shmuel-Yosef, filed the first Indian land-claims lawsuit against the state of Maine; Portland Press Herald; FRONT PAGE; 10 October 2014, p. A1

Nestle Waters’ bid to sign Fryeburg deal suffers setback; Regulators recommend that a controversial contract with a family-controlled water utility be rejected; Portland Press Herald; FRONT PAGE; 20 September 2014, p. A1

Analyst: Maine ‘grossly overpaid’ for school iPads; A Falmouth consultant says Los Angeles had a 43 percent discount, but Maine got only 14 percent off; Portland Press Herald; FRONT PAGE; 8 September 2014, p. A1

Controversial ex-tribal chief ‘Billy’ Nicholas re-elected at Indian Township;  Brothers Leslie Nicholas wins the vice chief spot and Alex Nicholas gains a seat on the tribal council; Portland Press Herald; FRONT PAGE; 4 September 2014, p. A1

Maine losing school laptop program head; Policy director Jeff Mao is leaving the Maine Learning Technology Initiative for a job in the private sector; Portland Press Herald; STATE & LOCAL; 30 August 2014, p. B1

Controversial ex-Passamaquoddy chief wins tribal primary; Billy Nicholas wins an 11-way election after one of his main rivals is stricken from the ballot; Portland Press Herald; STATE & LOCAL; 26 August 2014, p. B1

Andrew Ian Dodge was a man of principle, depth;  Obituary for Tea Party organizer and onetime U.S. Senate candidate; Maine Sunday Telegram; INSIGHT; 10 August 2014, p. E1

Family’s quest for justice still burns, a half-century later; Epilogue to the 29-part series; Maine Sunday Telegram; UNSETTLED; 3 August 2014, PLEASANT POINT, MAINE, p. A1

‘We are getting stronger’; Chapter 29 of  the 29-part series; Maine Sunday Telegram; UNSETTLED; 27 July 2014, PLEASANT POINT, MAINE, p. A1

Reservation leadership changes, though little else does; Chapter 28 to the 29-part series; Portland Press Herald; UNSETTLED; 26 July 2014, INDIAN TOWNSHIP, MAINE, p. A1

Tribe’s forests, a crucial resource, fall prey from within; Chapter 27 to the 29-part series; Portland Press Herald; UNSETTLED; 25 July 2014, INDIAN TOWNSHIP, MAINE, p. A1

Tribe’s dealings cloaked in secrecy, and distrust festers; Chapter 26 to the 29-part series; Portland Press Herald; UNSETTLED; 24 July 2014, INDIAN TOWNSHIP, MAINE, p. A1

Tribe reels as its own leaders ‘become our oppressors’; Chapter 25 to the 29-part series; Portland Press Herald; UNSETTLED; 23 July 2014, INDIAN TOWNSHIP, MAINE, p. A1

New leader, new scrutiny on where the money goes; Chapter 24 to the 29-part series; Portland Press Herald; UNSETTLED; 22 July 2014, INDIAN TOWNSHIP, MAINE, p. A1

Feds move in, Indian Township governor feels the heat; Chapter 23 to the 29-part series; Portland Press Herald; UNSETTLED; 21 July 2014, INDIAN TOWNSHIP, MAINE, p. A1

The perils of placing trust ‘in the hands of the few’; Chapter 22 of  the 29-part series; Maine Sunday Telegram; UNSETTLED; 20 July 2014, INDIAN TOWNSHIP MAINE, p. A1

Disagreement over powers pollutes state, tribal relations; Sidebar to Chapter 22 of the 29-part series; Maine Sunday Telegram; UNSETTLED; 20 July 2014, AUGUSTA, MAINE, p. A11

Commission: Maine lawmakers bypassed tribal approval of 3 laws; The findings prompt some tribal officials to call for repeal of the laws involving saltwater fisheries;Maine Sunday Telegram; NEWS; 20 July 2014, p. A4

As reservation’s rule of law erodes, abuses thrive; Chapter 21 to the 29-part series; Portland Press Herald; UNSETTLED; 19 July 2014, INDIAN TOWNSHIP, MAINE, p. A1

With no constitution, ‘a community … without rules’; Chapter 20 to the 29-part series; Portland Press Herald; UNSETTLED; 18 July 2014, INDIAN TOWNSHIP, MAINE, p. A1

For some in tribe, no right to vote, nowhere to turn; Chapter 19 to the 29-part series; Portland Press Herald; UNSETTLED; 17 July 2014, INDIAN TOWNSHIP, MAINE, p. A1

Land claims settlement bears a powerful curse; Chapter 18 to the 29-part series; Portland Press Herald; UNSETTLED; 16 July 2014, PLEASANT POINT, MAINE, p. A1

The Indians’ trusted adviser capitalizes on his role; Chapter 17 to the 29-part series; Portland Press Herald; UNSETTLED; 15 July 2014, PLEASANT POINT, MAINE, p. A1

Big question looms: ‘Where would we go from here?’; Chapter 16 to the 29-part series; Portland Press Herald; UNSETTLED; 14 July 2014, PLEASANT POINT, MAINE, p. A1

Bombshells, compromises greet an unfolding crisis; Chapter 15 to the 29-part series; Maine Sunday Telegram; UNSETTLED; 13 July 2014, WASHINGTON, D.C, p. A1

Tribe resists injustices, in and out of court settings; Chapter 14 to the 29-part series; Portland Press Herald; UNSETTLED; 12 July 2014, INDIAN TOWNSHIP, MAINE, p. A1

Convict goes, files stay, and land claims case advances; Chapter 13 to the 29-part series; Portland Press Herald; UNSETTLED; 11 July 2014, INDIAN TOWNSHIP, MAINE, p. A1

Tribe’s attorney tries to appeal, but hurdles prove too high; Chapter 12 to the 29-part series; Portland Press Herald; UNSETTLED; 10 July 2014, ELLSWORTH, MAINE, p. A1

Evidence emerges, lending credence to conspiracy; Chapter 11 to the 29-part series; Portland Press Herald; UNSETTLED; 9 July 2014, EASTPORT, MAINE, p. A1

The Eastport sting: Tribe’s attorney comes home to cuffs; Chapter 10 to the 29-part series; Portland Press Herald; UNSETTLED; 8 July 2014, EASTPORT, MAINE, p. A1

Paul LePage Is in Trouble. Again.; Maine’s governor is taking heat for a bizarre series of meetings with extremist groups; Politico Magazine, LETTER FROM, 7 July 2014; PORTLAND, MAINE

‘All the Passamaquoddy want is what belongs to them’; Chapter 9 to the 29-part series; Portland Press Herald; UNSETTLED; 7 July 2014, INDIAN TOWNSHIP, MAINE, p. A1

Against police, in court, tribe’s stuck on losing side; Chapter 8 to the 29-part series; Maine Sunday Telegram; UNSETTLED; 6 July 2014, PLEASANT POINT, MAINE, p. A1

The Passamaquoddy’s land claim case takes shape; Chapter 7 to the 29-part series; Portland Press Herald; UNSETTLED; 5 July 2014, INDIAN TOWNSHIP, MAINE, p. A1

Passamaquoddy’s legal champion becomes a target; Chapter 6 to the 29-part series; Portland Press Herald; UNSETTLED; 4 July 2014, EASTPORT, MAINE, p. A1

‘Beaten before we started’ at a controversial trial; Chapter 5 to the 29-part series; Portland Press Herald; UNSETTLED; 3 July 2014, MACHIAS, MAINE, p. A1

Tepid response from authorities leaves tribe furious; Chapter 4 to the 29-part series; Portland Press Herald; UNSETTLED; 2 July 2014, PLEASANT POINT, MAINE, p. A1

A simmering conflict, stoked by alcohol, erupts; Chapter 3 to the 29-part series; Portland Press Herald; UNSETTLED; 1 July 2014, PLEASANT POINT, MAINE, p. A1

White men from out of state come hunting for girls; Chapter 2 to the 29-part series; Portland Press Herald; UNSETTLED; 30 June 2014, PLEASANT POINT, MAINE, p. A1

An unlikely handshake alters the course of Maine’s history; Chapter 1 to the 29-part series; Maine Sunday Telegram; UNSETTLED; 29 June 2014, EASTPORT, MAINE, p. A1

A 13,000-year journey leads to a breaking point; Prologue to the 29-part series; Maine Sunday Telegram; UNSETTLED; 29 June 2014, ST.CROIX ISLAND, MAINE, p. A11

Ex-tribal finance director pleads guilty to stealing from Passamquoddy tribe; Charles Fourcloud, 59, makes his initial appearance in federal court in Bangor on charges that he stole more than $15,000 by submitting false expense claims; 
Portland Press Herald, FRONT PAGE, 19 May 2014, BANGOR, MAINE

Third Maine PUC commissioner recuses himself from Nestle Waters case; Every commissioner has now recused themselves from the case, which involves a conglomerate that pumps and bottles water in Maine under the Poland Spring brand; Portland Press Herald, FRONT PAGE, 10 May 2014, PORTLAND, MAINE

Judge voids ruling by Maine DEP head Aho, calling it “without rational basis”; Judge also criticized conflict of interest issues with her former employer; Portland Press Herald, FRONT PAGE, 14 March 2014, PORTLAND, MAINE

Waffle House and the American Nations; the regional maldistribution of pancake franchises; Washington Monthly, TEN MILES SQUARE, 21 February 2014

Who among us has the stuff of success?; A review of Amy Chua and Jeb Rubenfeld’s The Triple Package; Washington Post, OUTLOOK, 9 February 2014, p. B6

The Last Days of Blackbeard; An exclusive account of the final raid and political maneuvers of history’s most notorious pirate; Smithsonian Magazine, COVER STORY; February 2014

Fired Maine tribal official tries for new job in California with assumed name; The man known in Maine as Charles Fourcloud, a convicted embezzler, faces charges after serving as the Passamaquoddy’s finance director; Portland Press Herald, FRONT PAGE, 22 January 2014, PORTLAND, MAINE

How mild-mannered Maine wound up with America’s craziest governor; Paul LePage explained; Politico Magazine, LETTER FROM, 8 January 2014; PORTLAND, MAINE