Articles – 2015
The Power of Luther’s Pen; a review of “Brand Luther” by Andrew Pettegree; Washington Post; OUTLOOK, 18 December 2015.
In Down East hamlet, an effort to turn the tide for Atlantic salmon; The restoration effort at an East Machias hatchery aims to create optimal conditions for an endangered species to thrive; Maine Sunday Telegram; STATE & LOCAL;6 December 2015,EAST MACHIAS, MAINE, p. A1
Yes, Iowa Still Matters; It’s not just the first caucus. It’s the perfect thermometer for a deep current in American political culture; Politico Magazine; LETTER FROM IOWA; 2 December 2015; PRIMGHAR, IOWA
Oil lease approved near Gulf of Maine: Nova Scotia allows exploratory work near sensitive waters, including Georges Bank, igniting fears of a catastrophic spill; Portland Press Herald; FRONT PAGE; 1 December 2015, PORTLAND, MAINE, p. A1
Power struggle puts tribe leadership in chaos: Accusations fly following the chief’s suspension and his attempt to suspend the vice chief; Maine Sunday Telegram; STATE & LOCAL; 22 November 2015, PORTLAND, MAINE, p. B2
Canada’s new government removes muzzles from government scientists; Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Cabinet reverses his predecessor’s controversial communications policies; Portland Press Herald; WORLD;10 November 2015,
PORTLAND, MAINE, p. A3
Study: Climate change in Gulf of Maine is responsible for cod’s failure to recover; A study by three research institutions concludes that warming-related stresses have hampered the species’ ability to recover; Portland Press Herald; FRONT PAGE; 30 October 2015, PORTLAND, MAINE, p. A1
Maine isn’t doing enough to protect Gulf from effects of climate change; Some say the state needs more funding to collect data, monitor waterways and assess the impact of acidification; Portland Press Herald; MAYDAY;30 October 2015, AUGUSTA, MAINE, p. A1
Shellfish can’t keep up with shifting ocean chemistry; Some native species simply won’t survive the changes in water chemistry that are on the horizon, researchers say; Portland Press Herald; MAYDAY; 29 October 2015, WALPOLE, MAINE, p. A1
Invasive species exploit a warming Gulf, sometimes with destructive results; Bringing promise and problems, new species throw the evolving coastal waters into an unpredictable state of flux; Portland Press Herald; MAYDAY; 28 October 2015, BRUNSWICK, MAINE, p. A1
Gulf of Maine’s cold-craving marine species retreat to deeper waters; Cod, shrimp, salmon stocks have already been affected, while still-plentiful lobster have exhibited a dramatic geographic shift northward; Portland Press Herald; MAYDAY; 27 October 2015, VEAZIE, MAINE, p. A1
As Gulf of Maine warms, puffins recast as canaries in a coal mine; What happened to a Maine flock’s chicks in 2012 and ’13 bodes ill for many animals, from phytoplankton to right whales; Portland Press Herald; MAYDAY; 26 October 2015, EASTERN EGG ROCK, MAINE, p. A1
Canadian government hinders scientists from talking about climate change; Efforts to understand the challenges facing the Gulf of Maine are hampered by Ottawa’s tight grip of the contact between the media and government researchers; Maine Sunday Telegram; MAYDAY; 25 October 2015, ST. ANDREWS, NEW BRUNSWICK, p. A6
Big changes are occurring in one of the fastest-warming spots on Earth; The Gulf of Maine’s species – and the people who rely on them – are caught in the cross-hairs of a changing climate; Maine Sunday Telegram; MAYDAY; 25 October 2015, YARMOUTH BAR, NOVA SCOTIA, p. A1
The shifting tide of American immigration; a review of “A Nation of Nations: A great American immigration story” by Tom Gjelten; Washington Post; OUTLOOK, 11 October 2015, p. B7.
Unwanted prescription drugs – but not data – to be collected Saturday; New federal regulations prevent researchers from counting the medicines, to cut the risk of diversion; Portland Press Herald; LOCAL & STATE; 26 September 2015, p. B2,
PORTLAND, MAINE
Fed up with EPA, LePage retaliates with threat; Citing ‘overreach’ in regulating tribal waters, he contemplates an unprecedented step: yielding the state’s Clean Water Act powers; Portland Press Herald; FRONT PAGE; 11 September 2015, p. A1, PORTLAND, MAINE
Army Corps withdraws Penobscot Bay dredging application; Project would enhance Searsport, but plan to dispose of contaminated spoils drew local ire; Portland Press Herald; LOCAL & STATE; 9 September 2015, p. B4, FREEPORT, MAINE
Searsport dredging proposal faces stiff headwind; Fears of mercury contamination are fueling opposition to an Army Corps plan for the head of Penobscot Bay; Maine Sunday Telegram; MAINE/NEW ENGLAND; 6 September 2015; p. C1; SEARSPORT, MAINE
DeCoster retains ownership of Maine farms but won’t be involved in their management; Hillandale Farms, the new leaseholder, plans to assume the payroll of the farms in late September; Portland Press Herald; LOCAL & STATE; 25 August 2015, p. B1, PORTLAND, MAINE
Facing blowback, LePage administration quietly dissolved ties with Jeb Bush’s education foundation; investigation shows how links to Jeb Bush’s education reform foundation – once central to Gov. LePage’s policy goals – evaporated after key events in 2013; Maine Sunday Telegram; FRONT PAGE; 16 August 2015; p. A1; PORTLAND, MAINE
Pennsylvania-based company linked to rule-breaker Jack DeCoster buys 3 Maine egg farms; Hillandale Farms owned the Iowa operation tied to a nationwide salmonella outbreak in 2010, and the notorious businessman was one of its
suppliers; Portland Press Herald; FRONT PAGE; 14 August 2015, p. A1, PORTLAND, MAINE
Can New Brunswick and Nova Scotia teach Maine a lesson about consolidation?; Merging towns to save money by joining services is touted for Maine, but its success in Canada varies; Maine Sunday Telegram; MAINE/NEW ENGLAND; 9 August 2015; p. B1; GRANVILLE FERRY, NOVA SCOTIA
Prosecutors drop case against Passamaquoddy elder arrested while trying to recall tribal leaders; Mary Creighton was charged with forging signatures on a petition calling for the recall of Vice Chief Vera Francis; Portland Press Herald; LOCAL & STATE; 6 August 2015, p. B1, PORTLAND, MAINE
Maine clammer says he’s hit pay dirt; An experimental soft-shell clam farm in Georgetown aims to keep green crabs at bay and enrich diggers; Maine Sunday Telegram; MAINE/NEW ENGLAND; 2 August 2015; p. B1; GEORGETOWN, MAINE
Elder challenges tribal leaders, is led off in handcuffs; In rough and tough Passamaquoddy politics, an elder with a recall petition can be recalled; Maine Sunday Telegram; MAINE/NEW ENGLAND; 26 July 2015; p. B1; PERRY, MAINE
America’s craziest governor goes off the rails; Is Paul LePage overplaying his hand, or no longer playing with a full deck?; Politico Magazine; LETTER FROM MAINE; 19 July 2015; AUGUSTA, MAINE
Bush family compound in Kennebunkport is campaign gold; Rich in history, money and and power, Walker’s Point is a touchstone of the Bush political dynasty; Maine Sunday Telegram, FRONT PAGE, 12 July 2015, p.A1, KENNEBUNKPORT, MAINE
Our Disunited States; We won’t be celebrating the same thing this July 4th; Politico Magazine; FRIDAY COVER; 2 July 2015
With opening of St. Croix River, alewives’ numbers ‘biggest in nearly 20 years; The number of fish that have entered the river to spawn has more than tripled from last year; Portland Press Herald; LOCAL & STATE; 24 June 2015, p. B1, CHAMCOOK, NEW BRUNSWICK
A once promising democracy; a review of “Madame Ambassador: Three Years of Diplomacy, Dinner Parties, and Democracy in Budapest” by Eleni Kounalakis; Washington Post; OUTLOOK, 21 June 2015, p. B7, BUDAPEST, HUNGARY
Potential cost kills referendum on redacted parts of Maine Constitution; The ballot question would have proposed overturning a 140-year-old amendment that prohibits the printing of the state’s treaty obligations to Indian tribes; Portland Press Herald; LOCAL & STATE; 19 June 2015, p. B1, PORTLAND, MAINE
Europe’s New Dictator, Hungary’s Viktor Orban is making good on his promise to build an “illiberal state”; Politico Magazine; LETTER FROM BUDAPEST, 17 June 2015, BUDAPEST, HUNGARY
Legislation would put hidden sections of Maine’s constitution back into print; Publication of the redacted passages, many involving the state’s treaty obligations to its Indian tribes, has been banned for 139 years; Portland Press Herald; FRONT PAGE; 1 June 2015, p. A1, INDIAN ISLAND, MAINE
Tribes will no longer recognize Maine’s authority to define their rights; Three tribes have asked the federal government to intervene in a dispute over the Maine Indian Claims Settlement Act; Portland Press Herald; LOCAL & STATE; 27 May 2015, p. B3, INDIAN ISLAND, MAINE
Report gives Maine counties mixed grades on smog; Report poses new concerns about LePage administration loosening smog rules last year; Portland Press Herald; FRONT PAGE; 29 April 2015, p. A1, PORTLAND, MAINE
LePage rescinds order promoting state cooperation with tribes; The governor says ‘Maine’s interests have not been respected’ by tribes; Portland Press Herald; FRONT PAGE; 22 April 2015, p. A1, PORTLAND, MAINE
Notorious egg seller ‘Jack’ DeCoster gets jail time for salmonella outbreak; An Iowa court sentences the Maine man and his son to 3 months, capping a long history of hazards and abuses on farms; Portland Press Herald; FRONT PAGE; 14 April 2015, p. A1, PORTLAND, MAINE
Maine to sue EPA over tribal water pollution issue; The state contests the agency’s authority to order stricter pollution limits to ensure sustenance fishing is safe; Portland Press Herald; FRONT PAGE; 21 March 2015, p. A1, PORTLAND, MAINE
In memoir, Barney Frank assesses his long tenure and the changing world around him; a review of “Frank: A life in politics from the Great Society to Same-Sex Marriage” by Barney Frank; Washington Post; OUTLOOK, 15 March 2015.
Maine tribe takes hit under governor’s plan to reform General Assistance; The Passamaquoddy would lose more state aid per capita than Portland, amid questions about high spending and alleged misuse of funds; Portland Press Herald; FRONT PAGE; 13 March 2015, p. A1, PORTLAND, MAINE
LePage calls EPA tribal waters ruling ‘outrageous’; The agency says the state’s pollution standards have to protect Indians who fish for food, but the governor says the motive for the order is ‘retribution.’ Portland Press Herald; FRONT PAGE; 2 March 2015, p. A1, PORTLAND, MAINE
Maine tribes seek authority to try domestic violence cases; They say abused women would be better protected from attacks by non-Indians on their reservations, but the state calls it a flawed idea; Portland Press Herald; FRONT PAGE; 23 February 2015, p. A1, PORTLAND, MAINE
Weighing in on the cost of home rule in Maine; The state’s system of strong municipal governments is rooted in the early Puritans’ fear of centralization of power; Maine Sunday Telegram, INSIGHT, 8 February 2015, p.E1, FREEPORT,
MAINE
Feds order Maine to tighten water standards on tribal lands; Tribes call EPA ruling historic intervention against state; Portland Press Herald; FRONT PAGE; 6 February 2015, p. A1; PORTLAND, MAINE
LePage administration weakens, endorses draft disclosure rule of phthalates; The regulation now would apply only to products targeted to kids under 12 and not to pregnant women, sparking an outcry from advocates of chemical safeguards; Portland Press Herald; FRONT PAGE; 16 January 2015, p. A1.
LePage administration to rule on regulating four suspected toxins; Maine DEP is under the spotlight in its decision on phthalates, after past resistance to the law to protect kids from chemicals; Portland Press Herald; STATE & LOCAL; 10 January 2015, p. B1
COLIN WOODARD is a New York Times bestselling author and award-winning journalist. He is the author of six books that have been translated into a dozen foreign languages and inspired an NBC television drama. He is currently Director of Nationhood Lab at the Pell Center for International Relations and Public Affairs at Salve Regina University. As State and National Affairs Writer at the Portland Press Herald and Maine Sunday Telegram he won a 2012 George Polk Award and was a finalist for a Pulitzer Prize in 2016. He is a contributing editor at POLITICO and his work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Economist, Smithsonian and dozens of other major publications.