Articles – 2016
Trump administration expected to spur creation of more Maine charter schools; His nominee for education secretary, Betsy DeVos, is a champion of charter schools and voucher programs; Maine Sunday Telegram; MAINE & NEW ENGLAND; 25 December 2016, PORTLAND, MAINE, p. B1
Casino funds could offer hope for retired harness racing horses; The horses’ post-racing lives are often bleak, but with the likely closure of Scarborough Downs, advocates for ‘aftercare’ see a possible solution; Maine Sunday Telegram; FRONT PAGE; 18 December 2016, HOLLIS, MAINE, p. A1
F-35 program, which Trump criticized, employs hundreds in Maine; The costly plane has broad congressional support, making it difficult to kill; Maine Sunday Telegram; FRONT PAGE; 18 December 2016, PORTLAND, MAINE, p. A1
‘It Makes You Human Again’; How Albuquerque figured out how to really help its homeless population. And save money in the process; Politico Magazine; WHAT WORKS; 15 December 2016; ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO
Trump’s get-tough trade plan could benefit Maine forest industry; Placing tariffs on Canadian softwood would benefit state sawmills but could raise the cost of U.S. home construction; Maine Sunday Telegram; FRONT PAGE; 11 December 2016, PORTLAND, MAINE, p. A1
Idea to cut NASA’s role in climate science could be major loss for Maine, scientists say; The state is a hub for research – especially related to oceans – that relies on the agency’s data and employs dozens in Portland, Boothbay and Orono; Portland Press Herald; FRONT PAGE; 29 November 2016, PORTLAND, MAINE, p. A1
America’s First All-Renewable-Energy City; Burlington’s decades-long commitment to sustainability has paid off with cheap electricity—and some pretty great homegrown food; Politico Magazine; WHAT WORKS; 17 November 2016; BURLINGTON, VERMONT
Passamaquoddy official says chief ousted for ‘dictatorial’ behavior; Former chief Fred Moore stands by his assertion that confronting drug abuse cost him his position; Portland Press Herald; STATE & LOCAL; 17 November 2016, PORTLAND,
MAINE, p. B1
Passamaquoddy chief deposed in recall vote; Frederick Moore III, the governor at Pleasant Point reservation, contends that he was stopped from confronting drug abuse in tribal government; Portland Press Herald; FRONT PAGE; 11 November 2016, PORTLAND, MAINE, p. A1
Memo to: the next president; Take a look at cities – America’s new democracy labs. They offer a model of how to set aside politics and forge alliances to solve problems. Christian Science Monitor Weekly, COVER STORY; 2 November 2016, WINSTON-SALEM, NORTH CAROLINA, p. 1
Maine’s Penobscots tell Cleveland: Win the Series, great, but lose the logo; The tribe whose gifted ballplayer led to the Indians’ name wants the team to retire the ‘demeaning’ image of ‘Chief Wahoo.’; Portland Press Herald; FRONT PAGE; 28 October 2016, PORTLAND, MAINE, p. A1
State senator’s sister follows lawsuit with ethics complaint; Andre Cushing, the assistant Senate majority leader, is accused of not reporting financial transfers involving his PAC and campaign; Portland Press Herald; STATE AND LOCAL; 22 October 2016, PORTLAND, MAINE, p. B1
How Tech Helped Winston-Salem Quit Tobacco; The North Carolina city was once a major producer of cigarettes in the country. Now it’s manufacturing human organs; Politico Magazine; WHAT WORKS; 20 October 2016; WINSTON-SALEM, NORTH CAROLINA
Sister says Sen. Andre Cushing misappropriated over $1 million from family corporation; Cushing says the allegations that he or businesses he had an interest in took unapproved loans, real estate commissions and other transfers ‘are without merit.’; Portland Press Herald; FRONT PAGE; 18 October 2016, PORTLAND, MAINE, p. A1
This lobsterman’s boat was sunk 3 times in 7 weeks. He says he knows who did it; Maine’s lobstering community has a long history of boat sinkings resulting from disputes between lobstermen from different harbors over fishing turf; Maine Sunday Telegram; FRONT PAGE; 16 October 2016, ST. GEORGE, MAINE, p. A1
In liberal Hallowell, horror at Trump drives support for Clinton; His critical views don’t play well in the eclectic community; Maine Sunday Telegram; ELECTION 2016; 9 October 2016, HALLOWELL, MAINE, p. A1, A6
In Turner, a faith that Trump will stay the oppressive hand of government; One of Maine’s most conservative towns, the farming community prizes self-sufficiency and low taxes; Maine Sunday Telegram; ELECTION 2016; 9 October 2016,TURNER, MAINE, p. A1, A6
Trains built Roanoke, Science Saved It; Not long ago the city’s downtown was home to just 15 people. Now it’s bustling. Here’s how it rebooted. Politico Magazine; WHAT WORKS; 15 September 2016; ROANOKE, VIRGINIA
Paul LePage: is this one outburst too many for Maine’s Trump-like governor?; Who is Governor Paul LePage, the Donald Trump supporter mulling resignation after racist comments and an obscenity-laced voicemail to a legislator?; The Guardian US; 31 August 2016; PORTLAND, MAINE
Puffin chicks in Gulf of Maine’s largest colony starve to death at record rate; A drop in the food supply this summer, possibly tied to warmer Gulf of Maine waters, leads to the worst survival rate ever tracked on Machias Seal Island; Portland Press Herald; FRONT PAGE; 23 August 2016, PORTLAND, MAINE, p. A1
Maine Democrats have big fundraising lead in legislative races; The lead is mostly because of big contributions from the national party last year; Portland Press Herald; FRONT PAGE; 20 August 2016, PORTLAND, MAINE, p. A1
How Milwaukee shook off the rust; The Midwestern hub reclaimed some of its industrial glory by doing a surprising thing. It cleaned up. Politico Magazine; WHAT WORKS; 18 August 2016; MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN
At EDMC, a controversial legacy for former Gov. McKernan; The Telegram finds an unusual role for a Maine-based nonprofit; critics say it may have been used to skirt financial aid rules; Maine Sunday Telegram; FRONT PAGE; 31 July 2016, PORTLAND, MAINE, p. A1
Many of EDMC’s recruited students dropped out; One expert says many ended up with ‘crippling student debt and little prospect of being able to pay it back.’; Maine Sunday Telegram; SIDEBAR; 31 July 2016, PORTLAND, MAINE, p.
The Maine-Turkey connection; Followers of Gulen, the reclusive imam blamed for Turkey’s attempted coup have built a bipartisan network of allies here in Maine; Maine Sunday Telegram; INSIGHT; 24 July 2016, PORTLAND, MAINE, p. D1
The Coolest Shipyard in America; The Navy left Philly with a hole the size of its downtown. Here’s how the city got it working again. Politico Magazine; WHAT WORKS; 21 July 2016; PHILADELPHIA
The Hot New Park at the Center of the Republican Convention; Cleveland’s Public Square was once a mess, but a $50 redesign was done with people – and democracy – in mind; Politico Magazine; WHAT WORKS; 12 July 2016; CLEVELAND, OHIO
Top legislators’ PACs reap thousands from key donors; While lawmakers from both parties use the funds to solidify their positions, lobbyists pursue influence; Maine Sunday Telegram; FRONT PAGE; 10 July 2016, PORTLAND, MAINE, p. A1
How Cincinnati salvaged America’s most dangerous neighborhood; Leaning on the power of local corporations, officials engineered a renaissance in the city’s heart; Politico Magazine; WHAT WORKS; 16 June 2016; CINCINNATI, OHIO
More step forward with stories about undercover game warden; Investigations in Androscoggin, Lincoln, Penobscot and Washington counties yield strikingly similar tales of questionable conduct; Maine Sunday Telegram; NORTH WOODS LAWLESS; 29 May 2016, WISCASSET, MAINE, p. A1
Commentary: President Trump? Mon Dieu!; European leaders want to know: How could this man – so obviously unprepared and unqualified – be on the verge of winning the Republican nomination?; Maine Sunday Telegram; INSIGHT; 22 May 2016, BRUSSELS, p. D1
The Train That Saved Denver; The car-choked city overcame regional distrust to build a major transit system that is remaking the urban core and the suburbs, too; Politico Magazine; WHAT WORKS; 19 May 2016; DENVER, COLORADO
State senator wants answers on Maine game wardens’ tactics in undercover operation; Sen. Paul Davis will ask the wildlife agency chief to explain the conduct revealed in a Press Herald/Telegram investigation, saying ‘the public wants to know what is going on’; Portland Press Herald; FRONT PAGE; 9 May 2016, PORTLAND, MAINE, p. A1
Top warden officials repeatedly evade release of public documents; The agency disregards open-records laws through various tactics, including stonewalling and delays, heavy redaction and exorbitant fees; Maine Sunday Telegram; NORTH WOODS LAWLESS; 8 May 2016, PORTLAND, MAINE, p. A8
Warden service gets good marks in handling day-to-day activities; Complaints are down and the agency has improved under new leadership, but its special investigations are still a flash point; Maine Sunday Telegram; NORTH WOODS LAWLESS; 8 May 2016, ALLAGASH, MAINE, p. A5
Allagash saga adds to long trail of warden service controversies; Sting operations and the subsequent prosecutions sometimes go awry, including one case sparked by a single fish that drew national publicity; Maine Sunday Telegram; NORTH WOODS LAWLESS; 8 May 2016, AUGUSTA, MAINE, p. A6
North Woods lawless; A controversial operation in the town of Allagash raises questions about the Maine Warden Service’s undercover operations; Maine Sunday Telegram; NORTH WOODS LAWLESS; 8 May 2016, ALLAGASH, MAINE, p. A1
Warm waters off Maine point to repeat of ‘ocean heat wave’; With the worst of the cooling season over, temperatures in the Gulf of Maine are just slightly below the period of disruption four years ago; Portland Press Herald; FRONT PAGE; 21 March 2016, PORTLAND, MAINE, p. A1
How a 19th-Century Town Became a New Millennium Marvel; Once the world’s textile leader, Manchester had to let go of the past before it could move forward;Politico Magazine; WHAT WORKS; 18 February 2016; MANCHESTER, NEW HAMPSHIRE
How America’s Dullest City Got Cool; One meeting, a visionary planner and old-fashioned Iowan cooperation reinvented Des Moines; Politico Magazine; WHAT WORKS; 21 January 2016; DES MOINES, IOWA
How geography shapes international politics; a review of “Prisoners of Geography” by Tim Marshall; Washington Post; OUTLOOK, 10 January 2016.
Tracing the Deep Roots of the Oregon Occupation; The beliefs at the heart of the situation aren’t that unusual in parts of the American West; National Geographic (online), 8 January 2016
PUC data at center of bias allegations to remain secret indefinitely; Critics suspect the commission cherry-picked pricing forecasts in favor of natural gas and against wind power; Maine Sunday Telegram; MAINE & NEW ENGLAND; 3 January 2016, PORTLAND, MAINE, 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.