Articles – 2021

Sen. King pushes filibuster reforms to protect voting rights, electoral process; Maine’s independent senator says voting rights and the elections process itself are in danger, and that he supports changing filibuster rules to protect them, something he has opposed in the past; Maine Sunday Telegram; FRONT PAGE, 26 December 2021, WASHINGTON, p. A1

How Maine lost control of coronavirus and became a national hot spot; With the virus raging across interior parts of the state, hospitals are already under stress as holidays, winter and the omicron variant lie ahead; Maine Sunday Telegram; FRONT PAGE, 19 December 2021, PORTLAND, MAINE, p. A1

Three rural Maine counties now among nation’s worst for spread of COVID; Franklin, Aroostook and Piscataquis, where vaccination rates are low, currently have the 4th, 5th, and 6th highest per capita new case rates in the U.S; Portland Press Herald; FRONT PAGE, 18 December 2021, PORTLAND, MAINE, p. A1

Maine reports record spike in COVID-19 hospitalizations and ICU patients; The big one-day jump in the number of inpatients coincides with predictions of a post-Thanksgiving surge and ratchets up stress on the state’s hospitals; Portland Press Herald; FRONT PAGE, 7 December 2021, PORTLAND, MAINE, p. A1

Miles from the sea, a Portland neighborhood finds itself in a new flood zone; Updated and more accurate federal maps put a cluster of homes near Capisic Brook in a zone that faces once-in-a-century risks; Maine Sunday Telegram; FRONT PAGE, 5 December 2021, PORTLAND, MAINE, p. A1

One year in, Maine’s climate plan moving forward, fueled by unexpected federal windfall; Gov. Mills marked the occasion by announcing new initiatives to help towns and cities help meet the Maine Climate Council’s plan and her goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 45% by 2030; Portland Press Herald; FRONT PAGE, 2 December 2021, PORTLAND, MAINE, p. A1

Federal regulators will review effects of 4 lower Kennebec dams on fish; The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission will study the Shawmut Dam in Fairfield and three others that fish must pass to reach key habitat in western Maine’s Sandy River; Portland Press Herald; FRONT PAGE, 26 November 2021, PORTLAND, MAINE, p. A1

Golden is only House Democrat to vote against Build Back Better; The 2nd District congressman, who has broken with his colleagues on several high-profile bills, opposes a piece of the sweeping $2 trillion social policy and climate change bill that largely benefits wealthy homeowners; Portland Press Herald; FRONT PAGE, 20 November 2021, PORTLAND, MAINE, p. A1

Rep. Golden is lone Democrat voting against Build Back Better package; The 2nd District Democrat bucks his party again, opposing the lifting of a cap on state and local tax deductions that primarily benefits the wealthy; Portland Press Herald; FRONT PAGE, 19 November 2021, PORTLAND, MAINE, p. A1

Maine seeing record surges of hospital patients in counties with low vaccination rates; Hospitals that serve Androscoggin, Franklin, Somerset and Oxford counties are seeing the biggest spikes in COVID-19 patients; Portland Press Herald; FRONT PAGE, 19 November 2021, PORTLAND, MAINE, p. A1

Portland’s historic Union Wharf being sold, preserved for maritime use; Fishermen and city officials praise the agreement between the Gulf of Maine Research Institute and the Poole family, saying the organization is securing the future of the commercial pier; Maine Sunday Telegram; FRONT PAGE, 15 November 2021, PORTLAND, MAINE, p. A1

Why knocking down statues is a tradition around the world; A review of Alex von Tunzelmann’s “Fallen Idols: Twelve Statues that Made History, Washington Post, BOOK WORLD, 7 November 2021, p. B6.

Golden helps delay Friday vote on $1.75 trillion Build Back Better plan; The vote was scuttled after Golden and several colleagues insisted on several weeks’ delay until analysis of the plan’s budgetary impact can be completed; Portland Press Herald; NATION, 6 November 2021, PORTLAND, MAINE, p. A5

Why Daniel Boone Might Not be Canceled; The archetypal frontiersman was unsure about the colonial project he built; Washington Monthly, BOOKS, November/December 2021.

Pingree and King tentatively support $1.8 trillion Build Back Better bill; Golden awaits final details; The measure, which cuts the president’s signature social and climate investment package nearly in half, is expected to be opposed by all Senate Republicans, including Susan Collins; Portland Press Herald; FRONT PAGE, 29 October 2021, PORTLAND, MAINE, p. A1

With Biden agenda at stake, Maine’s U.S. House members take starkly different stances; The views of Reps. Chellie Pingree and Jared Golden on the Build Back Better social spending and climate change bill mirror differences in their districts; Portland Press Herald; FRONT PAGE, 27 October 2021, PORTLAND, MAINE, p. A1

Sens. Collins, King sharply divided as Republicans block Democratic voting rights bill; While Collins slams the bill as ‘a vast federal takeover of state elections,’ King says American democracy is in danger as Republicans refuse to even debate it; Portland Press Herald; FRONT PAGE, 22 October 2021, PORTLAND, MAINE, p. A1

Unvaccinated patients and employees driving COVID outbreaks in Maine hospitals; Maine hospitals have had 13 outbreaks resulting in one death since vaccinations for their employees became widely available; Portland Press Herald; FRONT PAGE, 21 October 2021, PORTLAND, MAINE, p. A1

Maine philanthropist’s resignation shakes global reproductive rights charity founded by her father; Judy Kahrl of Arrowsic, an heir to the Procter & Gamble fortune, resigned from the board of Pathfinder International, accusing it of resisting full disclosure of her father’s eugenicist legacy and the CEO’s management record; Maine Sunday Telegram; FRONT PAGE, 10 October 2021, PORTLAND, MAINE, p. A1

Canadian dam owner sues Maine over alleged effort to remove 4 Kennebec River dams; Brookfield Renewable argues state agencies are violating a binding river management agreement in their fight over the future of Atlantic salmon; Portland Press Herald; LOCAL & STATE, 29 August 2021, PORTLAND, MAINE, p. B1

Bangor hospital sets COVID-19 inpatient record for 2nd week as Maine hits highest ICU levels yet; The delta surge continues to pound the unvaccinated, who account for almost all coronavirus patients in critical care; Portland Press Herald; LOCAL & STATE, 24 September 2021, PORTLAND, MAINE, p. B1

Maine Braces Itself for Paul LePage; On the front lines, both parties are anxious about the storm that’s coming; Politico Magazine, LETTER FROM MAINE, 23 September 2021, LEWISTON, MAINE

Monuments to notorious people are coming down and being renamed. What about Cumberland?; In Britain they’ve removed statues of ‘the Butcher,’ the reviled 18th century English prince for whom Cumberland County and the town of Cumberland are named; Maine Sunday Telegram; MAINE/NEW ENGLAND, 19 September 2021, CUMBERLAND, MAINE, p. B1

COVID-19 inpatient counts up in southern and central Maine; Bangor hospital has record number; The delta variant is pounding unvaccinated people, who account for almost all coronavirus patients in intensive care; Portland Press Herald; LOCAL & STATE, 17 September 2021, PORTLAND, MAINE, p. B1

20 years later, they’re haunted by their encounters with 9/11 hijackers; Those who crossed paths with two of the World Trade Center terrorists reflect on what happened in Maine in the hours leading up to the worst attacks on American soil; Maine Sunday Telegram; FRONT PAGE, 5 September 2021, SOUTH PORTLAND, MAINE, p. A1

Rep. Golden unapologetic about shaking up Democrats’ strategy to pass Biden’s agenda; in exclusive interview, Maine’s 2nd District congressman says progressives have held the infrastructure bill hostage to the president’s budget; Portland Press Herald; LOCAL AND STATE, 15 July 2021, LEWISTON, MAINE, p. B1

COVID-19 patient counts keep climbing in Maine hospitals; As many people are in intensive care now as during last winter’s surge, with the delta variant pushing unvaccinated people into hospitals; Portland Press Herald; FRONT PAGE, 20 August 2021, PORTLAND, MAINE, p. A1

Rep. Golden, 8 other centrist Democrats throw wrench in plans to advance $3.5 trillion budget bill; The move creates a Catch-22 for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, putting the budget and infrastructure bills in jeopardy; Portland Press Herald; FRONT PAGE, 14 August 2021, PORTLAND, MAINE, p. A1

COVID-19 patient counts are climbing again in Maine hospitals; The statewide tally of inpatients confirmed with the disease has hit the highest level since early June, with Bangor’s Eastern Maine Medical Center seeing the sharpest spike; Portland Press Herald; FRONT PAGE, 13 August 2021, PORTLAND, MAINE, p. A1

Fight between rival energy companies threatens to delay CMP’s $1 billion energy corridor; CMP parent Avangrid is locked in a bitter dispute with rival NextEra over the upgrading of equipment at the Seabrook nuclear station, without which the 145-mile corridor can’t connect to the New England grid; Portland Press Herald; FRONT PAGE, 24 July 2021, PORTLAND, MAINE, p. A1

Sens. Collins and King unveil earmark funding requests for over 150 Maine projects; The senators’ requests total almost half a billion dollars; most of the earmarks submitted by Reps. Pingree and Golden advance; Portland Press Herald; LOCAL AND STATE, 15 July 2021, PORTLAND, MAINE, p. B1

New tests suggest dangerous delta variant more widespread in Maine, sending most COVID inpatients into ICU;
Patients hospitalized with COVID-19 are typically younger and sicker than before, probably due to the more virulent variants; Portland Press Herald; FRONT PAGE, 12 July 2021, PORTLAND, MAINE, p. A1

The young United States’ manifest uncertainty; Review of Alan Taylor’s American Republics: A Continental History of the United States, 1783-1850; Washington Post; OUTLOOK, 27 June 2021, p. B6

System failure: Inside Maine’s $35 million human resources software meltdown; State officials have blamed a private company for the problems plaguing Maine’s expensive project to upgrade its HR software. But a Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram investigation reveals that the state is largely at fault; Maine Sunday Telegram; FRONT PAGE, 20 June 2021, PORTLAND, MAINE, p. A1

Ex-Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, now a Mainer, marched on the Capitol on Jan. 6; The former Californian, who’s been called ‘Putin’s favorite congressman,’ confirmed he was at the march to protest the ‘stolen election’ but said he urged fellow protesters not to storm the Capitol; Portland Press Herald; FRONT PAGE, 15 June 2021, PORTLAND, MAINE, p. A1

Rep. Golden helps negotiate bipartisan $1.25 trillion House infrastructure proposal; The proposal by the Problem Solvers Caucus comes a day after talks between President Biden and Senate Republicans collapsed; Portland Press Herald; STATE & LOCAL, 10 June 2021, PORTLAND, MAINE, p. B2

Conservation groups set to sue major hydro plant owner over Kennebec dam operations; Four groups say Brookfield Renewable is killing salmon in violation of the Endangered Species Act, intensifying the battle over fish access to the Kennebec and Sandy rivers; Portland Press Herald; FRONT PAGE, 5 June 2021, PORTLAND, MAINE, p. A1

Passamaquoddy tribe reacquires island stolen more than 150 years ago; Pine Island, also known as White’s Island, was illegally taken from the tribe in the mid-19th century. Conservation groups helped get it back; Portland Press Herald; FRONT PAGE, 18 May 2021, PORTLAND, MAINE, p. A1

COVID-19 patient counts at Central Maine Medical Center break record for second straight week; Intensive care demands from the pandemic remain at high levels at many hospitals despite lower overall COVID hospitalizations; Portland Press Herald; STATE & LOCAL, 14 May 2021, PORTLAND, MAINE, p. B2

‘A frightening shift’: Maine hospitals see surge of unvaccinated patients needing intensive care; ICU demands hit near-record levels at many hospitals despite lower overall patient counts; Central Maine Medical Center sees record levels of both; Portland Press Herald; FRONT PAGE, 7 May 2021, PORTLAND, MAINE, p. A1

Meet Christiane Northrup, doctor of disinformation; The Yarmouth obstetrician-gynecologist was once a best-selling self-help author and regular Oprah guest. Now she promotes extreme conspiracy theories about the COVID-19 pandemic, masks and vaccines; Maine Sunday Telegram; FRONT PAGE, 2 May 2021, PORTLAND, MAINE, p. A1

Instagram blocks account of celebrity Maine doctor who spreads vaccine disinformation; Dr. Christiane Northrup is one of the ‘disinformation dozen’ responsible for 65 percent of all COVID-19 vaccine disinformation on social media, according to a Senate report; Portland Press Herald; LOCAL & STATE, 5 August 2021, YARMOUTH, MAINE, p. B2

Pingree, Golden unveil earmark requests for federal funding of 20 Maine projects; Fire departments, water districts, community colleges and nonprofits are among candidates for member-requested congressional funds; Portland Press Herald; LOCAL & STATE, 30 April 2021, PORTLAND, MAINE, p. B2

COVID-19 hospitalizations surge across Maine, hit record levels at Lewiston’s CMMC; Inpatients are younger and from rural areas, and the virus variant from U.K. may be part of the reason; Portland Press Herald; FRONT PAGE, 23 April 2021, PORTLAND, MAINE, p. A1

Maine redistricting thrown into confusion by census delay, constitutional Catch-22; The state’s process insulates against gerrymandering, unless one party has supermajority control of the Legislature; Maine Sunday Telegram; MAINE & NEW ENGLAND, 18 April 2021, PORTLAND, MAINE, p. B2

COVID-19 hospitalizations spike at Lewiston’s Central Maine Medical Center; Inpatient counts at Maine hospitals have been flat since late February but remain at levels higher than they were during the spring 2020 peak; Portland Press Herald; LOCAL & STATE, 17 April 2021, PORTLAND, MAINE, p. B2

House Democrats, including Pingree, kick off probe of Jan. 6 attack on Capitol by pro-Trump mob; the inquiry follows House Republicans’ rejection of the independent 9/11-style commission sought by Maine’s Sens. Susan Collins and Angus King and Rep. Jared Golden; Portland Press Herald; FRONT PAGE, 7 April 2021, PORTLAND, MAINE, p. A1

What Netflix’s ‘Lost Pirate Kingdom’ Got Right (And Wrong) About The Golden Age Pirate Gang; Talking Points Memo; TPM CAFE; 6 April 2021

Earmarks returning to Congress, where Maine’s delegation has outsize influence in the right places; The member-driven spending initiatives, with guardrails in place, could fund critical projects in Maine; Portland Press Herald; FRONT PAGE, 5 April 2021, PORTLAND, MAINE, p. A1

Jared Golden bucks fellow Democrats while fighting the system; The second-term congressman’s positions often put him at odds with his party. Will that help or hurt him in Maine’s conservative 2nd District?; Maine Sunday Telegram; FRONT PAGE, 21 March 2021, LEWISTON, MAINE, p. A1

The year of living distantly; Maine weathered the pandemic better than most states, but it will leave a lasting impact on us; Maine Sunday Telegram; FRONT PAGE, 14 March 2021, PORTLAND, MAINE, p. A1

From Portland to Myanmar, former Maine congressman Tom Andrews has kept fighting for human rights;
Andrews is now the UN’s high-profile human rights expert for the troubled nation in southeast Asia; Portland Press Herald; FRONT PAGE, 9 March 2021, PORTLAND, MAINE, p. A1

Secretary of State Bellows touts Maine electoral practices to congressional panel; The former Democratic state senator, testifying alongside Georgia Democrat Stacey Abrams, says voting should be ‘equal and safe and secure all across the country.’; Portland Press Herald; STATE & LOCAL, 26 February 2021, PORTLAND, MAINE, p. B2

Disparity in vaccine distributions across Maine worsens – and explanations conflict; Bangor’s mass vaccination site scurries to fill open slots, while those in Scarborough and Westbrook lack enough vaccine to operate at capacity; Portland Press Herald; FRONT PAGE, 25 February 2021, PORTLAND, MAINE, p. A1

Secretary of State Bellows to testify before Congress on voter rights bill Thursday; She will describe Maine’s experiences with many of the provisions that Congress is considering making mandatory nationwide; Portland Press Herald; STATE & LOCAL, 24 February 2021, PORTLAND, MAINE, p. B2

The Pitfalls and Promise of America’s Founding Myths; Maintaining a shared sense of nationhood has always been a struggle for a country defined not by organic ties, but by a commitment to a set of ideals; Smithsonian (online), 22 February 2021.

Determining America’s National Myth Will Determine The Country’s Fate: The Ethno-Nationalist Vision of the United States Will Not Just ‘Slink Off Into the Night’; Zocalo Public Square; ESSAY; 22 February 2021.

COVID-19 hospitalizations continue to fall across Maine; The burden on the state’s hospitals remains above the spring surge’s peak but is down to pre-Thanksgiving levels; Portland Press Herald; STATE & LOCAL, 19 February 2021, PORTLAND, MAINE, p. B2

Donna Loring, retired tribal affairs adviser to Gov. Mills, says a sovereignty deal can be reached; The Penobscot elder, politician and writer is encouraged by symbolically important progress, but she says the heavy lifting lies ahead; Portland Press Herald; FRONT PAGE, 16 February 2021, PORTLAND, MAINE, p. A1

How Maine weathered the second surge – and what lies ahead; Maine dodged the worst of COVID-19 last spring and summer, but the virus got the upper hand as the seasons changed. Now the race is on to vaccinate our way clear of mutant strains; Maine Sunday Telegram; FRONT PAGE, 14 February 2021, PORTLAND, MAINE, p. A1

COVID-19 hospitalizations in Maine hit lowest levels since November; Patient counts continued to fall or remain flat at most of Maine’s hospitals as the U.S. experiences a modest reprieve from the virus’s onslaught; Portland Press Herald; STATE & LOCAL, 12 February 2021, PORTLAND, MAINE, p. B2

COVID-19 inpatient numbers lowest in 2 months but still high in Lewiston and western Maine; The burden fell or remained flat at most of Maine’s hospitals, mirroring recent national trends and creating breathing space for medical staff; Portland Press Herald; STATE & LOCAL, 5 February 2021, PORTLAND, MAINE, p. B2

Lewiston hospitals see record levels of virus inpatients, while numbers stay flat or fall elsewhere; There’s no clear explanation for the shifting geography of hospitalizations, the Maine CDC says; Portland Press Herald; STATE & LOCAL, 29 January 2021, PORTLAND, MAINE, p. B2

Pingree to chair powerful appropriations panel overseeing Interior and EPA; She becomes one of the House’s 12 ‘cardinals’ who shape the federal funding priorities over their respective congressional fiefdoms; Portland Press Herald; FRONT PAGE, 26 January 2021, PORTLAND, MAINE, p. A1

COVID-19 patient numbers set records at Maine Med and in Lewiston, drop in Bangor and York County; Coronavirus inpatient numbers remain flat at high levels across Maine, but the burden has shifted back to medical centers in Portland and Lewiston; Portland Press Herald; STATE & LOCAL, 22 January 2021, PORTLAND, MAINE, p. B2

Sen. King calls out Republicans who ‘divided the country’ and now oppose impeachment; Maine’s junior senator doesn’t buy the argument that they can’t hold Donald Trump and other elected officials accountable because the country needs to heal; Portland Press Herald; FRONT PAGE, 15 January 2021, PORTLAND, MAINE, p. A1

COVID-19 hospitalizations remain high across Maine but have spread out; Hard-hit EMMC saw its burden ease for second week, while Maine Med had its heaviest COVID-19 inpatient week yet; Portland Press Herald; STATE & LOCAL, 15 January 2021, PORTLAND, MAINE, p. B2

Reps. Pingree, Golden vote to impeach Trump for 2nd time; The U.S. House voted 232-197 to impeach the president on a charge of inciting an insurrection; Portland Press Herald; FRONT PAGE, 14 January 2021, PORTLAND, MAINE, p. A1

Sen. Angus King supports second impeachment, calls Trump ‘a danger to the republic’; Maine’s independent senator says President Trump is too dangerous to allow to stay in office and should be removed immediately; Portland Press Herald; FRONT PAGE, 13 January 2021, PORTLAND, MAINE, p. A1

Rep. Golden joins Pingree in support of Trump impeachment; The House is expected to take up the measure Wednesday. Sens. King and Collins haven’t said whether they will support impeachment; Portland Press Herald; STATE & LOCAL, 12 January 2021, PORTLAND, MAINE, p. B2

Pingree co-sponsors resolution to investigate 147 members of Congress for role in insurrection; Enacted after the Civil War, the 14th Amendment prohibits membership for those who have ‘engaged in insurrection or rebellion’ against the U.S.; Portland Press Herald; STATE & LOCAL, 12 January 2021, PORTLAND, MAINE, p. B2

As momentum builds for 2nd impeachment, Collins, King and Golden aren’t saying where they stand; Rep. Chellie Pingree, who strongly supports impeaching President Trump, says there’s broad support among House Democrats to take action next week; Portland Press Herald; STATE & LOCAL, 9 January 2021, PORTLAND, MAINE, p. B2

Federal judge orders Portland pandemic supply company to return customer’s deposit; Portland-based Noble Partners was accused of keeping a Florida company’s $108,000 deposit after failing to fulfill an order for medical supplies in May; Portland Press Herald; STATE & LOCAL, 8 January 2021, PORTLAND, MAINE, p. B2  

King says 25th Amendment should be considered; Pingree backs Trump’s removal; Sen. Susan Collins and Rep. Jared Golden could not be reached for comment and their positions were unclear; Portland Press Herald; FRONT PAGE, 8 January 2021, PORTLAND, MAINE, p. A1

Southern Maine hospitals hit hard as Maine sets COVID-19 patient record; But the burden on Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor finally eased this week, although it still has the highest numbers in the state; Portland Press Herald; STATE & LOCAL, 8 January 2021, PORTLAND, MAINE, p. B2  

4 dams, the future of Kennebec fish runs and salmon’s survival at stake in federal licensing battle; State officials and conservationists want one or more of the Canadian-owned dams removed to let salmon reach the Sandy River; Maine Sunday Telegram; MAINE & NEW ENGLAND, 3 January 2021, PORTLAND, MAINE, p. B2  

Bangor hospital reports week with most virus patients yet, but counts mostly stable elsewhere; Southern Maine Health Care Medical Center Medical Center and Presque Isle’s hospital also had their biggest inpatient burdens of the pandemic; Portland Press Herald; STATE & LOCAL, 1 January 2021, PORTLAND, MAINE, p. B2  

How Joe Biden Can Help Forge a New National Narrative; To survive as a democracy, Trump’s ethno-nationalist story of America must be defeated; Washington Monthly; January-February-March 2021, pp. 14-19.