Portland Press Herald Audio: Recent Episodes
The staff of the Portland Press Herald
If you enjoyed our Like a Boss series, please join us for Open Door. Open Door features personal reflections from local leaders about their careers, management styles and lessons they’ve learned along the way.
Steve Mills, CEO of Maine Beer Company sat down with Maine Trust for Local News Managing Director Stefanie Manning for a conversation at the Roux Institute at Northeastern University on Wednesday, April 2, 2025.
About Steve: Steve Mills has taken on many leadership roles throughout his over thirty years in the craft beer industry.
As CEO of Maine Beer Company, Mills expands on the company’s purpose of “doing good through great beer” which the company was founded on in 2009. His priorities are to take care of the company’s employees, give to environmental and local nonprofits, and make exceptional beer. Under his leadership, Maine Beer Company has outpaced most peers as far as growth. It is now in the top 100 of the more than 9,500 US breweries.
Mills is a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps where he spent most of his active duty as a member of the honor guard in Washington D.C. He enjoys spending time with his wife and three children, barbequing with friends, and boating in Casco Bay.
The city says it can't pick up the slack if an executive order slashes federal funding for refugee services and the state follows through with plans to cut back its share of General Assistance.
by Grace Benninghoff Portland Press Herald Story: https://www.pressherald.com/2025/02/18/portland-leaders-frustrated-over-potential-funding-changes-for-immigrants/
During the Jim Crow era, Black tourists to Maine found recreational spaces where they were welcomed, not shunned. by
Gillian GrahamPortland Press Herald Megan GrayPortland Press Herald Story: https://www.pressherald.com/2025/02/15/for-generations-black-mainers-made-sure-vacationland-was-open-to-all/ Press Herald News Stories podcasts feed: https://podcasts.apple.com/ru/podcast/portland-press-herald-news-stories/id1734255268?l=en-GB
By Rachel Ohm, Portland Press Herald Rep. Randall Hall, R-Wilton, was indicted by an Oxford County grand jury on 12 charges Wednesday. Story: https://www.pressherald.com/2025/02/13/maine-lawmaker-accused-of-forging-signatures-on-campaign-finance-forms/
Stories Audio Feed: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/portland-press-herald-news-stories/id1734255268
Watch: Maine Voices Live with Craig Grossi, author and Marine Corps veteran Portland Press Herald staff writer Ray Routhier sat down with author and Marine Corps veteran Craig Grossi for a conversation and book signing during a live event in Portland.
About Craig
Craig and Fred
Raised in the Virginia suburbs of Washington, DC, Craig Grossi is a Marine Corps veteran, author and recipient of the Purple Heart. After getting out of the Marines in 2011, Grossi worked for the federal Defense Intelligence Agency, enrolled at Georgetown University and got a degree in international affairs.
Grossi is the author of “Craig & Fred: A Marine, a Stray Dog and How They Rescued Each Other,” an uplifting true story about the stray dog he met on an Afghan battlefield, and how they saved each other and traveled America together, and “Second Chances,” which details his experience working closely with prison inmates in Maine who raise and train puppies to become service dogs. Learn more about Craig’s story and his books in this article by Ray Routhier.
Grossi and his dog Fred appeared on the Today show and Rachael Ray, and in schools, bookstores, and military bases across America as they told the uplifting story of how Craig found Fred while serving in Afghanistan—and brought him home. During their travels, Craig was invited to speak at Maine State Prison. While there, he met a group of very special inmates, participants in a program run by the nonprofit America’s Vet Dogs.
Fred died of cancer at his and Grossi’s home on Nov. 22, 2023. He was 14. Grossi credits Fred with “saving” him by getting him to open up to others and ask for help. Read about Fred in this article by Ray Routhier.
When not writing or speaking, Grossi enjoys life in the great outdoors and devotes his time to advocating for issues close to his heart like prison reform, animal welfare and mental health awareness. He now lives in mid-coast Maine with his wife Nora and their dogs, Ruby and a recently rescued pup named Bingo.
Talking media startups, news deserts and the future of the Fourth Estate This conversation took place on Tuesday, October 15 at the Roux Institute at Northeastern University.
Authors Dan Kennedy and Ellen Clegg sat down for a conversation about their book What Works in Community News: Media Startups, News Deserts, and the Future of the Fourth Estate (Beacon Press) at the Roux Institute at Northeastern University on Tuesday, October 15.
Local news is essential to democracy. Meaningful participation in civic life is impossible without it. However, local news is in crisis. According to one widely cited study, some 2,500 newspapers have closed over the last generation. And it is often marginalized communities of color who have been left without the day-to-day journalism they need to govern themselves in a democracy. In this book, journalists Ellen Clegg and Dan Kennedy cut through the pessimism surrounding this issue, showing readers that new, innovative journalism models are popping up across the country to fill news deserts and empower communities.
Through a blend of on-the-ground reporting and interviews, Clegg and Kennedy show how these operations found seed money and support, and how they hired staff, forged their missions, and navigated challenges from the pandemic to police intimidation to stand as the last bastion of collective truth—and keep local news in local hands.
Dan Kennedy
Dan Kennedy is a professor of journalism in the College of Arts, Media and Design and a nationally known media commentator. Professor Kennedy teaches news reporting, opinion writing, media ethics, and other journalism courses with an emphasis on how technology is changing the business of news. He has also been published in The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, Nieman Lab, Nieman Reports, Poynter Online, and other venues.
Ellen Clegg
Ellen Clegg spent more than 3 decades at The Boston Globe and retired in 2018 after 4 years of running the opinion pages. In between stints at the Globe, she was deputy director of communications at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard. She is a member of the steering committee for the Elizabeth Neuffer Fellowship at the International Women’s Media Foundation. Ellen is co-founder and co-chair of Brookline.News, a nonprofit startup news organization in Brookline, Massachusetts.
About Safa Zaki
Copyright Jessica Scranton
Safa R. Zaki is the sixteenth president of Bowdoin College, a renowned psychologist and cognitive scientist, and the first woman to lead the College since its founding in 1794.
Safa’s research focuses on how people divide the world into categories, using computational approaches to model cognitive processes in order to enrich our understanding of the human mind.
In preparation for the November election, Press Herald reporters Rachel Ohm and Randy Billings discuss the referendum questions on the ballot, what a yes or no vote will mean, before diving into an in-depth discussion about the updated design for the Maine state flag with vexillologist David Martucci.
Portland Press Herald staff writer Ray Routhier sat down with actor and author John Hodgman for a conversation during a live event at One Longfellow Square on Tuesday, September 17.
About John
John Hodgman is a writer, comedian, and actor.
He is the author of The Areas of My Expertise, More Information Than You Require, That Is All, and Vacationland. His writing has also appeared in The Paris Review, This American Life, The New Yorker, and Mad Magazine.
After an appearance to promote his books on “The Daily Show,” he was invited to return as a contributor, serving as the show’s Resident Expert. This led to a career before the camera, becoming the “Personal Computer” in a series of commercials for Apple, and more recently playing recurring roles in FX’s Married, HBO’s Bored to Death, Cinemax’s The Knick.
His comedy special Ragnarok premiered in 2013 on Netflix. He is the host of the popular Judge John Hodgman podcast and also contributes a weekly column under the same name for The New York Times Magazine.
Portland Press Herald staff writer Ray Routhier sat down with author Jonathan Lethem for a conversation during a live event at One Longfellow Square on Tuesday, August 13.
Jonathan Lethem is the author of thirteen novels including The Arrest and Brooklyn Crime Novel. His stories and essay have been collected in seven volumes, and his writing has been translated into over thirty languages. He lives in Los Angeles and Maine.
His novel Motherless Brooklyn was named Novel of the Year by Esquire magazine and won the National Book Critics Circle Award and the Salon Book Award, as well as the Crime Writers Association Gold Dagger. Lethem received a MacArthur Fellowship in 2005. He teaches classes in creative writing and contemporary fiction at Pomona College in Claremont, California.
Ever wonder where reporters get their ideas? Press Herald Managing Editor Nita Lelyveld sat down with Press Herald reporter Eric Russell, Morning Sentinel reporter Dylan Tusinski and Sun Journal photojournalist Andree Kehn for a conversation on Zoom to discuss how journalists find their stories. This event took place on Thursday, June 27.
In 2023, Marilou Ranta, of The Quarry Restaurant in remote Monson, Maine, bested thousands of restaurants across America to win an award for Outstanding Hospitality from the prestigious New-York-based James Beard Foundation. Ranta grew up as the youngest of 12 children in an impoverished family on the island of Mindanao in the Philippines. She finished school at 16 and spent time as a maid, a factory worker and a home health aide before graduating from culinary school at age 50 and fulfilling a long-time dream to run her own fine-dining restaurant. Her delicious food and warm hospitality at The Quarry have brought her much praise and many fans. Read more about Marilou in this article by Peggy Grodinsky.
On Wednesday, March 6, Portland Press Herald CEO and Publisher Lisa DeSisto interviewed Tate’s Bakeshop CEO, Esi Seng at The Roux Institute at Northeastern University.
About Esi Seng
Esi Seng is a proven, inspirational global leader with more than two decades of accelerating business growth and building high-performing CPG businesses and teams across the globe including Switzerland, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Brazil and the United States.
Currently she is the Chief Executive Officer of Tate’s Bakeshop, the iconic cookie brand that disrupted the category and continues to be one of the fastest growing cookies in the aisle. Before taking on the cookie kingdom, Esi was all about toothpaste as the General Manager for Tom’s of Maine. Here she focused on elevating the Purpose to Purchase model. Under her leadership, Tom’s of Maine, a BCorp, developed the first-of-its-kind recyclable tube toothpaste, which was recognized as one of The Best Inventions of 2020 by TIME Magazine and launched a 100% plastic free deodorant line.
Esi, a Nicaraguan Chinese Immigrant is a proponent of diversity, equity and inclusion and passionate about community-building; She is currently on the board of the United Way of Southern Maine.
Portland Press Herald food editor Peggy Grodinsky sat down for a conversation with chef Sam Hayward about his career during a live event on Tuesday, Feb. 27. Award-winning chef Sam Hayward co-founded Fore Street restaurant in Portland in 1996, making fresh produce and farmer relationships his top priority. Hayward previously served on MOFGA’s board of directors for over a decade and has worked closely with Maine farmers, foragers and fisherpeople for over 30 years. As many more restaurateurs and farmers forge relationships, Hayward’s knowledge of both worlds is of great value to chefs, producers and food lovers.
Dale Everett Arnold was a New England sportscaster who hosted the Boston Bruins broadcasts on NESN and co-hosted talk radio shows on WEEI until his retirement from radio in March of 2021. He was the Bruins’ play-by-play announcer on NESN and has called Boston College Eagles football. He is the only person to have done play-by-play broadcasts for all five of the Boston area’s major professional sports franchises.
A Bowdoin College alumnus, Arnold began calling games for the school teams while a student there in the mid-1970s. In 1979, he succeeded Mike Emrick as the voice of the Maine Mariners. He joined the New Jersey Devils with Doc Emrick as their radio announcer in 1986, before returning to New England two years later. Arnold called New England Patriots games from 1988–90 and provided play-by-play coverage for Bruins home games from 1995–2007. In July 2007, he was replaced by former ESPN sportscaster Jack Edwards as the Bruins’ play-by-play telecaster.
Arnold is formerly of Bellingham, Massachusetts and now lives in Brunswick with his wife, Susan. They have three children: Taylor, Alysha, and Brianna. Arnold grew up in Maine and Minnesota prior to attending Bowdoin College. His son, Taylor Arnold, is a professor at the University of Richmond.
Paul Doiron is the best-selling author of the Mike Bowditch series of crime novels set in the Maine woods. His first book, The Poacher’s Son, won the Barry Award and the Strand Critics Award and was nominated for an Edgar for Best First Novel. His second, Trespasser, won the 2012 Maine Literary Award. His novelette “Rabid” was a finalist for the 2019 Edgar in the Best Short Story category. Paul’s twelfth book, Dead by Dawn won the New England Society’s 2022 Book Award for Fiction, as well as his second Maine Literary Award. It was also a finalist for the Barry Award. His books have been translated into 11 languages.
Paul is the former chair of the Maine Humanities Council, Editor Emeritus of Down East: The Magazine of Maine, and a Registered Maine Guide specializing in fly fishing.
Matthew grew up in the rural lakes region of Western Maine and now resides in Bridgton with his wife Emily and two young kiddos, daughter Rowan (6) and son Leo (3). Matt has played many roles in his life, Banker, Actor, Photographer and his recent favorite- Dad.
Matthew’s film credits include the George Clooney-directed drama “The Tender Bar,” the comedy “Daddy’s Home 2” starring Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg and the Maine-made movies “Hangdog” and “Downeast.” He was also in the Maine-set romantic comedy “Tumbledown,” starring Jason Sudeikis. On TV he’s appeared in episodes of “Chicago P.D.” on NBC, “Castle Rock” on Hulu and he will be featured on season 2 of “Julia” on Max. Video of this event is available on youTube or at pressherald.com
Portland Press Herald staff writer Aimsel Ponti sat down with Spose to chat about his careerduring a live event on Tuesday, October 17 at One Longfellow Square.
Ryan Peters was born in Portland and grew up in Wells, Maine. He began rapping in eighth grade. Peters graduated from Wells High School in 2004 then attended University of New Hampshire as an English major and later transferred to Suffolk University.
By then his music career was taking off and he was offered a record deal when he was two classes away from graduating. Adopting the moniker Spose, he self-released his first album, Preposterously Dank in 2007 while continuing to work selling lobster at the Barnacle Billy’s restaurant in Ogunquit.
Spose released the We Smoked It All mixtape with rapper Cam Groves in 2009 and in January 2010, the single, “I’m Awesome” received airplay on several Maine radio stations. A month later, after the song caught on in other parts of the US, Spose signed a record deal with Universal Republic Records and announced that he would begin working on a music video. Although he didn’t end up releasing music with Universal, Spose has released a total of 10 albums since 2008, including his most recent Get Rich or Die Ryan in October of 2021.
Welcome to the first episode of "In the Arena." "In the Arena" is a podcast for Mainers interested in a deeper understanding of the political issues facing our state. Featuring former TV anchor/reporter Pat Callaghan, former Republican state Senator Phil Harriman and former Democratic Portland mayor Ethan Strimling
This week, on the first episode of “In The Arena," Pat, Phil and Ethan discuss Maine Rep. Jared Golden’s Republican opponent Austin Theriault, the political implications of Hamas’ attack on Israel and the Portland mayoral race.
In their lightning round, the three debate what's 'newsworthy' and 'snooze worthy,' including Republicans filing an ethics complaint against Maine Senate President Troy Jackson, Gov. Mills' opposition to the Pine Tree Power referendum, opponents of CMP being paid to campaign for the company, Mills' puzzling social media post and whether former Gov. Paul LePage might be gunning for Maine Sen. Angus King's seat.
Finally, Pat recounts a fun story from former Sen. George Mitchell about his longtime mentor and former U.S. Secretary of State Ed Muskie.
Copy this link into your podcast aggregator to subscribe to "In the Arena"
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Portland mayoral hopefuls debate homelessness, climate change Much of the debate between Pious Ali, Justin Costa, Mark Dion, Dylan Pugh and Andrew Zarro focused on the homeless encampments that the city has struggled to manage.
Five candidates vying to become Portland’s next mayor sparred Tuesday, October 3 over the city’s top challenges, including homeless encampments, housing, immigration and climate change, during a 90-minute debated hosted by the Portland Press Herald and the University of New England.
Much of the focus on the debate, which drew about 260 people to UNE’s Innovation Hall, was on the efforts to deal with homeless encampments throughout the city. The debate was moderated by Press Herald reporters Grace Benninghoff and Rachel Ohm.
Portland Press Herald staff writer Ray Routhier sat down with Pat Callaghan and Cindy Williams to chat about their careers during a live event on Tuesday, August 22 at One Longfellow Square.
About our guests
Pat Callaghan began his broadcast journalism career in 1978 at New Hampshire Public Television.
Beginning in 1979, he spent 43 years as a news anchor and reporter for NEWS CENTER Maine (WCSH6 in Portland and WLBZ2 in Bangor). Notable stories along the way included being on the air live when the Challenger space shuttle exploded in 1986, and reporting from Belfast, Northern Ireland when former Maine Sen. George Mitchell chaired the talks that culminated in the Good Friday Agreement.
Pat spent much of his time covering politics and government, with extensive reporting from Washington, DC and Augusta, as well as covering Maine’s delegations at numerous national political conventions. He produced documentaries on notable Maine figures including Ed Muskie, Bill Cohen, Olympia Snowe and George Mitchell.
Pat holds a BA in History from the University of New Hampshire. He is a member of the Maine Broadcasting Hall of Fame and the New England Emmy Awards “Silver Circle.”
He and his wife Karen are the parents of two grown children.
Cindy Williams is a former news anchor for WCSH 6 News Center Maine where she worked for 32 years from 1989 until 2021. Williams has won several awards from the Associated Press and the Maine Association of Broadcasters for her anchoring and reporting. She graduated from the University of Southern Mississippi in 1985 with a degree in Radio, Television and Film. Cindy was also the anchor of News Seven and the 10 o’clock news on the NBC affiliate in Laurel and Hattiesburg, Mississippi of WDAM-TV.
Portland Press Herald Food and Books Editor Peggy Grodinsky sat down with Chelsea Conaboy to chat about her newest book, that draws on the latest neuroscience and social psychology and weaves it together with new reporting to tell a powerful new narrative of parenthood. Conaboy talks about the myth of maternal instinct, how parenthood changes the brain for the long haul, and what it all means for our social policies, our understanding of caregiving broadly and our sense of ourselves during a live "Maine Voices Live" at the Portland Museum of Art.
Chelsea Conaboy is a health and science journalist. She was part of the Boston Globe’s Pulitzer Prize–winning team for coverage of the Boston Marathon bombing, and she was features editor at the Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram for three years. Her work has been published by The New York Times, The Guardian, Mother Jones, Politico, the Boston Globe Magazine, WBUR, The Philadelphia Inquirer and others. Her first book, Mother Brain: How Neuroscience Is Rewriting the Story of Parenthood, has been called “a game-changer” and is set to be published in 20 countries.
Rachel Ohm, the lead reporter covering Portland’s influx of asylum seekers for the Press Herald, led this Newsroom Live virtual event on Tuesday, May 30.
Read the Press Herald series “Long Way Home” at pressherald.com/longwayhome.
On the panel:
Mufalo Chitam, Executive Director, Maine Immigrants’ Rights Coalition
Kristen Dow, Director of Health & Human Services, City of Portland
Ninette Irabaruta, Director of Public Policy and Advocacy, United Way of Southern Maine
Many Maine-based companies have footprints beyond the state border, even when “the Maine brand” is a big part of their corporate identities. How do these companies keep their cultural or physical roots in the state, especially if they’re adding locations outside of it? What tools and strategies are they using to elevate their brand and leverage their Maine ties? Join our panel conversation to start thinking of affinities that go beyond traditional markets.
Business Editor Will Hall sat down with Scott MacLeod from The VIA Agency, Jenny Kordick from Maine Outdoor Brands and Colleen Croteau from Maine Beer Company to discuss their strategies on Thursday, April 20 for a panel discussion at University of New England’s Innovation Hall on Stevens Avenue in Portland.
President of The Boulos Company, Jessica Estes sat down with Portland Press Herald CEO Lisa DeSisto for a conversation at The Roux Institute at Northeastern University on Tuesday, April 4.
More information at pressherald.com
President and CEO of Central Maine Power, Joe Purington sat down with Portland Press Herald CEO Lisa DeSisto for a conversation at The Roux Institute on Wednesday, March 1.
About Joe Purington
Joe Purington was appointed President and CEO of Central Maine Power (CMP) in September 2021. CMP serves approximately 646,000 electricity customers in an 11,000 square-mile service area in central and southern Maine. The appointment brings Purington home to Maine and to CMP where he began his career in utility operations.
Ryan Adams is a Portland Maine artist, born and raised, where he lives with his artist and designer wife and their two daughters. His background in traditional graffiti led him to creating large-scale mural work as well as hand lettered design and signage. His signature ‘gem’ style of work is a geometric breakdown of letterforms with shadows and highlights incorporated in order to create depth and movement. His work often including statements within them that addresses introspective or cultural issues. Currently, Ryan owns and operates a mural and signage company along with exploring and exhibiting his ‘gem’ style work in exterior and interior spaces. More information (and video) at https://www.pressherald.com/2022/12/07/maine-voices-live-with-ryan-adams/
A panel of journalists from The Portland Press Herald, the Sun Journal, the Kennebec Journal and the Morning Sentinel share memories of covering the epic Ice Storm of 1998, of the people they met and stories they found. Panelists include Judy Meyer, executive editor of the Sun Journal, Kennebec Journal and the Morning Sentinel, retired Press Herald columnist Bill Nemitz, Morning Sentinel reporter and columnist Amy Calder and Press Herald photographer Greg Rec. Press Herald staff writer Kelley Bouchard moderates the discussion.
Portland Press Herald staff writer Eric Russell talks with Morgan Talty about his new book, Night of the Living Rezduring a virtual conversation on Tuesday, December 6.
Morgan Talty is a citizen of the Penobscot Indian Nation where he grew up. He is the author of the story collection Night of the Living Rez from Tin House Books, and his work has appeared in Granta, The Georgia Review, Shenandoah, TriQuarterly, Narrative Magazine, LitHub, and elsewhere.
Should social media even be in your advertising budget in 2023? From navigating targeting capabilities to tracking brand safety on turbulent platforms, it takes insight to design an effective strategy.
Join moderator Carol Coultas and social media experts Dan Reed of SCORE, Izzy Siedman of flyte new media and Nathan O’Leary of Mainely SEO to learn how to create a successful campaign that’s worth your time.
Portland Press Herald food writer Peggy Grodinsky talks with Tara Jensen about her new book, Flour Power.
About Tara
Tara Jensen is the author of A Baker’s Year and the just published Flour Power. She grew up in Naples, Maine, attended Lake Region High School and graduated from College of the Atlantic. Jensen has baked professionally for over 20 years, including at Red Hen Baking in Vermont; and Farm & Sparrow and Carolina Ground, both in North Carolina. She also ran her own tiny, wood-fired bakery, Smoke Signals in North Carolina. Her gorgeous breads and pies have been featured in publications such as Food & Wine and Bon Appétit and her beautiful Instagram account, @bakerhands, has more than 100,000 followers. Today, Jensen teaches baking workshops in Virginia, where she lives with her husband and toddler daughter. Her approach to baking marries the technical with the intuitive.
President of Baxter Brewing, Jenn Lever joined Portland Press Herald CEO Lisa DeSisto for a conversation at The Roux Institute.
Jenn is an Auburn, Maine native who graduated from Edward Little High School in 2004, and then attended Hobart and William Smith Colleges, earning a BA in Economics and Sociology. In 2008, Lever ignited her career in the Food & Beverage Industry when she accepted a Warehouse Supervisor role with Pepsi Co. Her upward trajectory included successive leadership positions that took her from New York to Virginia, before returning to Maine in 2014, where she worked for three years in fresh cut vegetable processing with the Curran Company, later Growers Express. She left the role as President to take on a Director of Operations position with Baxter Brewing in 2017 and in September of 2019 she was promoted to President of Baxter Brewing. In her very first year as President, she led Baxter Brewing through the COVID-19 pandemic, launching a successful rebrand and expanding distribution while keeping the health and safety of her staff at the fore.
Question A, proposed by a group of short-term rental operators, seeks to limit corporate owners from registering short-term rentals. Question B, one of the questions proposed by the Maine chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America, would reduce the number of short-term rentals. Both groups oppose the other’s proposal and a third group, Enough Is Enough, opposes both – and every other question on the ballot. How much of an effect do short-term rentals have on Portland’s rental market? How important are short-term rentals to our local economy? Join us for answers to these questions and many more.
Video of this event is available here: https://www.pressherald.com/2022/04/30/maine-voices-live-with-bill-nemitz/ Bill Nemitz
Bill Nemitz has worked as a journalist in Maine since 1977, when he became a reporter for the Morning Sentinel in Waterville after graduating from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. He moved to Portland in 1983, working first as a reporter for the Evening Express and later as a city editor and assistant managing editor/sports for the Portland Press Herald and Maine Sunday Telegram. He began writing his column in 1995. While focusing on Maine people and issues, his work has taken him three times to Iraq and twice to Afghanistan, where he was embedded with members of the Maine Army National Guard and the Army Reserve; to Belfast, Northern Ireland, for the 1998 referendum on the Good Friday Peace Accord; to Manhattan for the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks; to the Gulf Coast for the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina; and to Haiti following the 2010 earthquake. Nemitz is a past president of the Maine Press Association and for many years taught journalism part-time at St. Joseph’s College of Maine in Standish. He also served for eight years, including three as chairman, on the board of trustees for the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies in Portland. In 2004, the Maine Press Association named Nemitz Maine Journalist of the Year for his reporting on the Maine Army National Guard’s 133rd Engineer Battalion in Iraq. In 2007, he received the Distinguished Service Award from the New England Newspaper Association. In 2015, Nemitz was inducted into the Maine Press Association Hall of Fame.
Like a Boss conversation between Lisa DeSisto, Publisher of the Portland Press Herald and CEO of Masthead Maine and Andrew Mueller, CEO of MaineHealth on Friday, April 29, 2022
Brian Ross–or Chef Brian, as he’s known around Hampden, where he lives–started the Facebook group Quarantine Kitchen in March 2020 so people could share pantry recipes during the lockdown phase of the pandemic. His network of foodie friends around Maine signed on as charter members. Two weeks later, the group had 8,000 members. Now with 11,000 members from 75 countries, Ross’s Quarantine Kitchen sustains itself with a steady supply of home cooking photos and kind words for each other’s efforts.
Portland Press Herald food and dining reporter Tim Cebula talks with Ross about the feel-good stories coming out of the Quarantine Kitchen.
From tips on how to identify native Maine species to the best locations in Maine to find the most exciting birds, Maine Audubon Naturalist and Press Herald nature columnist Doug Hitchcox shares his vast knowledge in a lively discussion with outdoors reporter Deirdre Fleming.
About the partnership No news organization is more invested in the health of the Gulf of Maine and the region’s residents than the Portland Press Herald and The Boston Globe. So, as the gulf’s warming waters pose an increasingly existential threat to Maine’s signature industry, lobster, we joined forces to take a hard look at the climate crisis unfolding on our shores.
We descended on the island of Vinalhaven, one of Maine’s busiest fishing villages, and turned loose reporters, photographers and videographers from both news organizations to learn firsthand the challenges, stresses, and fears of those facing this uniquely perilous time for lobstering. The problems posed by the warming waters were sometimes subtle — the slow migration of whales and lobsters, the gradual rise in sea levels. The tensions and stakes were glaring. Climate change gravely threatens the nation’s richest fishery and the communities that depend on it.
The result is The Lobster Trap, presented here today. It is a story of a group of Mainers struggling to preserve their way of life in a rapidly changing world. It is also a snapshot of life on the front lines of a monumental crisis, no less than last summer’s western wildfires or the rise of extreme flooding events.
This collaboration was made possible by support from Participant, the company that co-produced the movie “Spotlight” and funds the Globe’s Spotlight Fellowship program. We are grateful for the continued support and hope that you, our readers, find this work illuminating.
Portland Press Herald Managing Editor Steve Greenlee and Boston Globe Editor Brian McGrory
After 33 years at the Portland Press Herald, reporter Meredith Goad is retiring and moving back to her childhood home of Tennessee. She talked with food editor Peggy Grodinsky about how the food and drinks scene in Portland, and Maine, has exploded over the 15 + years she has chronicled it, from Sam Hayward’s 2004 James Beard Foundation award for Best Chef Northeast (the first such award for Maine) to the growing farm-to-table movement, through the trials and tribulations for Maine’s restaurants and other food establishments during the COVID-19 pandemic. Find out what she’ll miss – and won’t – about eating in Maine, and just see what happens if you ask her about her favorite restaurant.
Since Robert Indiana’s death in 2018, Portland Press Herald arts reporter Bob Keyes has been covering the complicated saga surrounding the “LOVE” artist’s life and legacy. But there were more notes and conversations than what made it into print. During the pandemic, Bob spent much of his downtime putting the vast knowledge he’s amassed into his first book, “The Isolation Artist,” released Sept. 7.
An evening of live conversation with Cynthia McFadden, the senior legal and investigative correspondent for NBC News. She is a Lewiston native who graduated Phi Beta Kappa and Summa Cum Laude from Bowdoin College.
McFadden was interviewed by Portland Press Herald reporter Kelley Bouchard.
Sam Sifton is the assistant managing editor of The New York Times, overseeing culture and lifestyle coverage. He is the founding editor of NYT Cooking and writes a food column for The New York Times Magazine. Based in New York City, Sifton has spent time in Maine every year of his life. His love of the state and its food heritage frequently shows up in his popular NYT Cooking email newsletter. Formerly the newspaper’s national news editor, culture editor and chief restaurant critic, Sifton is the author of the forthcoming “The New York Times Cooking No-Recipe Recipes,” as well as “See You on Sunday: A Cookbook for Family and Friends” and “Thanksgiving: How to Cook It Well.” Portland Press Herald restaurant critic Andrew Ross leads the conversation with sign language interpretation by MJ Grant.
Abdi Nor Iftin is a reporter and the author of “Call Me American,” a memoir of his immigration to the United States. Growing up in Mogadishu, Somalia, Iftin learned English by watching action movies. When U.S. Marines landed in the 1990s to get involved in the civil conflict, Iftin felt it was an arrival of real-life action heroes and grew fascinated with American culture. Sporting hip-hop clothes and dance moves, he became known as “Abdi American.”
In 2006, as conflict again emerged in Somalia, Iftin risked his life posting secret dispatches to NPR. He eventually fled to Nairobi, Kenya as he became a target. In an eventual stroke of luck, he won entrance to the U.S. in the annual visa lottery, though his route to America—which was documented on the radio show This American Life—did not come easily.
Iftin is now a US citizen. His naturalization ceremony took place in Portland on Jan. 17, 2019. He lives in Yarmouth and writes a regular column for the Forecaster. He is also working on a documentary about his life story.
Iftin was interviewed by Portland Press Herald reporter Eric Russell.
Daniel and Marcia Minter are a Portland power couple in the arts, advertising, culture and history scenes. In 2019 they co-founded the Indigo Arts Alliance, a non-profit dedicated to the creative cultivation of artists of African descent.
Daniel Minter is an internationally exhibited artist, visual storyteller and illustrator. His artwork reflects abiding themes of displacement and diaspora, ordinary and extraordinary blackness, spirituality in the Afro-Atlantic world, and the creation and recreation of meanings of home. He has illustrated over a dozen children’s books, was twice commissioned to create stamps for the U.S. Postal Service and co-founded the Portland Freedom Trail. He teaches at the Maine College of Art.
Marcia Minter is a seasoned creative professional who has spent her career as an executive creative director for some of the world’s most iconic brands, including an extended time as Vice President Creative Director with L.L. Bean. Marcia is a dedicated arts advocate and community leader, deeply committed to social and cultural activism. Currently she serves on the Maine Arts Commission, the Board of Directors for Maine Media Workshops and College and Portland Ovations and is a Trustee of the Portland Museum of Art.
Video of this conversation is available at: https://youtu.be/41-jsuE7CoY
Meir lived in space for 205 days on the International Space Station. She conducted three spacewalks with crewmate Christina Koch of NASA, for a total of 21 hours and 44 minutes outside of the ISS. Meir has a Ph.D. in marine biology.
She contributed to hundreds of experiments in biology, Earth science, human research, physical sciences and technology development while onboard the orbiting laboratory.
This interview was recorded in June 2020. Video is available at: https://youtu.be/swiDaA2jy1w
Timothy Simons grew up in Readfield and attended University of Maine in Orono, where he discovered his love of acting. He then worked in the Chicago theater scene before moving to Los Angeles. In just a few years, he landed his breakout role on HBO’s “Veep,” starring as the lovingly hated Jonah Ryan alongside Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Tony Hale. Now, Simons has amassed nearly two dozen film and television credits, including the limited series “Looking for Alaska” on Hulu, “The Hustle” opposite Rebel Wilson and Anne Hathaway and voicing characters for “Robot Chicken,” “Big Hero 6: The Series” and “Ralph Breaks the Internet.” He is currently developing his own comedy for HBO, about a man who runs an assisted suicide business.
Like A Boss is a live Q&A business event where you can hear insightful, first-hand accounts of the realities of running a business. Portland Press Herald CEO and Publisher Lisa DeSisto interviews local CEOs and business leaders for a behind the scenes look at their career paths, the ups and downs of running their businesses and the trends shaping them.
About Liz Cotter Schlax
Liz assumed leadership of United Way of Greater Portland in January 2015. As President & CEO, she guides United Way’s strategies that achieve community change in the areas of education, financial stability, and health to improve people’s lives.
A live panel discussion with our Sunday columnists – Greg Kesich, Bill Nemitz, Victoria Hugo-Vidal and Jim Fossel – for their views on what will happen on Election Day. Conversation starts at 7:00 p.m. Bill Nemitz is the award-winning metro columnist for the Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram. He has been writing about Maine news and Maine people for more than 40 years. Jim Fossel is a conservative activist and political observer who lives in Gardiner. He has been writing his column about Maine and the nation in the Telegram since 2017. Victoria Hugo-Vidal, The Maine Millennial, adds her unique voice and observations of life as a young adult making her way in the nation’s oldest state. Her columns appear each Sunday in the Telegram. Greg Kesich has been the editorial page editor for the Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram since 2011. He weighs in each week under his own byline with “The View From Here” column.
Congrats to small businesses on making it this far. Now join us on Oct. 21 to learn what tax, accounting and operational issues you should consider before year’s end. How about a primer on the more than a dozen grants and programs that could help your business now? Or a checklist to assess your financial health, especially if you’re considering big moves like deciding whether to close temporarily?
On the panel:
Dan Gayer, Baker Newman Noyes
Steve Veazey, SCORE
Mark Delisle, Maine Small Business Development Centers
Sarah Guerette, Director and Senior Business Adviser, Coastal Enterprises Inc.
Discussion was moderated by Business Projects Editor Carol Coultas.
More info: https://www.pressherald.com/2020/09/30/making-it-work-how-small-businesses-can-close-the-books-on-2020/
Like A Boss is a live Q&A business event where you can hear insightful, first-hand accounts of the realities of running a business. Our CEO and Publisher Lisa DeSisto interviews local CEOs and business leaders for a behind the scenes look at their career paths, the ups and downs of running their businesses and the trends shaping them.
About Clayton Rose
Clayton S. Rose, who was inaugurated as Bowdoin’s fifteenth president on October 17, 2015, has consistently underscored the value and essential importance of a liberal arts education for living lives of meaning, for thoughtful engagement in civic life, and for satisfaction and success in work.
Over his 47 years in broadcasting, Bill Green became a household name in Maine, starting as a sportscaster in Bangor to hosting 19 seasons of his own Saturday magazine show, the last episode of which aired last fall, when he retired.
This interview was online live on September 15, 2020.
Republican Sen. Susan Collins and Democrat Sara Gideon traded shots over health care, money in politics, judicial nominees and President Trump’s reelection campaign during a fast-paced first debate of Maine’s closely watched Senate race.
Appearing together for the first time, alongside independents Lisa Savage and Max Linn, Collins and her well-funded opponent were more respectful than the barrage of negative advertising that is filling Maine’s television airwaves.
Story: https://www.pressherald.com/2020/09/11/health-care-money-in-politics-highlight-lively-u-s-senate-debate/
Portland Press Herald Publisher and CEO Lisa DeSisto interviews Tony Shurman at the Portland House of Music in Portland Maine on February 28, 2020.
Shurman is President and CEO of Jasper Wyman & Son (“Wyman’s”) the second largest brand in the retail frozen fruit category in the U.S. with its most notable product being wild blueberries. Founded in 1874, Wyman’s is a family-owned business headquartered in Down East Maine with an ongoing commitment to environmental stewardship, corporate social responsibility and product innovation.
Prior to joining Wyman’s in 2017, Tony ran the Post Foods breakfast cereal business which includes brands such as Honey Bunches of Oats, Grape Nuts, Pebbles, and Post Shredded Wheat. Earlier in his career he worked in brand management roles in the gum/mint’s category as well as in consumer healthcare. He has experience working across geographies including Japan, Europe, and the U.S. Tony lives with his wife and two sons in Yarmouth, Maine
John Cariani is an actor and a playwright from Presque Isle. His first play, “Almost, Maine,” which he describes as “a love letter to northern Maine,” premiered at Portland Stage in 2004 and opened off-Broadway in 2006. It has since become one of the most frequently produced plays in the United States and has been translated into nearly 20 languages.
As an actor, he is best known for his “Law & Order” character, forensics tech Julian Beck, whom he played from 2002 to 2007 and frequently shows up in reruns. He was nominated for a Tony Award for his role as Motel the Tailor in the 2004 Broadway revival of “Fiddler on the Roof” and played Itzik in “The Band’s Visit,” which won the Tony for best musical in 2018. Other plays he has written include “Cul-de-sac,” “Last Gas” and “Love/Sick.”
Fifteen years after the premiere of “Almost, Maine,” the play and Cariani will return to Portland Stage from Jan. 15 to Feb. 2 before he heads to Broadway for a revival of “Caroline, or Change.”
Brother Arnold, as he calls himself, spoke in Portland before a sold-out crowd Tuesday about his life as one of the last three living Shakers in the world. He lives at Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village in New Gloucester, the sole remaining active Shaker community.
Arnold Hadd, who joined the Shakers more than 40 years ago at just 21 years old, spoke with eloquence, expertise and humor as part of the Portland Press Herald’s MaineVoices Live series, which is held at One Longfellow Square.
Brother Arnold fielded questions from the audience and interviewer Press Herald Food Editor Peggy Grodinsky that ranged from “Do Shakers vote?” (yes, but they don’t talk politics) to how he came to — and was willing to — give up a so-called “normal” life and all it entails (career, belongings, having a family, sexual relations, etc.) to live a religious, communal life.
Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village was established more than 200 years ago and was one of three Shaker communities in Maine. Today, it encompasses a museum, library, meetinghouse, shop, orchards, farm and gardens. To Brother Arnold and his fellow Shakers, it is home.
To see a list of previous and upcoming Maine Voices Live events, click here.
News Center Maine meteorologist Keith Carson talked Tuesday, October 29 about the places he traveled working for The Weather Channel, the problem with the term bomb cyclone and the reason he hasn’t pursued a career in comedy in front of a sold-out crowd at One Longfellow Square in Portland.
Carson was interviewed on stage by Portland Press Herald reporter Gillian Graham in the latest installment of the newspaper’s event series, Maine Voices Live.
Raised in central Massachusetts, Carson’s first job as a meteorologist was at what is now IBM’s The Weather Company. He then spent two years at WPTZ-TV in Burlington before moving to Portland in 2010 to work at News Center Maine. In 2013, he was recruited by The Weather Channel, where he worked alongside Al Roker and Jim Cantore, covered major weather events and accumulated a ton of frequent flyer miles before returning to Maine – and Channel 6 – in 2016.
This is a recording of the Portland Press Herald Business Breakfast, November 6, 2019 HR Drives Culture - creating an appealing place to work.
HR used to just process payroll checks and handle employee benefits. But today, the ability to attract and retain workers is a priority for Maine businesses. And that has transformed HR into a driver of corporate culture.
About the moderator:
Hosted by Business editor Carol Coultas. Carol Coultas has been practicing journalism in Maine since the mid-‘80s and focusing on business journalism since 2003. She’s been the business editor at the Press Herald, overseeing an award-winning staff, since 2014.
About the panelists:
Cynthia Murphy, Senior Program Director, Workforce Solutions, CEI
Cynthia helps companies develop workforce solutions, including working with employers to create a people strategy that delivers a competitive advantage. She also has extensive experience helping marginalized job seekers find work.
David Pease, Senior Vice President, Director of Talent, Diversity & Inclusion, Bangor Savings Bank
David know that culture is an important employment topic. For employers – culture is what makes you unique – your competitive advantage – your promise – why should people work for you and not somewhere else? For job seekers – they should seek corporate culture that align with their personal values, will leverage their strengths and passions and allow them to perform at their highest level. When the organization’s culture and a candidate’s skills & interests are congruent – that is employment gold!
Angela Hansen, Consultant, KMA Human Resources
Angela is an HR professional with more than 20 years of experience in employee relations, leadership, performance management, policy development, benefits, recruiting and corporate compliance. She is a public speaking pro and enjoys helping groups enhance their understanding of human working relationships through her engaging and relaxed style. She has presented on a broad range of subjects, including: managing conflict; engaging in difficult conversations; performance management; creating a positive work culture; and social styles.
Portland Press Herald Director of Digital Nerd stuff Chad Gilley sits down for a chat with Lincoln Peirce, whose has been writing and drawing his "Big Nate" strip for more than 25 years. The comic strip appears in over 400 newspapers nationwide, including the Portland Press Herald.
Video of the September 10, 2019 event is available at https://youtu.be/EgGAW88xIN0
Pat Gallant-Charette is a native of Maine, Westbrook resident, University of Southern Maine graduate, wife, mother, sister, grandmother, and retired nurse. In her spare time, 68-year-old Pat is a marathon swimmer.
She started marathon swimming at the age of 58 and was inducted into the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame and Maine Sports Hall of Fame this year. She has set 9 world records in some of the most challenging marathon swims in the world.
Pat is also the founder of the annual global swim event “Valentine’s Day…Swim for your Heart” to bring an awareness of heart disease and its prevention.
Calling all birdwatchers for our next Maine Voices Live! Naturalist Doug Hitchcox and nature writer Nicholas Lund have advice on how to make the most of your spring, summer and fall birding season and discuss the background of Maine’s unusual number of bird-centric news events in the past year, from the brief controversy about which chickadee species should be our state bird to the saga of the wayward great black hawk in Deering Oaks.
Doug Hitchcox is the Staff Naturalist for Maine Audubon and outreach coordinator for Maine Fish & Wildlife’s Maine Bird Atlas. Hitchcox grew up in Hollis and graduated from the University of Maine in 2011. In his free time, Doug is one of Maine’s eBird reviewers, owner and moderator of the ‘Maine-birds’ listserv, York County Audubon board member and is a voting member of the Maine Bird Records Committee.
Nicholas Lund lives and birds in southern Maine. He is the outreach and network manager for Maine Audubon and runs The Birdist blog. His work has appeared in National Geographic, The Washington Post and Slate.com among other places.
Hitchcox and Lund were interviewed by Portland Press Herald outdoors reporter, Deirdre Fleming.
This event took place at One Longfellow Square in Portland
High-speed internet service is essential to Maine businesses, but access is often determined by where you live. Gov. Janet Mills pledged to make statewide broadband access a priority.
What changes are needed? What are providers doing? What is working?
This event was recorded live on May 22, 2019 at the Portland, Maine Public Library.
Hosted by Business reporter J. Craig Anderson
Panelists include:
Tracy Scheckel, Otelco
Peggy Schaffer, Director, ConnectME Authority
Fletcher Kittredge, GWI
Like A Boss is a live Q&A business event where you can hear insightful, first-hand accounts of the realities of running a business. Our CEO and Publisher Lisa DeSisto interviews local CEOs and business leaders for a behind the scenes look at their career paths, the ups and downs of running their businesses and the trends shaping them.
About Michelle Hood
Michelle Hood is the president and CEO at Northern Light Health in Brewer, Maine. She came to Northern Light Health in 2006 after she served as president and CEO of the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth Health System, Montana Region, as well as president and CEO of its flagship hospital, St. Vincent Healthcare. As president and CEO of Northern Light Health, she focuses on health care policy and design models at the state and national levels, positioning the system to be successful in a rapidly changing healthcare environment.
Portland Press Herald food writer Meredith Goad interviewed the chefs on stage on April 23, 2019.
Maine chefs Matt Ginn of Evo in Portland and the Chebeague Island Inn and Christian Hayes of Dandelion Catering and the soon-to-open Garrison in Yarmouth revealed what it’s really like to be on Food Network’s cooking competition show “Chopped” in an on-stage interview Tuesday at One Longfellow Square.
The consensus? Not exactly fun.
In their conversation with Portland Press Herald food writer Meredith Goad in front of a live audience, both chefs said they were initially hesitant to participate in the show, but admitted that winning was ultimately rewarding, though they paid for it with hours of waiting in a hot room, among other less-than-comfortable situations – one of which made #braincream a thing.
Maine’s labor crunch is never more apparent than in the spring when the state’s $6 billion tourism industry scrambles for workers. Construction and landscaping services ramp up, too. They are finding success in some surprising places.
On the panel Host: Press Herald Business Reporter Peter McGuire covers Maine trade, transportation and tourism. A proud native of the western Maine mountains, Peter has covered local news for newspapers in Oxford County, Brunswick, Waterville and Portland. He holds a bachelor’s degree in history from Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia and a Master’s Degree in International Relations from Boston University.
PANELISTS
Allyson Cavaretta, General Manager, Meadowmere Resort
Laura Dolce, Kennebunk Area Chamber of Commerce
Greg Dugal, Director of Government Affairs at HospitalityMaine
Greg Dugal has served as the President and CEO of the Maine Innkeepers Association and the Maine Restaurant Association. Greg now finds himself as Director of Government Affairs for both associations. Greg has been involved in the tourism and hospitality industry for almost 35 years, was named Chamber Executive of the Year by the Maine State Chamber of Commerce and received honors as Restauranteur of the Year by the Maine Restaurant Association. Greg also served on the Board of Directors of the Convention & Visitors Bureau of Greater Portland, the Maine Tourism Association, and the International Society of Hotel Association Executives, the Board of the American Hotel & Lodging Association and was past chair of the Maine Tourism Commission.
Portland, Maine writer Monica Wood, whose second play “The Half-Light” premiered last week at Portland Stage, talked about her writing process, her mutually supportive marriage and the importance of teaching the arts, among other things, in front of a sold-out audience Tuesday at One Longfellow Square in Portland.
Portland Press Herald arts reporter Bob Keyes interviewed Wood on stage for the latest installment of MaineVoices Live, a series put on by the newspaper.
Wood, who grew up in the western Maine mill town of Mexico and now lives in Portland, is the author of beloved memoir “When We Were the Kennedys” and the novel “The One-in-a-Million Boy.” Her first play, “Papermaker,” was the best-selling play in the history of Portland Stage.
Millennials, people from their late 30s to early 20s, are expected to make 45 percent of home purchases in the U.S. this year. That influx is changing the way people buy and sell homes, and creating new challenges for real estate agents. iBuying, anyone?
On the panel Host: Press Herald Business Reporter Pete McGuire Peter McGuire is a business reporter covering Maine trade, transportation and tourism. A proud native of the western Maine mountains, Peter has covered local news for newspapers in Oxford County, Brunswick, Waterville and Portland. He holds a bachelor’s degree in history from Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia and a Master’s Degree in International Relations from Boston University.
Dava Davin, Broker and Principal, Portside Real Estate Group
Dava Davin founded Portside Real Estate Group in 2012. Portside has four locations and annual sales of $310,000,000. Portside donates over $40,000 a year to Maine non-profits through hosted fundraiser events. Davin leads a sales team which sold about 100 properties in 2018, ranking them in the top five of all residential agents and teams in the state of Maine. She currently serves on the board of the Habitat for Humanity of Greater Portland and is an active member of the Greater Portland Board of Realtors, MEREDA and is a past board member of the Maine Association of Realtors and Falmouth/Cumberland Chamber of Commerce.
Sue Quilty, Senior Vice President of Loan Operations, Residential Mortgage Services
Sue began working with RMS as a consultant in 2014 and joined permanently in 2016. For over 20 years, Sue had her own consulting firm providing regulatory compliance, quality control and operations support to financial institutions. She brings her strong reputation with regulators and industry leaders to RMS. Sue is SVP of Loan Operations overseeing Operational Risk, Centralized Disclosing, Closing, Post-Closing and the Denied/Withdrawn Team.
Michael Sosnowski, Owner + Broker, Maine Home Connection
Michael, and his wife Laura, have lived in Maine since 2000. They have operated Maine Home Connection for the last five years, and were previously with RE/MAX and Keller Williams. After working for several large manufacturing companies, Michael became a sales and marketing Vice President with Sappi Fine Paper Company, which led him to relocate to Portland. Sales and marketing have always been important aspects of his career. Michael has a undergraduate degree from the University of Connecticut and an MBA from the University of Texas at Arlington. Once in real estate, Laura and Michael always aspired to own their own brokerage, focusing on advanced forms of marketing, video production and technology – all aimed at delivering a unique client experience. Not being part of any national franchise allow the Maine Home Connection to be flexible to market conditions and quick at adopting new technologies.
Shopping, whether in store or online, has become a magnet for innovation. Pick a product off a shelf and see a video display of its uses. Overwhelmed by online choices? A personal shopping guide is at the ready. Concierge services are becoming the norm as retailers offer customized convenience in exchange for your purchase. On January 23, 2019, we heard from some Maine companies at the fore of these innovations, and where they are going next.
Host: Press Herald Business Editor Carol Coultas has been practicing journalism in Maine since the mid-‘80s and focusing on business journalism since 2003. She’s been the business editor at the Press Herald, overseeing an award-winning staff, since 2014.
Matthew Bray, Head of Community Happiness, Grove Collaborative
Grove Collaborative is a San Francisco based certified B-Corp that is an e-commerce platform consumer package goods retailer selling exclusively natural products. Bray headed Grove’s expansion to the east coast, scaling the Community Happiness department to over 50 employees and opening an office in the Old Port. Before Grove Collaborative, Bray opened the Brunswick Wayfair location and was the National Sales Director for Bethel-based Maine Energy Systems which manufactured and distributed fully automated wood pellet heating systems. A graduate of the University of Maine at Farmington, Matt is a Brunswick native who also has a passion for non-profit work having served as the head of the Suicide Prevention Program for the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Maine and is active in Maine’s largest Civil War Re-enacting non-profit the 3rd Maine Volunteer Infantry.
Greg Elder, Vice President of Retail, Outdoor Discovery Program and L.L. Bean for Business, L.L. Bean
Greg Elder’s role involves the oversight of L.L.Bean’s 43 retail and 10 outlet stores spread across 18 states with a focus on store operations, visual presentation and customer experience. Greg also oversees Outdoor Discovery Programs, a team dedicated to developing and promoting courses, trips, tours and events that enable L.L.Bean customers and the community to learn and further their participation in the “Shared Joy of the Outdoors.” Finally, Greg leads L.L.Bean for Business that offers a range of product and embroidery solutions from workwear to recognition/promotional products for businesses. Greg is a Finance and Philosophy graduate of Gustavus Adolphus College in Minnesota. He has been at L.L.Bean for 11 years and was with Eddie Bauer in Seattle, WA for 15 years prior to Bean and has a passion for running, biking, skiing, hiking, fishing, and camping.
Julie Libby, Vice President of Fresh, Hannaford Supermarkets
As Vice President of Fresh, Libby oversees departments that include fresh produce, meat/seafood, deli and bakery. Her role involves procurement and replenishment of product, development of merchandising strategies and sales development. Her scope of responsibility is across Hannaford’s five-state operating region, 181 stores and numerous competitive marketing areas. She has led many projects at Hannaford focused on retail innovation. A graduate of the University of Southern Maine, she has held a wide range of leadership positions during her 15 years at Hannaford, including Business Process Engineer, Associate Category Manager in Center Store, Category Manager in Produce, Store Manager, Support Specialist for Retail Operations, and Director of Produce Category Management.
Since 1995, Tom Caron has been a studio host on NESN, covering the Boston Red Sox, Bruins and play-by-play announcing for college hockey. His weekly column on the Red Sox, Bruins and Patriots runs on Tuesdays in the Portland Press Herald.
A graduate of Lewiston High School, he began his broadcasting career in upstate New York, covering the Montreal Canadiens and Expos but eventually moved to Portland, anchoring sports segments for WGME from 1988 to 1993. Before leaving Maine for NESN, Caron was the play-by-play radio announcer for the Portland Pirates in their Calder Cup championship season, work that earned him a spot in the Pirates Hall of Fame. He has also won three New England Emmys, and a number of other media awards for his work in hockey broadcasting.
Portland Press Herald Link
Less than a month after Election Day, Business Editor Carol Coultas sat down with a panel of analysts to assess the effects of election results on Maine businesses and the Portland business community in particular. Michael Saxl, Managing Principal, Maine Street Solutions
Michael Saxl joined Maine Street Solutions following his service as Speaker of the House from 2000-2002. Prior to serving as Speaker, Saxl served as Majority Leader (1998-2000) and Majority Whip (1996-1998). As a legislator, Saxl developed on diverse issues ranging from health care and higher education to tax reform and domestic violence. Maine Street Solutions is a government relations and public affairs firms affiliated with Verrill Dana, LLP. The venture provides the firm with a variety of capabilities, including traditional legislative advocacy, public relations, grass-tops and grass roots advocacy, and campaign management.
Joshua Tardy, Attorney, Rudman Winchell
Joshua Tardy practices with the Rudman Winchell Litigation Team working primarily in civil and criminal litigation, but also real estate, as well as counseling business clients. Josh began practicing law as an associate attorney at Rudman Winchell in 1993 before starting the practice of Mitchell, Tardy, & Jackson which focuses on governmental affairs work. Josh served District 25 as a State Representative, serving as House Minority Leader. Josh is a graduate of the University of Maine and University of Maine Law. He resides in Newport with his wife Mary Ellen.
Ilma Lopez grew up in Venezuela, cooking in the kitchen alongside her grandmother. After getting her start in Caracas, she was accepted to the pastry program at Stratford University in Virginia. Today, Lopez is the Pastry Chef and co-owner of Piccolo and Chaval in Portland. She is a veteran of some of the most demanding and rewarding kitchens in the industry, such as DB Bistro, Corton, Tailor, El Bulli, Café Boulud, and Le Bernardin. In 2014, Lopez earned a StarChefs Coastal New England Rising Star Pastry Chef Award. In 2018, she was chosen as a James Beard Outstanding Pastry Chef semi-finalist for the second year in a row. Recently, she has been featured in the children’s book Kalamata’s Kitchen and was recently described by Bon Appetit as “one of the most talented pastry chefs in town.”
Cara Stadler began her career at 16, working at Café Rouge in Berkeley, followed by Striped Bass in Philadelphia, before heading to Paris to hone her fine dining skills. While in France, after staging at Guy Savoy, Cara worked at Gordon Ramsay Au Trianon Palace, his two-Michelin star restaurant in Versailles. She headed to Asia in 2008, working briefly in Singapore and Beijing then moved to Shanghai and began her long-standing relationship with one of China’s most esteemed restaurateurs, David Laris. She returned to the U.S. in 2011 to open Tao Yuan in Brunswick with her mother Cecile Stadler. They’ve since opened two more restaurants, Bao Bao Dumpling House and Lio, both in Portland, as well as an aquaponic greenhouse, Canopy Farms, also in Brunswick.
Portland Press Herald CEO and publisher Lisa DeSisto sat down with Deanna Sherman, president and CEO of Dead River Co., on Friday, Oct. 26, to chat about her work in the energy industry.
Sherman oversees one of the largest energy companies in Northern New England. Founded in 1909, Dead River Co. is family-owned with over 1,000 employees serving customers in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont and northern Massachusetts.=
Sherman joined the company in 1986 and has worked in leadership roles including district manager, regional manager and vice president of the Energy Division. She became Dead River’s president and CEO in 2016.
Sherman is active in the community through her present and past board involvement with United Way of Greater Portland, Educate Maine, Junior Achievement of Maine, the Maine Energy Marketers Association and the University of Southern Maine Foundation.
Like A Boss is a live Q&A business event where you can hear insightful, first-hand accounts of the realities of running a business. DeSisto interviews local CEOs and business leaders for a behind-the-scenes look at their career paths, the ups and downs of running their businesses and the trends shaping them.
There’s a lot of new office space under construction or in the pipeline for Portland and surrounding towns: Wex’s new HQ on the waterfront, a mixed-use development including offices at Widgery and Union Wharfs, and Rock Row in Westbrook. A panel of local experts with look at how a boom in office space will affect the real estate market for existing commercial spaces and start to tackle the issue that confounds every growing city: with an influx of commuters, how long will we be sitting in traffic and where will everyone park?
Story: https://www.pressherald.com/2018/10/17/business-breakfast-forum-office-park-portland-2/
Press Herald Business Editor Carol Coultas moderated the debate on October 10, 2018 at the University of New England, with columnist Bill Nemitz and Editorial Page Editor Greg Kesich as panelists. Candidates were Alan Caron(I), Terry Hayes (I), Janet Mills (D) and Shawn Moody (R).
Read the coverage of the debate at https://www.pressherald.com/2018/10/10/candidates-for-governor-will-debate-in-portland-tonight-and-well-be-streaming-it-live/
On Friday, Sept. 7, publisher Lisa DeSisto sat down with Cummings, who began his academic career in Gorham as a high school history teacher and department head. He served as a faculty member at the Southern Maine Community College and was a long-serving member of the USM faculty. Prior to becoming president of USM, Cummings served as interim president of the University of Maine at Augusta.
In 2010, he served former Pres. Barack Obama as deputy assistant secretary for the U.S. Department of Education and took over as president and executive director of the Good Will-Hinckley organization.
Cummings is also a former Speaker of the Maine House of Representatives, Majority Leader, and chairman of the state’s Joint Committee of Education and Cultural Affairs.
On Monday, July 23, Maine-born actor Patrick Dempsey joined Portland Press Herald staff writer Mary Pols on stage at Aura for a wide-ranging discussion about his work in Hollywood, his life in Maine, his love of fast cars and his work with the Dempsey Challenge, a bike ride that raises money for cancer care at the Dempsey Center at Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston, Maine.
see video of this event here: https://www.pressherald.com/2018/07/24/patrick-dempsey-talks-about-his-nickname-paul-newman-and-other-topics-at-mainevoices-live/
In this episode, Donna Dion talks about her long history in the politics and history of Biddeford.
In this episode, state Rep. Ken Fredette talks about growing up in northern Maine and his history of public service.
In this episode, lobbyist Betsy Sweet talks about spending her summers on North Haven and her love of the state of Maine.
In this episode, former state Rep. Diane Russell talks about roots in Bryant Pond, learning to shoot guns and her tight-knit family.
In this episode, Attorney General Janet Mills talks about her well-known family and her iconoclastic spirit.
In this episode, businessman Shawn Moody talks about building his business from humble beginnings in Gorham.
In this episode, businessman Adam Cote talks about his military service and adjusting to life in Sanford after tours of duty abroad.
In this episode, state Rep. Mark Eves talks about growing up the son of a military chaplain.
In this episode, former DHHS commissioner Mary Mayhew talks about growing up in Pittsfield and her love of gardening.
In this episode, former Cumberland County sheriff and current state Rep. Mark Dion talks about growing up in Lewiston and how he remembers it differently from Gov. Paul LePage.
Bill Nemitz sits down with candidates for governor to take a break from politics and gets to know the personal stories of Maine’s public figures.
In this episode, state Sen. Garrett Mason talks about his deep bond with his mother, who used to give him a hug every day they worked together in the State House.
This is a recording of the Maine Cannabis Report Live event held May 23rd at the Port City Music Hall.
The topic today is "Ready for Recreational"
The guests are:
Scott Durst, the founder, Durst Security Group specializes in cannabis business security in Maine.
Thomas Mourmouras, managing partner, Fiscal Therapy Financial, a marijuana-focused business consulting firm
Erik Peters, chief operating officer, GHM Insurance in Waterville
And Jacques Santucci, Principal, Nucleus One, a consulting firm specializing in performance and management in the cannabis industry Santucci is also a co-founder of Wellness Connection of Maine, a medical dispensary with four locations.
The moderator is Portland Press Herald reporter Penelope Overton.
A company’s physical work environment has a tremendous impact on productivity, profits and employee recruitment and retention. As more firms are drawn to the “agile office” when they move locations or redesign, finding the balance between flexible space, sound level management and a sense of routine can be a challenge. Join a panel of experts for free discussion of the benefits and detriments to breaking out of the office space box
On the panel HOST: Carol Coultas, business editor
Carol Coultas has been practicing journalism in Maine since the mid-‘80s and focusing on business journalism since 2003. She’s been the business editor at the Press Herald, overseeing an award-winning staff, since 2014.
Panelists:
Mark Pettengill, CEO, Patrons Oxford Insurance Company
Mark Pettengill is a lifelong Mainer who has worked in the insurance industry for more than 25 years. For the past six years he has been the President & CEO of Patrons Oxford Insurance Company, recently relocating from Auburn to Portland. Pettengill is a board member for the Center for Grieving Children as well as a father of two boys.
Giovani Twigge, Chief HR Officer, IDEXX
Since 2010, Twigge has been vital to IDEXX’s global growth, which has included doubling IDEXX’s employee population worldwide. Coming from an HR generalist background with innovative thinking, Twigge has consistently aligned HR with business and shareholder objectives.
Prior to IDEXX, Twigge held supported employee bases of up to 12,000 people for multibillion-dollar company Abbott Laboratories. Over 11 years, he focused on growth, change management and turnaround, including the successful turnaround of Abbott’s $3.5B Diagnostics Division as well as the separation of the company’s US and international nutrition businesses into a newly formed $4B global division with 6,000 employees.
Lisa Whited, founder and CEO, Workplace Transformation Facilitation
Lisa Whited, NCIDQ, M.S., has a passion for improving workplaces. Her work is borne out of the desire to move the needle on the shocking statistic that only 14% of employees worldwide are highly engaged at work. Whited’s process leverages the connection between leadership, employee engagement and physical workplace design, which results in more engaged employees and transformational cultures.
In addition to her business, Whited volunteers in her community to bridge connections between immigrants, refugees and city residents. She has written and published more than 50 professional industry articles, taught at several New England colleges and been honored with an International IIDA Leadership award in 2002 and the Council of Interior Designers’ Louis Tregre Award in 2017. She also serves as a Senior Associate to Advanced Workplace Associates and on the advisory board of George Mason University’s Workplace Strategist Program.
A company’s physical work environment has a tremendous impact on productivity, profits and employee recruitment and retention. As more firms are drawn to the “agile office” when they move locations or redesign, finding the balance between flexible space, sound level management and a sense of routine can be a challenge. Join a panel of experts for free discussion of the benefits and detriments to breaking out of the office space box
On the panel HOST: Carol Coultas, business editor
Carol Coultas has been practicing journalism in Maine since the mid-‘80s and focusing on business journalism since 2003. She’s been the business editor at the Press Herald, overseeing an award-winning staff, since 2014.
Panelists:
Mark Pettengill, CEO, Patrons Oxford Insurance Company
Mark Pettengill is a lifelong Mainer who has worked in the insurance industry for more than 25 years. For the past six years he has been the President & CEO of Patrons Oxford Insurance Company, recently relocating from Auburn to Portland. Pettengill is a board member for the Center for Grieving Children as well as a father of two boys.
Giovani Twigge, Chief HR Officer, IDEXX
Since 2010, Twigge has been vital to IDEXX’s global growth, which has included doubling IDEXX’s employee population worldwide. Coming from an HR generalist background with innovative thinking, Twigge has consistently aligned HR with business and shareholder objectives.
Prior to IDEXX, Twigge held supported employee bases of up to 12,000 people for multibillion-dollar company Abbott Laboratories. Over 11 years, he focused on growth, change management and turnaround, including the successful turnaround of Abbott’s $3.5B Diagnostics Division as well as the separation of the company’s US and international nutrition businesses into a newly formed $4B global division with 6,000 employees.
Lisa Whited, founder and CEO, Workplace Transformation Facilitation
Lisa Whited, NCIDQ, M.S., has a passion for improving workplaces. Her work is borne out of the desire to move the needle on the shocking statistic that only 14% of employees worldwide are highly engaged at work. Whited’s process leverages the connection between leadership, employee engagement and physical workplace design, which results in more engaged employees and transformational cultures.
In addition to her business, Whited volunteers in her community to bridge connections between immigrants, refugees and city residents. She has written and published more than 50 professional industry articles, taught at several New England colleges and been honored with an International IIDA Leadership award in 2002 and the Council of Interior Designers’ Louis Tregre Award in 2017. She also serves as a Senior Associate to Advanced Workplace Associates and on the advisory board of George Mason University’s Workplace Strategist Program.
Staff reporter Penelope Overton and an experienced panel discusses one of Maine’s newest growth industries: medical marijuana. The panel explores what business opportunities exist in this market, how the caregiver network has evolved, proposed state legislation and rules that could transform the industry, and how the launch of Maine’s recreational market could impact patient access, demand and business opportunities.
On the panel:
Catherine Lewis, chair of the board, Medical Marijuana Caregivers of Maine
Patricia Rosi, CEO, Wellness Connection of Maine, the state’s largest group of medical marijuana dispensaries
Eric Brakey, Republican senator from District 20 (Auburn, New Gloucester, Poland, Minot and Mechanic Falls)
Peter Mourmouras, founder, The Tax Doctor, a tax and financial consulting practice
Detective Lt. Tim Cotton runs the Bangor, Maine Police Department’s Facebook page.
https://www.facebook.com/bangormainepolice/
In the span of three years, with a little help from the Duck of Justice, Tim Cotton has grown the department’s following from 10,000 to (almost) 275,000—more than eight times the population of Bangor. He's now the Criminal Investigations Commander within the department, but he still makes plenty of time for social media.
Tim Cotton was interviewed by Portland Press Herald reporter and social media editor, Jim Patrick as part of the newspaper's "Maine Voices Live" series.
President Donald Trump signed The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act into law on December 22. How will this affect Maine businesses? Hear from a panel of Southern Maine’s business community about the changes that they have seen thus far in 2018 and what they expect in the coming months. Are businesses changing their incorporation status? Will Maine lawmakers seek conformity between Maine’s corporate taxes and the new federal rates? Press Herald business reporter J. Craig Anderson moderated.
Panelists:
Karla Brannen, CPA, Albin, Randall & Bennett
Justin Coffin, Financial Advisor, Rockland Financial Group at UBS Financial Services
Kris Eimicke, Partner, Pierce Atwood LLP
All businesses need to protect their networked assets, and securing customer data from the start is a top priority for best practices. Small businesses need to consider what services are worth the investment… and what schemes are worth anticipating. Hear from experts about the best strategies to retain and grow your business during a time of rapid technology development. Moderated by business editor Carol Coultas.
The panel today is:
Durward Ferland. He helps lead information assurance services at Macpage and advises clients nationwide.
Mark Monnin who currently teaches courses in Cyber Security and Information Technology at the University of Southern Maine
And Rick Simonds, president & COO, Sage Data Security
This panel was recorded on January 24, 2018 at the Portland Public Library.
Portland Mayor Ethan Strimling pushes back against criticism of his leadership style with his own critique of the media's focus on personality and what he sees as a failure to engage in issues that matter to the city, in a conversation with Editorial Page Editor Greg Kesich.
In 2016, a victory at the polls for a substantial minimum wage hike was a small bright spot for progressives in what was an otherwise devastating election. Now, some of the same people behind that referendum were able to pass a Medicaid expansion law over vocal opposition from Gov. LePage. Hallweaver is the legislative director for the MPA and she discusses these policy successes, progressive politics in general and the organization’s next big goal— a state-wide referendum on a universal long-term-care benefit for seniors who want to stay in their homes.
Host's note:This is our last episode of the opinion podcast for a little while. After a year of trying out a new medium, we are taking a hiatus to figure out what worked, what didn't, what we liked, and what we want to hear more of. What did you enjoy most about this podcast since you have been listening? What types of audio conversations and stories would you like to hear more of from the Press Herald? Please email us your thoughts at letterstotheeditor@pressherald.com.
After a more tense than usual municipal and state election season, host Greg Kesich and assistant editorial page editor Sarah Collins answer questions from readers about how the Press Herald Editorial Board makes endorsements of issues and candidates. Then, co-host Bill Nemitz unpacks his Sunday column that decried misleading use of the Press Herald logo in a candidate’s mailer. He feels it represents a trend of hard-edged political tactics in and around City Hall.
At 12 years old, Sarah Perry woke up to a fight in her home. When she got the courage to leave her room, she found her mother brutally murdered—and would have to wait more than twenty years until the killer was found. She spoke with reporter Kelley Bouchard about After the Eclipse, her memoir about life before and after the crime. Bouchard reveals the difficult responsibility of covering both brutal violence and personal stories. Also in this episode, Kesich and Nemitz take a few moments to untangle the case of the missing Waterville pit bulls, who allegedly escaped from the shelter the same hour they were ordered to be put down.
A huge school construction bond along with ballot questions that could block future rent increases, no-cause evictions and some developments have created divisions that are playing out in a three-way race for an at-large city council seat. Violette, a West End resident, observes how a liberal city can get mired in infighting if there are no Republicans around to take advantage. Violette also shares why he voted for Trump, despite never loving his personality.
With Sen. Collins choosing to remain in the Senate, host Greg Kesich, columnist Cynthia Dill and marketing project manager Molly Adams talk about the influence a moderate politician can have in such a politically divided time. They also break down allegations against Harvey Weinstein and discuss why it has shocked us into a new national conversation about sex, gender and power.
Finally, Greg talks with Megan Doyle, lead reporter for “From Away: Stories of Immigration in Maine,” who shares insider info about the editorial process in granting anonymity, finding sources and the decision to remove comments from the series. Read the complete series about Maine immigrants and the paths they traveled here.
Editorial Page Editor Greg Kesich and columnist Bill Nemitz sit down with Roy Lenardson, a longtime Republican strategist. He has worked with conservative candidates and causes for more than two decades, and is currently sharpening the message for gubernatorial candidate Mary Mayhew and the anti-casino Vote No on 1 campaign. Lenardson explains his theories about why elections in Maine have become less predictable and pulls back the curtain on how he frames the issues that that will resonate with voters.
This week on the Podcast, politics reporter Scott Thistle joins Editorial Page Editor Greg Kesich and columnist Bill Nemitz to talk about the political dynamics in a race where no one really knows how the votes will be counted. And ranked-choice voting is just one of the, “multiple messes on multiple fronts,” the state government will confront in the months ahead.
Related stories:
LePage was to meet with Trump today in Washington
Lucas St. Clair enters race for Maine’s 2nd Congressional District seat
What are the issues that bring Democrats together and what are the ones that drive them apart? What are the lessons learned from election losses in 2010, 2014 and 2016? Will the enthusiasm of the Bernie Sanders presidential campaign show itself in Maine politics? Bill Nemitz and Greg Kesich spend some time with Ben Grant to dig into those issues as the state gears up for the next gubernatorial election.
Hillary Clinton’s new book “What Happened” is her reflection on the 2016 election, but critical reception suggests some people wish she would keep her analysis to herself. Dill and Nemitz try to define the ideological division within the Democratic Party without using the names “Hillary” or “Bernie,” and discuss whether Trump’s immigration deal with Democrats is a new negotiating tactic or more of his predictably unpredictable political style.
Related stories:
Trump crosses aisle to Republicans dismay
Hillary Clinton: 'I am done with being a candidate'
Sanders rolls out plan for federally run health insurance
In November, Portland residents will vote on two ballot questions driven by citizen initiatives. One would allow resident input during the re-zoning process for new construction. The other would create a number of new rules for the city and its landlords with the goal of stabilizing rising rents. Randy Billings has been covering both issues. Host Greg Kesich and columnist Bill Nemitz discuss different political philosophies within the Republican party, both in the Maine governor’s race and in Washington.
Related stories:
West End residents file paperwork to block cold-storage warehouse on waterfront
Portland council puts rezoning process, rent increase initiatives on November ballot
Meet the candidates for Maine's 2018 governor's race
Host and editorial page editor Greg Kesich is joined by health care reporter Joe Lawlor and columnist Bill Nemitz to talk about Republican Susan Collins's position on health care policy that put her in the middle of the ACA debate and on the edge of her party.
Related stories:
Sen. Collins likely to be at center of Obamacare fixes
Susan Collins withstood intense pressure, ultimately voted against health care repeal
Bill Nemitz: Whine about insurance? For many Mainers it's really about surviving
Host Greg Kesich is joined by columnists Bill Nemitz and Alan Caron to discuss the history statues teach, Gov. LePage's propensity for penning personal notes and to analyze a presidency that is like no other. Plus, Nemitz previews his upcoming column on a class-action lawsuit against Poland Spring.
Related links:
Bowdoin relocates Confederate plaque
LePage pens notes to those critical of his stance on Charlottesville
Lawsuit says Poland Spring water is mislabeled because it really isn’t spring water
A few days after the violence in Charlottesville receded, our panel gathered to discuss the waves of social change and unrest in recent American history, including the arms-length relationship political parties have long-held with racist voting blocs. Then, as the more and more candidates throw down for the Governor's race, Alan Caron takes a stand and asks Susan Collins to stay in Washington.
Related links:
Alan Caron: The nation needs Susan Collins
Lewiston-born white supremacist leader was radicalized in prison, grandmother says
Trump says it again: There’s blame ‘on both sides’ in Charlottesville
In this episode, our columnists discuss a viral moment of sportsmanship at the 2017 Beach to Beacon 10K; Cynthia Dill argues that our good feelings were misplaced. Also: Bill Nemitz shares a behind-the-scenes story from Secretary of State Matt Dunlap’s involvement with President Trump’s voter fraud commission, and our panel sounds off on using handheld cellphones while driving.
B2B Maine winner collapses shy of finish, then ‘I felt someone pick me up’
Maine regularly sells voter data it denied to feds
As session ends, Legislature overrides LePage veto, raising legal age for tobacco to 21
Since Maine voters approved the legalization of marijuana for recreational use last fall, there have been a lot of changes and updates to exactly how the state will regulate recreational marijuana industry and business. Reporter Penelope Overton gives a play-by-play of recent rule-making in the legislature and explains how the laws will apply to home and commercial growers when they are implemented sometime next year.
And our columnists have projected and predicted plenty around Senator Susan Collins's political future possibly playing out in Augusta, but after this week, they are starting to think she may prefer her powerful spot on the Senate floor. After the collapse of Republican attempts to repeal, replace, or repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, Bill Nemitz and Cynthia Dill weigh in on exactly how complicated the healthcare system can be with some economic analysis.
Related stories
Lawmakers propose 20% tax on recreational marijuana
Susan Collins withstood intense pressure, ultimately voted against health care repeal
Former Yarmouth teacher finds a new calling in the mashed potato business
As the latest session of the legislature closed this year, reporter Eric Russell was watching how lawmakers would respond to the opioid addiction and overdose crisis. Last year, 376 Mainers died after taking some form of prescription or street-bought painkiller: things like OxyContin, fentanyl, heroin, or a combination of drugs. Russell was the lead writer for Portland Press Herald's Lost, a chronicle of how addiction and death impacts communities as a whole, and thought the urgency of the issue would result in legal changes and ... it didn't.
In this episode, Russell explains to social media editor Jim Patrick how ongoing narcotic addiction spread into the mainstream and they discuss how framing the issue as a moral crisis is impeding meaningful change.
Related Stories
Lost: Heroin's Killer Grip on Maine People
As Maine’s opioid crisis worsens, 128th Legislature largely does nothing
Mainers will soon be able to get Narcan over the counter
Editorial page editors Greg Kesich and Sarah Collins dug into the mailbags to crown Kathleen Mikulka as June's Letter Writer of the Month. In this episode, Mikulka joins us to share more about her teaching experience and why she is concerned about creating education policy based on test scores. We also hear from social media czar Jim Patrick, who makes the argument that while Facebook maintains its reputation for impulsive, ad hominem comments, the Press Herald has also attracted engaged, informed readers that will tempt you to defy the Internet principle of "Don't read the comments!"
Lastly, we dig into the funniest, smartest, most indignant messages from PressHerald.com, featuring yarmouth1, bowdoin 81, elvisisdead, 3midcoastg8tor, and a special appearance by columnist Jim Fossell.
Related Stories
Letter to the Editor: Raising the diploma bar slams doors
Our View: Indifference at State House prolongs Maine's opioid crisis
Kesich: If we let people die when it's time, health care may cost a lot less
Letter to the editor: Don’t let Congress discard lifesaving benefits of ACA
Press Herald columnists Alan Caron, and Bill Nemitz dive into the feast of political news from the past week with Editorial Editor Greg Kesich. From the short shutdown, to the Governor's intentionally misleading statements to lawmakers, the media, and citizens, from new fissures in the Democrat and Republican parties to the legislatures failure to pass significant policy changes in the afce of the opioid crisis. And bonus for the political science fans: on the day AG Janet Mills announced her gubernatorial candidacy, they spin a little game theory on how ranked choice voting will play out in primaries.
Related stories:
As Maine's opioid crisis worsens, 128th legislature largely does nothing
Voicemail debunks LePage’s claim he didn’t threaten to leave Maine during shutdown
Maine Attorney General Janet Mills enters 2018 race for governor
Our columnists Alan Caron, Cynthia Dill, and Bill Nemitz joined host Greg Kesich in our One City Center offices to discuss how we became and how long we will be one of a few states without a budget. Are there political lessons to be learned from the 1991 shutdown? Then Greg makes a call to our more conservative columnist Jim Fossel to get into the nitty gritty of the negotiations and what both sides of the aisle are trying to accomplish.
Our analysis is evergreen, but news can move fast and our facts were fresh as of Monday at 1:30 pm.
Related Stories:
Protestors greet budget negotiators as state shutdown enters third day
House vote again falls short in budget shutdown saga
LePage says he's going on vacation, as shutdown and budget talks continue
If the state shutdown is the inevitaility that the Governor assumes it to be, Editorial Page Editor Greg Kesich and columnist Bill Nemitz project the financial and political fallout from the closure of state services and halting of payroll. They also examine the purpose of the American Health Care Act and how Susan Collins's public opposition could effect negotiations. (Since we recorded, Susan Collins officially announced her dissatisfaction with the bill and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has delayed the vote until after the July 4 recess.)
Also in this episode, reader Victoria Hugo-Vidal joins Greg to talk about her letter explaining Millennial economics and personal finance. Her frank and funny personal writing earned her the May Letter Writer of the Month crown, which now comes with the offer of a podcast appearance.
Related Stories:
LePage says he believes the government will shut down Friday
Maine Voices: Senate health care bill will put older Mainers, cancer patients at risk
Letter to the editor: Forget avocado toast—many millennials barely surviving
They say "don't read the comments," but here at the newspaper, we can't help ourselves because the comments come from you, our beloved readers and subscribers.
So this week editorial page editor Greg Kesich and assistant editor Sarah Collins grab their favorite heartfelt, skeptical, whiny, funny, and outrageous comments off of our website. Kesich and Collins may get the final word on this podcast, but if you send us a note the conversation can continue.
Related Stories:
MaineVoices: One graduate missing on the Portland stage
Commentary: Studies show women marginalized in meetings and conversations
Greg Kesich: For Portland residents, a source of real fake news right in our backyard
Mainland parking near ferry, vital to island life, drying up in Portland
Medicaid is the country's largest public healthcare system. It made up 17% of the federal budget last year. The program subsidizes healthcare costs for people with low incomes, people with disabilities, and families with children. While Medicaid is mainly funded by the US government, states provide funding too. That means enrollment criteria and costs change from state to state and from year to year depending on state policy.
So sometimes it gets a little confusing. Health and human services reporter Joe Lawlor sat down with editorial page editor Greg Kesich to untangle the overlapping systems and detail the recent and upcoming changes to MaineCare, the state's name for its Medicaid administration program.
Related stories:
Mainers to vote on whether to expand access to Medicaid under ACA
Maine would be among first states to impose work requirements, premiums on Medicaid recipients
Sen. Collins says Indiana's plan to expand Medicaid could be model for Maine
Portland Press Herald Editorial Page Editor Greg Kesich along with columnists Alan Caron and Bill Nemitz discuss who needs to compromise with who in order to get the state budget passed, do some speculating on how Maine's undefined political soul could lead gubernatorial candidates to switch parties as they try to get through the primaries, take a teeny, little sip from the nips controversy, and admire Angus King's litigation skills on the Senate Intelligence Committee.
Related stories:
Paul LePage ashamed to be part of 'this government'
LePage moves to end sales of 'nips' mini liquor bottles
Sens. Collins, King question Comey in high-stakes hearing
Portland Press Herald Editorial Page Editor Greg Kesich and columnist Alan Caron discuss Susan Collins's prominent role on the Senate Intelligence Committee (and speculate about her ambitions to govern the state of Maine), the difficulties of uniting "the resistance" around focused issues and the Democratic party's lackluster response to the energy, and whether the legislature will be able to find a budget compromise to avoid a state government shutdown.
Portland Press Herald Editorial Page Editor Greg Kesich, and columnists Bill Nemitz, Alan Caron and Cynthia Dill discuss how conflict over the voter-approved surcharge on high-income earners could lead to a state shutdown. Then they weigh in on why some think it's unlikely that President Donald Trump will be impeached.
For this week's episode, Portland Press Herald City Hall reporter Randy Billings joined Editorial Page Editor Greg Kesich to explain our city's unique government structure and how it may contribute to drama in a municipal government with no partisan difference.
This week's fight was over the city budget... kind of. The city council passed a $240 million annual budget with a very small cut (.02% of the budget) that exposed deep discord: they eliminated a position for Mayor Ethan Strimling's assistant, which was held by Jason Shedlock. Now Strimling is threatening to veto, an act that would likely be symbolic since the council has the right to override.
The arrangement of our city council, mayor, and city manager has lead to confusion over job roles and decision making power. On this episode Billings opens up his reporter's notebook from the fraught budget debate, explains why the two men who have held the new-ish role of elected mayor have interpreted the job description differently, and how the city might solve this confusing issue.
This week President Trump fired FBI Director James Comey. The dramatic timing has redivided partisan sentiment and further complicated investigations into possible Russian meddling into the last election cycle.
Why did Trump fire him this way? What exactly were his reasons? How might Senators Collins and King react from the Intelligence Committee? Does America need a new FBI Director to investigate or an independent investigator? Do we have time to talk about Gov. LePage demurring on a challenge to King for his Senate seat? What is even happening? Our host Portland Press Herald Editorial Page Editor Greg Kesich and Sunday columnists Cynthia Dill and Alan Caron dig into as many angles of Comey's past year as they can... with a just a few rounds of argument.
Portland Press Herald Editorial Page Editor Greg Kesich and columnists Bill Nemitz, Cynthia Dill, and Alan Caron discuss three big stories of the week: the passage through the House of the American Healthcare Act and why Rep. Bruce Poliquin kept his vote secret until game time, a provisional vote in Maine to have us join the Atlantic time zone if Massachusetts and New Hampshire do the same, and Gov. Paul LePage's oppositional appearance in Washington D.C. to discuss the economic impact of the Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument.
Related:
Rep. Poliquin supports health bill, says only 7% of Mainers affected. Facts show otherwise
Maine House votes to join Atlantic time zone, if New Hampshire and Massachusetts do the same
LePage, advocate offer dueling testimony in Washington on Katahdin-area monument
Portland Press Herald Editorial Page Editor Greg Kesich, and columnists Bill Nemitz and Cynthia Dill discuss three big stories of the week: President Trump’s 100 day review, the Maine house’s debate over the best way to raise money for the state’s education system, and what the US’s role and responsibilities are when it comes to escalate and cooling foreign conflicts.
Related:
Trump now says being president harder than he thought
Bill Nemitz: In debate over school tax, LePage’s latest gaffe makes a big difference
Two U.S. troops die battling Islamic State militants in eastern Afghanistan
Portland Press Herald Editorial Page Editor Greg Kesich, and columnists Bill Nemitz and Cynthia Dill discuss the week's news, including the first official entry into the 2018 governor's race, the disturbing case of Anthony Sanborn, and Bill O'Reilly's departure from Fox News.
Related:
Prosecutor facing scrutiny over 1992 murder trial agrees to testify
Veteran, attorney Adam Cote files to run for governor as Democrat
Bill O’Reilly is out at Fox News Channel
Portland Press Herald reporters Ed Murphy and Matt Byrne discuss in detail the case of Anthony Sanborn Jr., released on bail after serving 25 years for a 1989 murder. They talk about the circumstances of the crime, and the new evidence that led to his release. They also describe the dramatic moments in the courtroom when Superior Court Justice Joyce Wheeler announced the decision.
Related Stories:
Man convicted of 1989 Portland murder granted bail after star witness recants
In first hours of freedom, disbelief it was real after 25 years in prison
This week on the Portland Press Herald Podcast, Editorial Page Editor Greg Kesich is joined by Sunday columnists Jim Fossel and Alan Caron to discuss the Legislature's moves to overturn the vote on the minimum wage, and the spilt that is exposing between elected democrats and the Maine People's Alliance. Also using children as political pawns, and can bipartisanship ever happen if people never change their mind?
Portland Press Herald Editorial Page Editor Greg Kesich, and columnists Bill Nemitz, Alan Caron and Cynthia Dill start by talking about Paul LePage's apparently fluid views on healthcare as expressed in recent radio interviews. They wonder if America can get a real independent investigation into Trump's Russia connections and from whom, How Post-Fact politics will change the country and re-shape the political center, and finish by previewing upcoming columns about tipping, casinos and reasons for optimism.
Portland Press Herald Editorial Page Editor Greg Kesich, and columnists Alan Caron and Cynthia Dill talk offer some free advice to Republican politicians. They also ponder some questions. Can Paul LePage still run as an outsider? Will Angus King talk to constituents in Maine Second Congressional District about Judge Gorsuch? Will Bruce Poliquin make a firm commitment? Can Obama sue Trump over wire tap tweets?
Portland Press Herald Editorial Page Editor Greg Kesich, and columnists Bill Nemitz, Alan Caron and Cynthia Dill talk about: What the Pope had to say about giving to panhandlers, and what Paul LePage is up to in Washington; Angus King's central role in the Russia scandal, late-night TV in the Trump era, and what they're reading.
Today on the podcast we introduce Jim Fossel, the newest addition to the Sunday editorial page crew, whose column debuts this weekend. Jim comes in with a more conservative viewpoint, and in this episode he talks with Editorial page editor Gerg Kesich about the different groups that make up the Republican Party.
Portland Press Herald Editorial Page Editor Greg Kesich, and columnists Bill Nemitz, Alan Caron and Cynthia Dill meet and talk about a new poll on the makeup of the electorate; How police body cams became a hot topic in Portland exposing divisions in city hall, and if Bernie Sanders' supporters are unfairly blaming Hillary Clinton for Donald Trump.
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After a week off due to poor weather, Editorial Page Editor Greg Kesich, and columnists Bill Nemitz, Alan Caron and Cynthia Dill return to the podcast to talk about the challenges and opportunities facing our elected representatives in Washington.
Will Bruce Poliquin ever take a stand?
Are liberals too critical of Susan Collins?
Will Angus King be on TV a lot?
and what's up with Paul Lepage?
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This week Editorial Page Editor Greg Kesich, and columnists Bill Nemitz, Alan Caron and Cynthia Dill discuss the collapse of the plea deal with the Commercial Street Black Lives Matter protesters, how Senator Collins is going to deal with Cabinet and Supreme Court nominations, and if the legislature is going to ignore citizen-initiated referendums on ranked-choice voting and minimum wage.
This week on the Podcast, our panel, including Editorial Page Editor Greg Kesich, and Columnist Bill Nemitz, Alan Caron and Cynthia Dill, discuss the beginning of the Trump Administration, massive protests last weekend in Portland and around the country, and the Governor's feisty town hall meeting in Biddeford.
It's a full house this week on the Portland Press Herald Podcast. Editorial Page Editor Greg Kesich, and columnists Bill Nemitz, Alan Caron and Cynthia Dill chat about what Governor Paul LePage is doing to the State and what Democrats in the state legislature can and can't do about it. They also talk about Senator Susan Collins' skillful handling of her pivotal role in a Donald Trump - led government.
Editors Greg Kesich and Sarah Collins react to online reader comments from commenters Brian Peterson, midcoastg8tor, Gadfly371, and JJFW
Columns:
Our View: Real ID law shouldn’t fly in Maine Legislature
Another View: Editorial mischaracterizes critics of eliminating tip credit
Our View: Don’t put off deadline on implementing retail sales of marijuana
Maine's Senator Susan Collins talks about how the Senate treated Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland, what to do about Russian hacking, how she'll be evaluating President Trump's cabinet nominees and how healthcare might be improved. She also takes the opportunity to talk about some of her own accomplishments.
Article: Collins draws contrast with Trump on Russia, Affordable Care Act