Christy Daggett, Maine Center for Economic Policy Originally published in the Bangor Daily News on January 20, 2015. I did an amazing thing the other day. I picked up the phone in my office, called a hospital on the other side of the state and asked how much a screening colonoscopy would cost. I was […]

Sandy Butler, University of Maine, and Luisa Deprez, University of Southern Maine Originally published in the Bangor Daily News on December 26, 2014. For five years, Josie had been abused and threatened by the father of her three young children. She knew she had to get out. So, two years ago, on New Year’s Eve, […]

Sharon Tisher, University of Maine, and Peter Mills, Maine Turnpike Authority Originally published in the Bangor Daily News on December 23, 2014. One year ago, we proposed on these pages that Maine’s congressional delegation take bipartisan action on climate change. This would continue Maine’s long history as a leader in shaping environmental policy. Under the […]

Michael Rocque, Bates College Originally published in the Bangor Daily News on December 23, 2104. In the United States, formal and informal institutions have been in place to control black bodies since before the nation’s founding. It began with slavery, followed with Jim Crow legal segregation, and has been replaced, some argue, with the criminal […]

Lenard Kaye, University of Maine, and David Wihry, University of Maine Originally published in the Bangor Daily News on December 9, 2014. If you called any of Maine’s five Area Agencies on Aging that serve older adults and ask them what needs their clients face that are particularly difficult to fulfill, one word will come […]

Sandy Butler, University of Maine, and Luisa Deprez, University of Southern Maine Originally published in the Bangor Daily News on November 28, 2014. Lisa and James met working on the railroad. After retiring more than a decade ago, they lived comfortably in a big house in small-town Maine thanks to the pension benefits their railroad […]

Michael Howard, University of Maine Originally published in the Bangor Daily News on November 25, 2014. The U.S.-China deal on carbon emissions reached earlier this month is good news, even though the emission reductions are not nearly enough to preserve a stable climate. The deal calls for the U.S. to reduce its emissions by 26 percent by […]

Randy Albelda, University of Massachusetts, Boston, Luisa S. Deprez, University of Southern Maine, and Avi Green, Scholars Strategy Network Originally published in the Talking Points Memo on November 11, 2014. On Election Day, the pro-choice Democratic women’s fundraising group Emily’s List went on twitter, proclaiming #womendecide. But women did not decide 2014. While women comprise […]

Luisa Deprez, University of Southern Maine, and John Dorrer, workforce development expert Originally published in the Bangor Daily News on November 11, 2014. Gov. Paul LePage’s re-election victory is an affirmation from a growing share of Maine voters of his behavior and the policies he has pursued over the past four years. It also shows, […]

Amy Fried, University of Maine Originally published in the Bangor Daily News Pollways Blog on October 28, 2014.   We built it. Bangor’s great schools and fantastic library, excellent health care facilities, outdoor music, new civic center and vibrant downtown didn’t just happen by accident. Many people put work into creating what we have and […]