Author: Beacon Staff
The Maine Beacon highlights the experiences of everyday Mainers, shares information about the political and policy processes that affect Maine people and promotes a progressive worldview based on community, fairness and investing in the future.
Paul LePage is running for office in Maine again. So we’re revisiting our 2022 podcast series examining his record as governor — and the impacts his policies still have today. For our fourth and final episode: how LePage stood in the way of climate action, fought renewable energy and sided with the fossil fuel industry…
Maine patients and providers joined advocates Wednesday in Bangor to highlight former governor and Republican 2nd Congressional District candidate Paul LePage’s history on health care. “We’ve heard this story before, and we know how it ends,” said Ryan Tipping of the Maine Center for Economic Policy. “By the time [LePage] left office, 3,600 fewer Maine…
Paul LePage is running for office in Maine again. So we’re revisiting our 2022 podcast series examining his record as governor — and the impacts his policies still have today. Third in the series: how LePage’s racist rhetoric and policies harmed immigrants and people of color while dividing Mainers along racial lines. _______________________________ Editor’s note: This…
After Sen. Susan Collins’ vote to confirm Matthew Byrne to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio this past week, advocates are contrasting her actions on abortion rights with her claims about where she stands — and with the actions of her opponent, former Maine Senate President Troy Jackson. “[Jackson has] been…
Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows received a “People. Power. Progress.” award from Maine’s largest community action organization on Thursday, honoring her long history of working to protect democracy and advance progressive change. “At this moment in American history, especially, we need leaders like Shenna,” said Amy Halsted, co-director of the Maine People’s Alliance (of…
Paul LePage is running for office in Maine again. So we’re revisiting our 2022 podcast series examining his record as governor — and the impacts his policies still have today. Second in the series: how LePage’s business-first approach reshaped Maine’s economy and hurt workers. _______________________________ “I think like a business person. […] You know the…
Paul LePage is running for office in Maine again. So we’re revisiting our 2022 podcast series examining his record as governor — and the impacts his policies still have today. First up: how LePage’s cuts targeted Maine’s social safety net and the people who relied on it. _______________________________ “About 47% of able-bodied people in the…
Federal immigration agents have apprehended more people in Maine in the first seven months of 2026 than in the two previous years combined. Only one of them has ever been convicted of a violent crime, according to government records. Newly-released Immigration and Customs Enforcement administrative data — obtained through Freedom of Information Act litigation by…
For the first time since a chemical plant on the banks of the Penobscot began dumping mercury into the river decades ago, a portion of the toxic pollutant is finally being cleaned up from the waterway. On Wednesday, Aug. 26, engineers, local residents and environmental advocates gathered at Picnic Park in Orrington, near the site…
The Money on the Left Collective joins the Beacon podcast to rethink how we talk about money and public spending. Will Beaman, Tyler Suksawat and Rob Hawkes of the collective join MPA legislative strategist Gus Dunn-Hindle to dig into public banking, why money doesn’t have to be treated as a scarce resource, and how states…