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Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Maine Trust for Local News workers rally to expand their union
Workers and union organizers walk out of the Portland Press Herald offices in South Portland, Maine on Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2025, to attend a rally in support of expanding their union to cover reporters at other publications run by the Press Herald's parent organization, the Maine Trust for Local News. (Photo by Troy R. Bennett/ Maine Morning Star) About three dozen reporters, photographers, page designers and union activists gathered on a brown lawn adjacent to the Portland Press Herald offices and printing plant Tuesday morning to announce their drive to unionize news workers at all of the Maine Trust for Local News' weekly and daily paper operations around the state. The News Guild of Maine, which is affiliated with the Communications Workers of America, already represents about 150 workers at the Trust's papers and aims to include the 50 or so remaining non-union jobs at the Sun Journal in Lewiston, The Times Record in Brunswick and the Trust's 17 weekly publications. Workers at the daily Kennebec Journal are represented by a separate branch of the CWA and are in the process of merging with the guild. 'More than 70% of those [50 non-union] workers have signed union authorization cards,' said Megan Gray, president of the News Guild of Maine. On Monday, the guild filed a petition with the National Labor Relations Board seeking voluntary union recognition for those workers. The guild has marked the effort as a drive for 'One Big Union.' The nonprofit Trust is the state's largest network of independent news and media outlets. It's a subsidiary of the Colorado-based National Trust for Local News. Management at the Trust has yet to respond to union demands. Messages seeking comment were not immediately returned. Speakers at the union rally expressed concerns about huge pay disparities between publications within the Trust, lack of job security and dwindling local content as papers are forced to work with fewer reporters and share non-local stories. Paul Bagnall, an experienced reporter at The Times Record, said as a non-union worker he makes $18 per hour while starting reporters at the Press Herald earn a minimum of $28.75 per hour. 'With the cost of living going up, my paycheck has already stretched to a breaking point,' Bagnall said. 'I am currently priced out of potential sources of information — going out to events, restaurants and cafes due to the cost of living — and it's still rising.' Joe Lawlor, a longtime Press Herald reporter, called Bagnall's pay shameful. 'We can do better,' Lawlor said. Sophie Burchell, a non-union reporter at the Trust's southern Maine community news division, said her job is unfairly seen as a stepping stone, rather than a sustainable career. 'I want it to be seen as a place people can grow and thrive,' Burchell said. 'I want to see my peers and their talents thrive in Maine journalism.' Kendra Caruso, an education writer at the Sun Journal, said the Trust isn't living up to its own journalism mission. 'Its stated goal is to prevent news deserts across the nation. However, changes the company implemented early this year, including staff layoffs, have only increased the risk of more news deserts in Maine and decreased the amount of local news coming out of our newsrooms across the state,' Caruso said. Gray said there was no way for the Trust to continue to support local journalism without first supporting its local journalists. 'We're expanding our union because we know that we must invest in our workers in order to invest in the future of journalism,' she said. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Solve the daily Crossword
News18
11-08-2025
- News18
He Burned His Home, Escaped In Scuba Gear, Then Took Cyanide In Court To Avoid Jail
Michael Marin, a former Wall Street trader, collapsed and died in court after being found guilty of arson in 2012. He ingested cyanide moments after the verdict. In a video that is going viral again, viewers are revisiting one of the most extraordinary and tragic moments captured in an American courtroom. It shows Michael Marin, a former Wall Street trader, collapsing in his seat moments after being found guilty of arson in 2012. Marin, once known for his wealth and high-profile career, had bought a $3.5 million mansion in Phoenix, Arizona, in 2008. Within a year he was struggling to keep up with the steep mortgage and faced a large pending payment. In July 2009 the mansion caught fire. Prosecutors later told the court the blaze was no accident. Fire investigators found multiple points of ignition inside the property and a trail of phone books that helped spread the flames. The most unusual detail emerged from Marin's escape. Wearing scuba gear and using a rope ladder, he climbed down from an upper floor to safety. He later claimed the gear was coincidentally in his room, but the image of a man in full diving equipment fleeing a luxury home made headlines. Authorities accused Marin of deliberately starting the fire to collect insurance money and avoid losing the house to foreclosure. The case went to trial in 2012. On June 28 that year a Maricopa County jury found him guilty of arson and insurance fraud. Seconds after hearing the verdict Marin put his hand to his mouth, took a sip from a bottle and sat back. The video shows him beginning to convulse as people in the courtroom call for help. He was taken to hospital where he was declared dead. An autopsy later confirmed Marin had ingested cyanide. Investigators found a canister labeled sodium cyanide in his car. They also recovered a delayed email he had sent to his son with instructions on his will and where to find his vehicle if things went badly in court. (with inputs from CNN, Press Herald and The Los Angeles Times archives) view comments First Published: August 11, 2025, 18:00 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
New law lets Maine prescribers keep their names off abortion pill labels
Jun. 2—Gov. Janet Mills has signed a new law that allows health care providers to remove their names from labels when prescribing abortion pills. The law, LD 538, was introduced by state Rep. Sally Cluchey, D-Bowdoinham, who said she has heard from prescribers who say they have been threatened or harassed for prescribing mifepristone, an abortion medication that is increasingly used for abortions. Medication abortions account for 63% of all abortions in the United States, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a national abortion-rights nonprofit. In a previous interview with the Press Herald, Cluchey said that health care providers who have prescribed abortion medication "have faced harassment through phone calls, test messages and online threats" and have been "stalked, targeted with bomb threats and harassed in their homes." However, abortion opponents, including Rep. Marygrace Caroline Cimino, R-Bridgton, said the real reason for the bill is to shield abortion providers from criminal charges from other states. "The purpose of this bill is clear — to protect doctors from criminal prosecution when prescribing these (drugs) to patients in other states where abortion is restricted," Cimino said in May. New York passed a similar bill this year days after a New York physician was charged with prescribing abortion pills to a pregnant girl in Louisiana. Maine is one of a several states that also has passed "shield laws" that provide health care workers with legal protection from charges filed by other states for prescribing abortion medication or providing abortion care. Abortions were legal nationwide for five decades until a 2022 U.S. Supreme Court decision overturned Roe v. Wade, paving the way for states to ban abortion. Thirteen states have passed total abortion bans since the 2022 decision, while Maine has expanded abortion rights, according to the Guttmacher Institute. Maine previously outlawed abortion at fetal viability — typically considered to be between 22 and 24 weeks, with exceptions for the health and life of the mother — but removed the ban in 2023. Abortion rights advocates said that the vague wording of the law made it difficult to obtain abortions in Maine even when the health of the mother was in question, and the new law leaves the decision between doctors and their patients. Copy the Story Link We believe it's important to offer commenting on certain stories as a benefit to our readers. At its best, our comments sections can be a productive platform for readers to engage with our journalism, offer thoughts on coverage and issues, and drive conversation in a respectful, solutions-based way. It's a form of open discourse that can be useful to our community, public officials, journalists and others. We do not enable comments on everything — exceptions include most crime stories, and coverage involving personal tragedy or sensitive issues that invite personal attacks instead of thoughtful discussion. You can read more here about our commenting policy and terms of use. More information is also found on our FAQs. Show less
Yahoo
31-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Coverage of pro-Palestinian protest was dangerously sanitized
May 30—I was deeply disappointed by your May 21 article, "Police arrest 20 pro-Palestinian protesters in Old Port." Public protest is a cornerstone of democracy and criticism of any government — including Israel's — is fair and necessary. But the coverage of this protest was not fair. It was selective, incomplete and dangerously sanitized. While the article quoted signs critical of Israel and cited multiple reports portraying Israeli actions harshly, it omitted that protestors were chanting "From the river to the sea," a slogan widely recognized as a call for the elimination of Israel as a Jewish state. Including some slogans while omitting that slogan amounts to whitewashing rhetoric that crosses the line from protest into hate. There is a staggering hypocrisy in accusing Israel of genocide while calling for the destruction of the world's only Jewish state. This wasn't just a call for humanitarian aid — it was defined by inflammatory, extremist language that contributes directly to rising antisemitic violence. We saw that reality hours later, when Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim, two Israeli embassy staffers, were gunned down outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C., reportedly by an assailant shouting "Free Palestine." That didn't happen in Gaza or Tel Aviv, it happened on American soil, and it was fueled by the very hate, on our streets, your paper chose to ignore. By omitting the most provocative chant and offering no Jewish perspective, the Press Herald didn't just report incompletely — it helped normalize hate. Justin Schair Freeport Copy the Story Link We believe it's important to offer commenting on certain stories as a benefit to our readers. At its best, our comments sections can be a productive platform for readers to engage with our journalism, offer thoughts on coverage and issues, and drive conversation in a respectful, solutions-based way. It's a form of open discourse that can be useful to our community, public officials, journalists and others. We do not enable comments on everything — exceptions include most crime stories, and coverage involving personal tragedy or sensitive issues that invite personal attacks instead of thoughtful discussion. You can read more here about our commenting policy and terms of use. More information is also found on our FAQs. Show less
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Bridgton medical center closing, citing financial pressures on health care system
May 29—A community clinic in Bridgton announced on Thursday that it will be closing in August, the latest shuttering of medical services in Maine. The announcement comes after Northern Light Inland Hospital in Waterville closed for patients this week, and after several birthing centers around Maine have closed in recent years. The reasons cited by DFD Russell Medical Center in Bridgton are familiar: low reimbursement rates from both government and private insurance, workforce shortages and an inability to rely on federal funding through Medicare and Medicaid. "This decision follows a comprehensive review of persistent financial and workforce challenges," the written announcement said. "In addition to financial pressures, DFD has experienced significant difficulty recruiting and retaining highly skilled health care providers in rural Maine — a challenge shared by many rural health organizations." Despite efforts to find alternatives, "continuing operations at this location is not sustainable," DFD said. The final day the medical center will see patients is Aug. 28. The Bridgton location has been open for four years, and DFD also operates clinics in Turner, Monmouth and Leeds that will remain open. "This is not a decision we made lightly, and it is not a reflection of our commitment to the Bridgton community," according to a written statement attributed to DFD's leadership team. "Rather, it is a decision rooted in responsibility — responsibility to quality care, our patients, our staff and the long-term sustainability of rural health care." DFD will help patients transition to Central Maine Healthcare and other primary care providers. DFD officials declined an interview with the Press Herald on Wednesday. The latest closure comes as Maine is experiencing a crisis in access to health care services, especially in rural parts of the state. While a record number of Mainers now have health insurance, many are finding it difficult or impossible to get help from a broad range of providers — primary care doctors, medical specialists, mental health counselors, dentists. It can take months — even more than a year — to get an appointment with a health professional, frustrated patients told the Portland Press Herald. Health care providers in Maine have also warned that the proposed cuts to Medicaid that were approved in the U.S. House of Representatives could eliminate health insurance coverage for an estimated 34,000 Maine residents and put more pressure on the already financially strained health care system, especially in rural communities. Copy the Story Link
