It’s an impossible task to whittle down a (short) list of the best or most impactful journalism we publish each year. Journalists talk a lot about “capital J journalism” and the institutional accountability we strive to deliver. But you can’t really rank the profile of a man being buried in a mushroom casket against allegations of abuse at a private school.
So I decided to approach this year’s list with a new lens: which stories moved me? And which moved you, our readers and supporters. They’re not all investigations. Some of them are even under 2,000 words. But they each have a strong sense of emotion, whether that be anger, sadness or whatever the feeling is that grew the Grinch’s heart three sizes.
With that in mind, I couldn’t narrow it down to just 10, so here’s a bonus five. They’re all stories you might have missed throughout the year that will leave you feeling some type of way. By no means does this list come close to comprehensive.
Thank you for reading,
Julia Arenstam, managing editor
She always wanted to come to Maine. A diagnosis meant now or never.
For Julie’s bucket list trip to Maine, her partner Sarah had imagined them meandering up the coast, but feeling too overwhelmed to decide where to stop and stay, she turned to Reddit, a platform she uses for everything from travel advice to tech support. Mainers stepped up to make the trip extra special.
Drugs and alcohol nearly killed this Maine wrestling champ. Now healthy, he hopes his story helps save others.
Seven years sober from alcohol, marijuana and cocaine addiction, the Wells native now looks to give back.
The other Cards: the guilt and grief of loving a mass shooter
Members of the Bowdoin family are among the few relatives of a mass shooter to ever talk openly about their experience.
Read the entire Breakdown series here.
Survivor’s story: Reliving a trauma-filled childhood in rural Maine
A decades-old Cumberland County sexual abuse case is revived when the suspect reappears — but justice has proven to be elusive.
Meet the workers who make Portland’s treasured Fore Street restaurant tick
It’s usually the marquee chef who gets all the attention. We profiled some of the many, many other behind-the-scenes people who make your night out memorable.
How a Maine couple gave their $1.3 million retirement savings to bitcoin scammers
Larry and Barbara Cook risked public embarrassment in sharing their story to spare others from a similar trauma. In the process, they’re helping to rewrite federal and state income tax laws related to fraud losses.
Parents’ rights groups, backed by conservative funders, bring fight to Maine school boards
The Gardiner-area school board is one of many across the state being confronted with organized, sometimes disruptive, efforts to remake education.
How Graham Platner’s complicated past shapes his run for U.S. Senate
A war is being waged to define the combat veteran, oyster farmer and U.S. Senate candidate from Sullivan.
The country’s first mushroom casket was buried in rural Maine
Mark Ancker, of Industry, was put to rest in a coffin made entirely from mycelium, the root structure of mushrooms, that was grown in just seven days.
1 year ago, a teen girl vanished into northern Maine’s unpredictable wilderness
The disappearance of Stefanie Damron last September in Aroostook County has left her family despondent: ‘We haven’t had a chance to heal.’
Why the dream of a starter home in Maine is slipping out of reach
Young people can’t find or afford houses in their communities. Families can’t move out of places they’ve outgrown. The cycle is stuck. Can it be fixed?
Maine wedding caterer suddenly cancels contracts, leaving couples out of time and money
The Maine attorney general has fielded 17 complaints against Simply Catered by Bethany within two months.
Former students allege abuse and neglect at Hyde School in Bath
A federal lawsuit recounts their experience at the boarding school, accusing Hyde officials of imposing emotional and physical mistreatment that had lasting negative effects. The school denies the claims, calling them ‘patently false.’
As shootings become part of the backdrop of Lewiston, the city is trying to come to grips with a growing problem
Data from the Lewiston Police Department show gun violence over the last six years has take a dramatic upturn.
In her Waterville hometown, she has no home | Column
Suffering from mental illnesses, 50-year-old Jessica LeClair talks to Amy Calder about the difficulties of maneuvering homelessness.