If elected, Mana Abdi would be the first Somali-American to serve in the Legislature.
Steve Collins
Columnist
Steve Collins became an opinion columnist for the Maine Trust for Local News in April of 2025. A journalist since 1987, Steve has worked for daily newspapers in New York, Connecticut and Maine and served as the State House reporter for the Sun Journal since 2016. The Maine Press Association named him Maine's Journalist of the Year in 2022. Among his other awards are the Society of Professional Journalists’ 2016 Ethics in Journalism Award, the I.F. Stone Whistle-Blower Award in 2015 and the Bob Wallack Community Journalism Award from the New England Newspaper & Press Association. Steve is a founder and board president of Youth Journalism International, a charity that teaches students around the globe about news writing, media literacy and issues of the day. His wife, Jackie Majerus, serves as its executive director. Born in Massachusetts, he grew up in a military family that took him to Norway, Ohio and Virginia, where he earned a degree in history from the University of Virginia. He and Jackie live in Auburn. They have two adult children, two collies and not enough time.
Posted inElection 2022, Maine, Politics
Liz Caruso forces Bruce Poliquin into a Republican primary for Maine’s 2nd District seat
Rank-and-file Republicans will choose their standard bearer on June 14 to face Jared Golden in the fall.
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Posted inLewiston-Auburn, Maine
Bates experts unsure what might happen next in Ukraine war
A forum at Bates College on Wednesday explored issues surrounding Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
Posted inAndroscoggin County, Maine
‘Tears every day’ for a Turner family hoping to adopt boys stuck in Ukraine
Three boys, 12-year-old twins and their 16-year-old brother, are in the midst of an evacuation, their fate uncertain
Posted inLewiston-Auburn
Bates College makes masks optional for most people
Lewiston college retains mask requirements in some situations, especially for events that draw visitors
Posted inMaine
Sen. Angus King hails Arctic Council decision to pause cooperation with Russia
Seven nations touching on the Arctic are boycotting sessions with Russia and pausing their work on the council because of the Ukraine invasion.
Posted inMaine
Ten state boards may get the ax for doing too little
Lawmakers weighing the fate of panels watching over everything from combat sports to seaweed.
Posted inAndroscoggin County, Schools & Education
RSU 16 to consider masking policy next week
POLAND — Regional School Unit 16 officials are pushing to drop mandatory masking beginning next Wednesday. The Board of Directors plans a special meeting Monday to consider adopting new masking guidelines that would make face coverings optional. The move follows a state decision to drop its recommendation in favor of universal masking starting March 9. […]
Posted inAndroscoggin County, Schools & Education
RSU 16 likely to drop mask mandate this month
School board will consider soon whether to make face coverings optional starting March 15
Posted inLewiston-Auburn
Alpo Martinez was killed over a minor traffic incident, police say
A New York City tabloid said authorities blame the death of the former Lewiston man on a road rage grudge.