Officials warn the trend is expected to continue this summer unless Maine gets prolonged rain.
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 inLewiston-Auburn, Maine, Nation / World
Jared Golden presses for Global War on Terrorism Memorial in nation’s capital
To honor veterans, many legislators seek to bypass a ban on new memorials in a section of the National Mall in Washington.
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Posted inMaine
Up, up and no way: Maine law bans release of latex balloons
Legislators back ban on release of latex balloons in Maine in bid to protect wildlife and prevent litter.
Posted inBusiness, Lewiston-Auburn, Maine
‘Just sitting there rotting in the basement in a bag’: Woman needed another service to take care of her father’s remains
One woman describes her experience retrieving the remains of her father from a Lewiston cremation business shut down by the state this week.
Posted inLewiston-Auburn, Maine
Lewiston might lose out if consumers own Maine’s power company instead of CMP and Versant, some say
There’s concern that a proposal to have publicly-owned electrical company could lead to a reduction in tax payments on utility properties.
Posted inBusiness, Lewiston-Auburn
Stinking, unrefrigerated bodies lead state to shut down Lewiston cremation business
State suspends licenses until Board of Funeral Services holds a hearing July 13.
Posted inMaine
Vaccinationland lottery will reward one lucky Mainer with nearly $1 million
Any vaccinated Mainer is eligible for July 4 lottery that will give away at least $876,655.
Posted inBusiness, Maine
Legislators weighing whether to ban consumer fireworks in Maine
Officials hope to find a compromise that would impose more restrictions in a bid to lower the volume of fireworks-related complaints.
Posted inAndroscoggin County, Lewiston-Auburn, Schools & Education
RSU 16 eyes potential to lower property tax burden on residents
With more state aid and a budget surplus, officials in RSU 16, which covers Poland, Mechanic Falls and Minot, hope to minimize the impact of the district’s $24.3 million budget.
Posted inBusiness, Lewiston-Auburn, Maine
State fixes glitch in liquor law overlooked for 45 years before sellers feel the pinch
When regulators discovered a problem overlooked for half a century, state legislators rushed to rewrite the statute before it hurt Maine’s hospitality businesses.