A wave of new cases that’s slammed Androscoggin County this month hit a new high Friday with 119 cases reported by the Maine CDC.
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 inAndroscoggin County, Health
More cases, fewer vaccinations leave Androscoggin County as a COVID-19 hotspot in Maine
Androscoggin County posted its third-highest daily total of cases on Thursday, its worst showing since January.
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Posted inMaine
CMP and other utility companies can once again disconnect customers who are behind on their bills
After an 18-month moratorium, utilities are allowed to cut off service starting next week if customers who have fallen behind don’t work out payments plans.
Posted inLewiston-Auburn, Maine
Lewiston lawmaker proposes bill that would lower taxes for Maine veterans who are 100% disabled
Of the nearly 110,000 veterans in Maine, less than 7% would qualify for the exemption, a retired U.S. Coast Guard commander said.
Posted inAndroscoggin County, Schools & Education
RSU 16 drops idea of having students return 5 days a week
Giving up on plans for daily attendance starting in May, leaders of the Poland-Minot-Mechanic Falls school district say they will focus on a return to normal in the fall.
Posted inLewiston-Auburn
Bates College lifts its lockdown after 12 days
With COVID-19 cases declining among its students, Bates Tuesday lifted a lockdown that it imposed April 1 to stop a serious outbreak.
Posted inAndroscoggin County, News
Heated debate underway in RSU 16 about a return-to-school plan
Administrators are working on proposal to have students back five days a week starting in May.
Posted inLewiston-Auburn, Schools & Education
COVID-19 slams the brakes on buses for Lewiston schools
A shortage of bus drivers forces Lewiston superintendent to switch schools to remote-only this week.
Posted inMaine
Open-air cremation gets strong support before Legislature
A committee in Augusta heard from many Mainers who like the idea of open-air funeral pyres as an end-of-life option.
Posted inLewiston-Auburn, Maine
Legislators eye juvenile system changes to help New Mainers transition back home
Young immigrants are the focus of bill backed by Lewiston officials.