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The new year brings with it opportunities both to reflect and to push for change, be it on a small scale, in the kitchen at home, or on a broader level, in the corridors of the State House. 

This week, our reporters have several stories that revisit big topics they covered in 2024: the cost of operating a nursing home, the challenges MaineCare is facing with medical appointment transportation contracts, and the growing list of low-income parents with child protection cases who are waiting for a state-guaranteed attorney.

We're also making a point to look forward: unpacking the health priorities in the legislature this session, asking about the goals of a new state office set to help local governments navigate climate resilience projects, and digging into the plans for a new team of public defenders dedicated to representing parents in child welfare cases. 

Let us know what else you think we should be looking at as this year gets underway.

— Stephanie

The list of Maine parents waiting for a lawyer grew by 700 percent in 2024 — and it may not account for the whole problem

Like many of her colleagues, family law attorney Taylor Kilgore has been watching the list of child protection cases in need of lawyers grow over the past year. 

When the state removes children from their parents’ care because of concerns about abuse or neglect, those parents are guaranteed an attorney under Maine law. 

Increasingly, they aren’t getting one. Over the course of 2024, the number of child protection cases in need of at least one attorney increased 700 percent, according to a list compiled by the judicial branch. On January 3 of last year, the state lacked attorneys for 14 cases, the list showed. On December 30, that number stood at 112. 

After getting a look behind the curtain at the Lewiston courthouse, Kilgore has concerns about whether the list is properly accounting for the problem: “I don’t think the list is actually accurate.” 

Read this story by Josh Keefe.

Nursing home owner feels ‘relief’ as he exits the business: Phil Cyr has signed an agreement with Maine-based chain First Atlantic Healthcare to sell his family’s nursing homes in Presque Isle and Caribou. Read this story by Rose Lundy.

MaineCare transport providers receive contract extensions amid court battle: A lawsuit over the award process alleges inconsistencies created a “fundamental unfairness.” Read this story by Adrienne Washington.

Increasing tobacco tax, AI protections among 2025 Maine health priorities: Advocates said they would like to see legislation that helps address the shortage of health care workers, among other things. Read this story by Rose Lundy.

A conversation with Samantha Horn, director of Maine’s new Office of Community Affairs: Horn says her office will provide the ‘connective tissue’ local governments need as they work on making communities more resilient to climate change. Read this story by Emmett Gartner.

Due process? A court system in the crosshairs

A lack of consistent data, district attorneys with differing agendas and inconsistencies with services offered around the state have many pushing for reforms to Maine’s court system.

Read this January 2020 story by Susan Cover. 

Know of a story that we should be digging into? Send it to our newsroom. 

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