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I had the good fortune to attend a forum in Farmington earlier this week. It was part of a listening tour put together by The Maine Monitor and local partners Daily Bulldog and Mt. Blue TV. The subject was local journalism.

I had been looking forward to attending the event but had been ready to be disappointed, for two reasons. Firstly, that perhaps people would have something better to do on a lovely August evening and therefore we wouldn't have much of a crowd. Secondly, because much of what we hear about this subject is bleak: news rooms are shrinking, independent newspapers are closing, and gaps in coverage in some parts of western Maine are growing.

But I shouldn't have worried: we had a nice turnout of extremely engaged people who spoke at length about what they were and weren't getting from their local media. Their sources varied from social media round-ups to filmed meetings to newsletters (hello!), but they clearly were making an effort to inform themselves. 

While the future of local news in western Maine may look very different than what we're used to, I left the forum much more hopeful than when I entered it. A big thank you to everyone who attended and provided us with feedback.

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While The Maine Monitor does not place its content behind paywalls, some newsrooms we link to in this newsletter may. 

The Oxford Hills school district has made a series of security improvements over the summer. | Advertiser Democrat

The fire department in Weld has taken part in six out-of-town rescues this summer, putting stress on the department's budget. | Franklin Journal

The Maine Forest Service has reported more than 200 wildfires across the state in August, the most in the previous 20 years. | News Center Maine

Rumford will be the first town in Maine to add a "Baby Box" to its fire station, providing a place for parents in crisis to anonymously surrender a newborn baby. | Rumford Falls Times

ICYMI from The Monitor: As more Maine public school districts prepare to take over services for three- to five-year-olds with disabilities, a pilot program shows positive results and steep challenges ahead. | The Maine Monitor

ICYMI from The Monitor: Faith leaders in Maine are working to set up protocols for interacting with federal agents and ensuring immigrants know their rights, as well as helping to launch an ICE Watch initiative. | The Maine Monitor

Enrollment is up statewide across the Maine's public universities and community colleges. | Portland Press Herald

Mt. Blue High School and Foster Tech will use magnetically locked pouches to support a campus-wide ban on cell phones. | Daily Bulldog

Have feedback, a correction or know of something we should look into? Send it to our newsroom. If you have feedback or a tip that you want to send to Ben Hanstein directly email him at: benjamin@themainemonitor.org.

The Maine Monitor is a publication of the Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting, an independent and nonpartisan nonprofit news organization that produces investigative journalism. We believe news is a public good and keep our news free to access. We have no paywall and do not charge for our newsletters. If you value the reporting we do for Maine, please consider making a donation! We cannot do this reporting without your support.

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