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On Friday morning, my 4-year-old daughter decided to write notes to two of her pre-kindergarten classmates — for no specific reason, just because. I did the spelling. She did the writing, adding four or five horizontal lines to her E’s, so they looked like combs.
Little did she know that she was practicing some of the core elements of happiness: expressing gratitude, being kind and building relationships.
In early December, reporter Rose Lundy wrote a story about people in Maine who are having deliberate conversations about what a good death means to them. This week, Rose focused on another wellness topic: the ways people can improve their outlooks on life — through gratitude, self care, relationships, resilience, kindness and meaning — and increase their happiness along the way.
My turn. I am grateful for stories about people and life in rural Maine, coverage of decisions by elected leaders, stories that continue to follow up on important issues, exhaustive accountability pieces and many more, written by reporters who care about accuracy, complexity and storytelling.
What topics have you appreciated learning about, and what deserves attention next? Send us your tips. We read every note.
— Erin
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The agency that negotiated the opioid settlements has the fewest reporting requirements. Here’s how it’s spending its money.
The attorney general’s office has no formal distribution process and says it can respond “quickly and creatively” to urgent funding requests.
Read this story by Emily Bader |
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Nearly half of Maine’s counties are behind on their audits: Years of poor bookkeeping led to a financial crisis in Washington County. It’s not the only county government that is delayed in analyzing its finances. Read this story by Daniel O'Connor of The Maine Monitor and Bangor Daily News |
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Lessons learned as Maine began pushing for heat pumps in mobile homes: A look at one couple’s experience installing a heat pump in their mobile home in Waterville. Read this story by Emmett Gartner |
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District attorney drops drug trafficking case after violating discovery rules: Maeghan Maloney’s office dropped six aggravated trafficking charges against a Massachusetts man after a judge ruled her office had acted in “bad faith.” Read this story by Josh Keefe |
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A long train grinds life to a halt every day in this rural Maine town: Trains passing through Jackman sometimes exceed 200 railcars, stretching more than two miles in length, disrupting road traffic. Read this story by Daniel O'Connor of The Maine Monitor and BDN |
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Maine treads lightly amid AI data center expansion: Lewiston city councilors voted down a proposed data center earlier this week, following concerns about potential environmental impacts. Read this story by Chris D'Angelo |
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These choices can increase happiness: People like my mom are taking happiness classes and developing a greater appreciation for smaller moments of joy. Read this story by Rose Lundy |
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Note: Monitor Local publishes stories on Downeast and Western Maine every Saturday. Here are two highlights from this weekend. For more, visit our website. |
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Washington County officials adopt budget: Following months of meetings and negotiations, the final budget represents a 17 percent increase over last year, far less than the 40 percent first proposed. Read this story by Judith Meyer |
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RSU 9 board of directors focuses on bus, student safety: Directors held a moment of silence for Griffin Mayhew, a board member elected five months ago and remembered as “kind, wonderful and considerate.” Read this story by Ben Hanstein |
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These immigrants do one of Maine’s most dangerous jobs. Then came Trump’s crackdown: Immigration authorities have rounded up Ecuadorian roofers from Aroostook to southern Maine since Donald Trump took office. The trend provides a window into how the president’s deportation agenda has targeted a community that has quietly shaped the region’s blue-collar economy. Read this story by Callie Ferguson of the Bangor Daily News |
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Have feedback or a correction to send to Erin Rhoda? Send it to her directly via email: erin@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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