Maine

President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden pause in front of a memorial to shooting victims in Lewiston, Maine.

In Maine, Biden says Americans should be free to live without fear of gun violence

BY: and - November 3, 2023

This story was originally published on Maine Morning Star. The issue at hand is freedom, freedom to live safely in the United States, President Joe Biden said Friday afternoon in front of Just-In-Time Recreation, one of two locations in Lewiston where a shooter opened fire last week, killing 18 people and wounding 13 others. “Regardless […]

A woman in a pink shirt and white pants pulls a cart behind her

Older adults want to ‘age in place,’ but their options are limited in most states

BY: - November 2, 2023

Read more Stateline coverage of how communities across the country are trying to create more affordable housing. As older adults begin to outnumber young people in the United States in the coming decade, advocacy groups are challenging states to shift away from single-family zoning in favor of housing solutions that allow older adults to “age […]

A close-up of a pair hands, covered in soil, holding a plant.

As consumers flock to organic foods, lawmakers urge more federal grants for farmers

BY: - October 6, 2023

WASHINGTON — U.S. lawmakers are pushing a bill that would boost support for organic farmers amid rising demand for their products. U.S. Sens. Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin and Angus King of Maine in the Senate, alongside U.S. Reps. Chellie Pingree of Maine and Annie Kuster of New Hampshire in the House, introduced the Organic Market […]

A open opening the glass door of a clinic.

Drug decriminalization stumbled in Oregon. Other states are taking note

BY: - September 15, 2023

PORTLAND, Ore. — Just before Portland’s city council approved a ban on public drug use last week, Mayor Ted Wheeler described what he’d observed on his way to work that afternoon: “The last time I saw somebody consuming what I believe to be fentanyl publicly on our streets was less than five minutes ago, three […]

Voters standing in a gymnasium with voting booths, painted white with an American flag on them, set up. The wall is yellow; the ceiling is blue and a black line runs across the floor.

As ranked choice voting gains momentum, parties in power push back

BY: - August 21, 2023

Over the past decade, ranked choice voting has become increasingly popular. From conservative Utah to liberal New York City, 13 million American voters in 51 jurisdictions — including all of Alaska and Maine — now use the system, under which voters rank candidates based on preference, leading to an instant runoff in a crowded race. […]