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The dozens of independent, nonprofit and nonpartisan news organizations that make up the Rural News Network are developing the broadest news alliance reporting on rural America. These newsrooms are pursuing coverage that provides a more complete picture of what it means to live and work in these communities.
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LATEST NEWS FROM THE NETWORK
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As communities grapple with needle waste, advocates say limiting syringe programs is not the answer
September 28, 2024
A change in 2022 increased how many needles a person could exchange from 1:1 to 1:100. Some community leaders say they now want to revert to the old rules.
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Cancer patients continue to struggle with long travel times to treatment
September 28, 2024
Two of the state’s most rural counties are without a single oncology practice.
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‘Not in the business of politics’: The local officials making sure Mainers get to vote
September 14, 2024
Clerks across Maine share their thoughts on election security ahead of November. This article is part of U.S. Democracy Day, a nationwide collaborative on Sept. 15, the International Day of Democracy, in which news organizations cover how democracy works and the threats it faces.
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Group explores ambulance vessels as part of solution to island care crisis
August 11, 2024
Ambulance boats, which are common in countries like Norway, would function as floating mini hospitals. The ambulance vessel proposal comes as rural care providers struggle to stay afloat.
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Geriatrics workforce grant to focus on Maine’s rural and tribal communities
August 04, 2024
The nearly $5 million in federal funds will support tribal health centers and a program that connects medical students with rural communities.
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Schools across Maine confront unique challenges in ridding their water of ‘forever chemicals’
July 21, 2024
Funding and delays have kept schools on bottled water for over a year as they try to eliminate their PFAS.
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As Worcester Holdings sprays pines with pesticide, Addison residents call for moratorium
June 22, 2024
But the company isn’t the only one. A Maine Monitor analysis found that five leading conservation groups have registered pesticide applicators on staff.
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Officials worry draft packaging rules will penalize rural communities
June 21, 2024
The rules would reimburse communities at a higher rate for incinerating over landfilling, which some board members argued meant communities in southern Maine with more options and access would get reimbursed at a higher rate than rural areas.
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Mainers unable to find caregivers for all authorized home care hours
June 15, 2024
One care coordination agency had more than 750 people approved for home care who had no help at all, with demand expected to grow.
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Shenna Bellows talks election security ahead of June primary
May 17, 2024
Monitor editor Kate Cough sat down with Maine’s Secretary of State Shenna Bellows to discuss ballot machines, poll watchers and more.
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How are Maine counties and municipalities spending their opioid settlement funds?
May 12, 2024
A Maine Monitor analysis found that many communities are putting money toward police programs and services, despite advocates’ warnings.
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Use of antipsychotics in Maine nursing homes climbs
April 21, 2024
After an initial crackdown and decline, the rate of the powerful medications given to nursing home residents has ticked back up in recent years.
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Maine to open two public defender offices in rural counties
March 22, 2024
The new law is the latest effort to address the state’s ongoing failure to provide lawyers to poor defendants.
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A tenth of Maine’s pharmacies have closed in the past decade
March 03, 2024
In rural areas, the decline has been even steeper, with some counties losing more than a fifth of their pharmacies in the past decade.
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California’s “Lithium Valley” may power millions of electric vehicles. Does Maine still need a lithium mine?
March 02, 2024
As America scrambles to develop a resource sometimes called the “new oil” or “white gold,” contrasts are emerging between what’s happening in western Maine and southern California.
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