By Lauren McCauley | Editor
“If you’re in a local or state health department, the same people dealing with measles are the same people that are going to deal with cyclospora, are going to be the same people if you have a Legionella outbreak.” - Dr. Georges C. Benjamin, CEO of the American Public Health Association, on the burnout among public health workers.
A dozen demonstrators gathered at Cascade Park — just down the street from Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center — to commemorate the 61st anniversary of Medicaid and Medicare on July 30, 2026. (Photo by Kaitlyn Budion/Maine Morning Star)
ELECTION 2026
By Kaitlyn Budion
Republican nominee Paul LePage has said he will protect Social Security and Medicare, but has a history of opposing Medicaid expansions while he was governor. In contrast, Democratic nominee Matt Dunlap is campaigning on support for Medicare-for-all.
GOVERNMENT
By Emma Davis
As municipalities in Maine and across the country are increasingly relying on Artificial Intelligence for policing, some localities have made progress in removing surveillance cameras, foreshadowing forthcoming legislative fights over state-level restrictions.
PUBLIC HEALTH
By Jennifer Shutt
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. pledged during his confirmation hearing to do everything in his “power to put the health of America back on track.” But less than two years into his tenure at the helm of the department responsible for the health of millions of Americans, a string of outbreaks has repeatedly made headlines.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Wildfire smoke is now the primary pollutant affecting pregnancy, study shows | Kelcie Moseley-Morris, Stateline
Online prediction markets rile up state lawmakers | Kevin Hardy, Stateline
Trump defends massive settlement for ‘great American Patriots’ of Jan. 6, attacks GOP senators | Ashley Murray, States Newsroom
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