ACLU Calls For Investigation Into Penobscot County For Spending ARPA Funds On Jail Expansion

The ACLU of Maine said governments are barred from using the funds to support carceral expansions.

SSI: 50 Years Of Financial Security

The Supplemental Security Income (SSI) Program Helps Support Many American Families

U.S. House Agriculture Leaders Raise Concerns About Potential Cuts To SNAP

One in 4 children in Maine is at risk for hunger, and 37 percent of them don't qualify for public assistance.

UNE Researcher Estimates Most Glaciers Gone By 2100

Researchers say models show climate change and the continued use of fossil fuels could cause more than 80% of the world’s glaciers to melt.

Maine Lawmakers Want To Fight Disinformation Pushed By Faith-Based Pregnancy Centers

While abortion is legal in Maine, advocates say CPCs deceptively divert people away from organizations like Maine Family Planning.

New: Self-Attestation Of Sex Marker In Social Security Records

Effective October 2022, You Can Self-Select Your Sex On Your Social Security Number (SSN) Record

New Federal Student Loan Repayment Plan Aimed At Low-Income Borrowers

Under the proposed rule, undergraduate borrowers would only be required to pay 5% of their income toward their loans.

Mills Pitches $10.3B Budget Plan As Progressives Call For Strengthening Of Social Safety Net

The two-year spending plan represents a $900 million increase in spending.

Reforms To Drug Policy And Policing Top Criminal Justice Docket This Session

Advocates hope to make significant changes to the state’s drug laws while also pursuing reforms to policing and incarceration in Maine.

Pingree: House GOP Is Allowing Extremists Set Their Agenda

"The changes Republicans have proposed will make it much harder for Congress to work for the people," the Maine congressman said.

Intergenerational Groups Strengthen Maine's LGBTQ Community

More than 300 anti-LGBTQ bills, a record high, were introduced nationwide last year.

Campaign To Grant Migrant Farmworkers Labor Rights Will Get Another Shot This Session

Two leaders of the Maine Legislature’s Labor and Housing Committee told Beacon they are bringing the issue back before the legislature.

Here's What You Need To Know About New Workplace Protections For Pregnant, Nursing Workers

Supporters of a new amendment said previous legislation did not provide the accommodations that workers needed for a healthy pregnancy.

New Mainer Group Says Biden Plan Contains ‘Some Good, Some Bad, A Lot Incomplete'

Biden framed the moves as a balancing act to make the U.S. a place for migrants in need while also operating in an "orderly process."

General Enrollment Period For Medicare Part B

The Period Runs From January 1 To March 31 Every Year

Read Gov. Janet Mills' Second Inaugural Address

"I am deeply humbled by the trust the people of Maine have placed in me."

Maine Clinic Provides Refuge Of Trans-Inclusive Abortion Care And Rights

More than 2,700 patients received care this year at the Mabel Wadsworth Center in northern Maine, according to its year-in-review.

Maine Lawmakers Pass Heating Relief Bill That Includes $450 Checks

The $474 million proposal was put forward by Gov. Janet Mills in December.

Wabanaki Recognize Progress, Renew Campaign For Tribal Sovereignty

An event held Tuesday in Augusta comes as this year’s session of the Maine Legislature is getting underway.

This New Year, Learn About Social Security Online

Social Security Programs Touch The Lives Of More Than 70 Million People

One Maine Climate Activist's Bold Plan To Take Back The Grid

Maine ecologist Sonja Birthisel sees the effort to democratize the grid as essential to the broader climate movement.

Social Security Benefits Increase In 2023

Approximately 70 Million Americans Will See An 8.7% Increase In Their Benefits And Payments In 2023

Maine Tribal Leaders Denounce Sen. King For Blocking Wabanaki Sovereignty Bill

The Advancing Equality for Wabanaki Nations Act was not included in the final congressional budget deal last week.

Happy Holidays From Social Security

We Want You To Have A Safe, Happy Holiday Season And Know That We Are Here For You

Maine Increases Rates Of Children With Health Insurance

More than four percent of children lack health insurance in Maine, putting them at greater risk for missing important health screenings.

Beacon Podcast: From Minimum Wage To Prescription Drugs, End Of Year Is Full Of Policy Holidays

Hosts discuss a review of media coverage of the new state legislature and the long history of REAL ID in Maine.

Local Officials Blast Republicans For Blocking Home Heating, Emergency Housing Assistance

Senate Republicans argued that the bill hadn’t gone through the proper process.

Research Opportunities Aim To Reverse Declining Enrollment At UMaine

Research Learning Experiences will expose first-year students to both field and lab research opportunities.

Understanding Social Security Benefits

We Are Here For Surviving Family Members When A Worker Dies

More Transitional Housing Needed For Increased Asylum Seekers In Maine

"This is an opportunity for enriching our culture," Maine Immigrants’ Rights Coalition Executive Director Mufalo Chitam said.

Beacon Podcast: Senate Republicans Killed Heat And Housing Assistance, What Comes Next?

Hosts also discuss the election of Maine’s constitutional officers and a new report on the effects of tribal sovereignty.

CMP Ranked Last Once Again In J.D. Power Business Customer Satisfaction Survey

Advocates are moving forward with a campaign to replace CMP with a consumer-owned utility.

Husson University’s “Artwalk” Features the Best of Student Art

Includes art, photography, graphic design and extended reality by students as well as cyanotype and photography by professional artists.

Parents Urge Golden, Delegation To Make Expanded Child Tax Credit Permanent

Advocates are calling on Congress to take action to make the CTC permanent before Democrats lose their majority in the U.S. House.

Secretary Of State Bellows Hopes To Continue Modernizations, Protecting Maine's Elections

Bellows is asking the legislature to allow her to continue her work, seeking a second two-year term as Maine’s secretary of state.

Outgoing Lawmaker Calls For Federal Oversight Of Maine's Criminal Legal System In Blistering Complaint

Jeffrey Evangelos, an independent from Friendship who did not run for reelection to the Maine House in 2022, submitted a complaint Sunday.

Social Security Supports Rural Communities

As A Member Of The Rural Partners Network, We Want To Continue Reaching Out To Rural Communities

Officials Validate Signatures For Measure To Ban Foreign Government Spending On Maine Elections

The secretary of state also moved forward a campaign to replace Maine’s unpopular investor-owned utilities on next year's ballot.

Secretary Of State Validates Ballot Measure To Replace CMP, Versant With Consumer-Owned Utility

The referendum will ask Mainers if they want to replace CMP and Versant with the Pine Tree Power Company, a consumer-owned utility.

Seeking Reelection, AG Frey Has Taken On Corporate Bad Actors, But Balked At Criminal Justice Reform

Frey, a former Democratic state legislator representing part of Bangor and Orono, became Maine’s 58th attorney general in 2018.