Maine Public Deep Dive

Maine Public’s news and journalism is at the forefront of our mission. The Deep Dive takes listeners, viewers and readers into the heart of important issues, to uniquely Maine destinations, and explores the stories and people of Maine with a distinct reporting lens.

Credit Kevin Bennett / For Maine Public

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For Maine Public

Finding quality, affordable child care is a problem across Maine. For some parents, it's a financial hardship. For others, it means forgoing education or a better job to stay home with the kids. Families aren't the only ones affected. Child care providers, workers and Maine employers are also feeling the pinch. Maine Public's Deep Dive explores the difficulty of accessing affordable, high-quality child care, as well as possible solutions.

Teenagers and young adults in Maine face challenges that are increasingly difficult to navigate. They or someone in their family may struggle with substance use disorder, homelessness or gender identity. There’s the ever-looming issue of trying to pay for college, finding a good-paying job and trying to make good choices when times get tough. In our series “Finding A Way,” Maine Public examines some barriers to success for young people and the resources and opportunities available to keep them on course.

This project is funded with support from the John T. Gorman Foundation.

Central Maine Power says if its transmission project in western Maine is approved, Mainers won’t pay a cent for it — but they will see lower electric bills, among other things.

But there will be winners and losers, and environmentalists have a hard choice to make. On one hand, the proposal would bring low-polluting hydroelectricity into New England, and on the other, it could have serious scenic and environmental consequences.

Reporting on rural and western Maine is decreasing. Most local media outlets have diminished in size, capacity, and reach, to only cover the higher profile stories from Augusta, Portland, Lewiston and Bangor. This shrinking level of coverage widens the gap in what listeners, viewers, and readers know about their fellow Mainers. And the need to connect with our neighbors and understand people everywhere in our state is entirely evident now, more than ever.

This series showcases the best that rural Maine has to offer, while also featuring the stories that show how these communities have challenges unique to each.

The Rural Maine Reporting Project is made possible through the generous support of the Betterment Fund.

Maine's wild fisheries are in flux, but aquaculture is growing fast here. Old ways of farming seafood are adapting to new technologies and jobs are being created. "Aquaculture's Next Wave" visits the cutting edge of aquaculture innovation, from oysters to eels, and its new opportunities and, sometimes, new controversies.

Eviction: Life Unpacked follows the effect of evictions on Maine families headed by single moms and on a disabled retiree, how evictions are handled in Eviction Court, the challenge of getting rental assistance and finding any available rentals for families and, finally, we'll hear from a group of landlords about the challenges they face.