Patty Wight

News Producer
  • Maine Public

Patty is a graduate of the University of Vermont and a multiple award-winning reporter for Maine Public Radio. Her specialty is health coverage: from policy stories to patient stories, physical health to mental health and anything in between. Patty joined Maine Public Radio in 2012 after producing stories as a freelancer for NPR programs such as Morning Edition and All Things Considered. She got hooked on radio at the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies in Portland, Maine, and hasn’t looked back ever since.

Ways to Connect

Maine AG Joins Lawsuit Against Trump Administration's New 'Public Charge' Rule

By • Aug 16, 2019

Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey has joined four other state attorneys general in a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration's new "public charge" rule that makes it harder for immigrants to get green cards and become citizens.

Asylum Seekers Leave Expo As Deadline To Vacate Hits

By • Aug 15, 2019
Patty Wight / Maine Public

Officials in Portland say they will meet the Thursday deadline to vacate the Expo Center, which has served as a makeshift emergency shelter for the nearly 450 asylum seekers who have arrived in the city since the beginning of June.

Advocates: New Trump Rule Makes Getting Citizenship Harder For Immigrants

By • Aug 12, 2019

A new Trump administration rule will likely make it harder for immigrants, who are in the U.S. legally and who use public assistance, to become citizens.

Deering Students Sign Letter Defending School After Reports Of An 'Unsafe Climate'

By • Aug 8, 2019
Patty Wight / Maine Public

Students and staff at Deering High in Portland are pushing back against a public perception that the school has safety issues. Earlier this week, the Portland Press Herald reported that Deering is seeing a dramatic drop in enrollment for the incoming 9th grade class, driven in part by concerns among some in the community that the climate there is unsafe. But more than 120 Deering students have signed a letter defending their school.

Portland Looks For More Host Families For Asylum Seekers, As Deadline To Leave Expo Looms

By • Aug 6, 2019
Julie Pike / Maine Public

With a deadline approaching to move recently arrived asylum seekers out of the Portland Expo, support organizations are seeking more host families to provide temporary housing.

Portland Schools Investigating Enrollment Shift

By • Aug 5, 2019

The superintendent of Portland Public Schools says he’s working to address a drop in enrollment at Deering High School and a corresponding spike across town at Portland High School.

Maine Health Advocates React To Trump Administration's Prescription Drug Import Announcement

By • Aug 1, 2019
Getty Images via NPR

Maine Democrats and health advocates are praising an announcement Wednesday from the Trump administration that it will explore ways to import cheaper prescription drugs from Canada.

Planned Parenthood Urges Congress To Reverse New Rules That Restrict Access To Abortion

By • Jul 31, 2019
Patty Wight / Maine Public

Planned Parenthood of Northern New England is calling on Congress to take action to reverse a new federal rule that restricts access to abortions.

Report: Number Of Abused and Neglected Maine Children Rose Last Year

By • Jul 30, 2019

More than 2,600 Maine children were abused in 2018, according to a report published this month by the state’s Child Protective Services. That’s a nearly 25 percent increase from the year before, but officials say the higher number is not surprising.

New Initiative Will Train More Maine Nurses To Treat Patients Who Have Been Sexually Assaulted

By • Jul 26, 2019
Patty Wight / Maine Public

When a person goes to the hospital after being sexually assaulted, they require special care. Not only to treat their physical injuries, but to collect evidence and provide appropriate emotional support.

IDEXX CEO Suffers Severe Spinal Cord Injury After Bicycle Crash

By • Jul 24, 2019

The CEO of the Westbrook-based company Idexx Laboratories announced Wednesday that he suffered a severe spinal cord injury in a cycling accident last month. Jon Ayers is expected to be in rehab for three to five months.

Maine CDC Confirms Case Of Tick-Borne Powassan Virus

By • Jul 24, 2019
AP Photo

The Maine Center For Disease Control (CDC) has confirmed another case of the tick-borne virus Powassan.

Thousands Of Maine Families Could Be Ineligible Under Proposed Food Stamp Rules

By • Jul 24, 2019
USDA Flickr

The Trump administration’s proposed new regulations for the SNAP food stamp program announced Tuesday would likely render thousands of Maine families ineligible for the benefit, according to a local low-income advocacy group.

Julio Carrillo Pleads Guilty To Murder In Death Of Stepdaughter, 10

By • Jul 22, 2019
Patty Wight / Maine Public

The stepfather of 10-year-old Marissa Kennedy pleaded guilty in Waldo County Superior Court on Monday to her murder.

Bacteria Legionella Detected In Orono-Veazie Water District

By • Jul 20, 2019

As part of its investigation into a cluster of Legionnaires' disease cases in the greater Bangor area, the Maine Center for Disease Control has found detectable levels of the bacteria Legionella in the Orono-Veazie water district.

Pages