Maine

It has been nearly a month since most public schools in Maine returned to some from of classroom instruction, adapting to an array of restrictions, hybrid schedules and mask requirements.

Maine Calling is now airing live at a new time: 11 a.m.-noon, Monday-Friday. Our evening rebroadcast remains at 7 p.m.

Secretary Dunlap returns to discuss the state’s new absentee ballot tracking service, the latest on ranked-choice voting and election integrity. We expect Sen. Angus King to join us to discuss election security measures and why the public should not expect to know the outcome of the presidential race on election night.

This show is part of our coverage of topics relating to Maine's bicentennial.

In this last installment of our series on Maine history, we examine Maine's evolution in the latter half of the 20th century through September 11, 2001. How did Maine influence national politics, with leaders such as Margaret Chase Smith, Ed Muskie and George Mitchell? How did Maine’s economy and demographics change?

When Maine became a state in 1820, it inherited a vast land from Massachusetts. Two hundred years ago today, three men assigned by Maine's first governor, William King, were on a special expedition.

Each week, tens of millions of Americans listen to podcasts. And there are more than 800,000 active podcasts and 54 million podcasts episodes out there for the listening. Depending on who you ask, podcasting has been around in one form or another for decades. We’ll discuss just what is a podcast, how they are created, and offer suggestions on how to find podcasts you’ll want to listen to.

Our panel of editorial page editors returns to discuss the latest news making Maine headlines—from the closely contested and hugely expensive U.S. Senate race between Susan Collins and Sara Gideon, to Collins' role in the controversy over filling Justice Ginsburg's Supreme Court seat, to the latest on the pandemic in Maine.

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused most people more stress and anxiety — and sometimes the emotional and mental toll can be overwhelming. The Centers for Disease Control found that suicidal thoughts and behavior have risen sharply during the pandemic, especially among younger people, essential workers and racial minorities. September is Suicide Prevention Awareness month, and we discuss how to know when someone needs help, and how to connect them to that help.

Although Maine is still doing well in terms of COVID-19 cases relative to other states, recent case numbers are on the upswing. We'll hear from Nirav Shah, director, Maine CDC, about the recent surge of cases in York County and how the state is dealing with the pandemic, including contact tracing, enforcement of guidelines, increased testing and more. We'll also discuss how Dr. Shah is planning to stem the spread of the virus through the months ahead. And, as always, he'll take listener questions about the coronavirus and its effects on Mainers.