Agent Orange and other powerful herbicides were used near the Gagetown military base in New Brunswick starting in the 1960s.
Joe Lawlor
Staff Writer
Joe Lawlor writes about health and human services for the Press Herald. A 24-year newspaper veteran, Lawlor has worked in Ohio, Michigan and Virginia before relocating to Maine in 2013 to join the Press Herald. He is still considered “from away” but since then, he has learned what a “dooryard” is, eaten “whoopie pies” drank Moxie and boiled some “lobstahs.” The stories he enjoys most are when he learns something and meeting inspiring people.
He lives in South Portland - aka “SoPo” - with his wife, Melanie, and two school-age children.
Posted inMaine, Politics
Mills moves to update yellow flag law, expand gun sale background checks
Gun reform activists say the governor’s proposals don’t go far enough to address gun violence.
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Posted inMaine, News
Pandemic-era rules to ease access to common substance abuse treatment are made permanent
The rules make it easier for patients to take the opioid use disorder drug at home rather than having to travel to a designated clinic.
Posted inMaine, Politics
Sen. King enters the witty lane to defend humorous highway signs
King wrote U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and asked him to pump the brakes on any attempt to discourage the roadside puns and pop culture references posted by Maine and other states to encourage safe driving.
Posted inMaine, Politics
In shift, committee votes to study Maine rental assistance proposal
Lawmakers transform a bill that would have created a program into one establishing a 15-member commission to study the issue over the next year.
Posted inMaine
Family of Valentine’s Day bandit launching charitable foundation
The daughter of the late Kevin Fahrman is honoring her father’s wishes of keeping the details secret, but is organizing a fundraiser to support a new foundation in his memory.
Posted inHealth, Maine, News
Loophole leaves Maine patients vulnerable to hefty ambulance fees
Despite knowing how the system works, an employee of the state’s largest insurance carrier still couldn’t avoid thousands of dollars in out-of-network bills.
Posted inMaine, Maine Crime
Maine’s yellow flag law has been invoked nearly once a day since Lewiston mass shooting
Before the tragic events of Oct. 25, the process to take guns away from those who pose a threat had been used infrequently. Some say reforms could make the law stronger.
Posted inMaine, Maine Crime
Drug overdose deaths declined by 16% in Maine in 2023
It was the first year-over-year decline since 2018.
Posted inBusiness, Health, Maine, Politics
Task force calls for reforms to regulate hidden hospital fees
A group, formed in response to a Press Herald investigation, recommends changes to Maine law to address often confusing and frustrating hospital billing practices.