Story Archives of 'Maine'

The agency in Maine that runs Amtrak’s Downeaster is facing a looming financial crisis.

For years, millions of dollars in federal money has helped pay for the train’s operation. But next year the federal money will run out to the tune of millions of dollars a year.

Downeaster managers hope New Hampshire might make up some of the loss - a possibility that state policymakers say is unlikely.

New Hampshire Public Radio’s David Darman has more.

When the residents of Saco, Maine, discovered the body of a dead 20 year old woman tied up and floating in the river, they dubbed her "Mary Bean" and opened up a murder investigation. The year was 1850, and the much-publicized case unearthed issues that were as pertinent to the time as they are to our modern age. Mary Bean had died of a botched abortion, and her doctor was charged with murder. We'll hear the whole story and what it reveals about the US as it first began to grapple with issues of urbanization, mass media and discrimination.

Our guest is Elizabeth A. De Wolfe, author of the new book The Murder of Mary Bean and Other Stories. She's chair of the History Department at the University of New England.

You can read more about Dr. De Wolfe's work here and here.

Baby bottles, toys and other items used by very young children may contain a potentially dangerous chemical.

That's according to some scientific studies.

Other scientists say that's not so, and a debate is about to break out in Maine's legislature.

Some lawmakers there want to ban sales of items that contain the suspect chemical, called bisphenol-A.

Maine Public Radio's Fred Bever reports.

It's not easy for all high school students to move on to college.

Some are held back by money, some by a lack of education.

But over in Maine, lawmakers have introduced legislation that aims to help more graduates make it to the next step.

Maine Public Radio's Murray Carpenter reports.

In 2004, according to Maine's Department of Environmental Protection, biomass boilers in that state burned more than 300 thousand tons of construction and demolition debris, or C and D.

In 2005, nearly 150 thousand tons of C and D lumber were sent to Maine for burning from other parts of New England, including New Hampshire.

The businesses that turn the waste into watts say they are making green electricty from wood that would otherwise rot in a landfill.

Opponents of burning c and d argue the process releases toxic chemicals into the air and water.

To find out how the waste is handled, Maine Public Radio's Sara Nics recently visited a sorting and burning site and she filed this report.