Susan Sharon
Deputy News Director Susan Sharon is a reporter and editor whose on-air career in public radio began as a student at the University of Montana. Early on, she also worked in commercial television doing a variety of jobs. Susan first came to Maine Public Radio as a State House reporter whose reporting focused on politics, labor and the environment. More recently she's been covering corrections, social justice and human interest stories. Her work, which has been recognized by SPJ, SEJ, PRNDI and the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, has taken her all around the state — deep into the woods, to remote lakes and ponds, to farms and factories and to the Maine State Prison. Over the past two decades, she's contributed more than 100 stories to NPR.
Got a story idea? E-mail Susan: ssharon@mainepublic.org. You can also follow her on twitter @susansharon1
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Battle Over South Portland Tar Sands Ordinance Not Over YetWhen South Portland Mayor Jerry Jalbert announced the 6-1 vote to approve a measure that will block the loading of raw crude, including Canadian tar...
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The state could elect the nation's first openly gay governor this fall. But Mike Michaud only recently came out, and some question whether he deserves the backing of Maine's largest gay rights group. -
Say the word "formaldehyde" and you can practically smell it. The pungent preservative is associated with everything from nail polish and hair… -
Benzodiazepines like Xanax and Valium are among the most widely prescribed drugs in the U.S. Patients and addicts often mix them with prescription painkillers — sometimes to deadly effect. -
In some states, the overdose antidote known as Narcan is becoming more popular among law enforcement. Not the state of Maine; that state's governor is opposing a bill that would put Narcan in the hands of more first-responders. -
Lots of New England towns have taken non-binding votes against tar sands oil, but residents of South Portland, Maine, are about to take a vote that could matter. They are considering an ordinance designed to prevent their port from being used to export tar sands to world markets via an existing pipeline that connects Maine to Montreal.
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Two hundred residents of the small city of Lewiston, Maine, are homeless after a series of dramatic fires downtown. On three different nights, neighbors have been awaked by smoke and flames as old wooden apartment buildings were engulfed. Susan Sharon reports a pair of arrests after the first two fires has done nothing to ease people's fears.
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In Maine, an unusual and historic process is under way to document child welfare practices that once resulted in Indian children being forcibly removed from their homes. Many of the native children were placed with white foster parents. Chiefs from all five of Maine's tribes, along with Gov. Paul LePage, have created a Truth and Reconciliation Commission to help heal the wounds.
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The race for the state's open U.S. Senate seat has been dominated by three things: an independent former governor, third-party spending and a barrage of negative television ads. Among the casualties of the campaign have been the candidates' positions on the issues. -
Scientists have found that the aquatic birds are good indicators of toxins in the environment. That's why researchers have taken to the waters of western Maine for what's believed to be the longest-running loon monitoring study in North America.
