November 16, 1965 Story by Colin Woodard, Staff Writer Photos by Gabe Souza / Staff Photographer The headstone for Peter Francis sits in a small graveyard on the Pleasant Point reservation Down East. When his slaying in 1965 failed to result in any murder warrants being served, it became “a turning point in … Indian […]
Colin Woodard
Colin Woodard is the Press Herald’s State and National Affairs Writer, and is often at work on large investigative projects. Born in Waterville and raised in western Maine, he was a foreign correspondent for two decades, reported from more than fifty countries on all seven continents, and witnessed the collapse of communism and its bloody aftermath in Eastern Europe and the Balkans. He’s written five books, including histories of Maine (The Lobster Coast), North America’s rival regional cultures (American Nations) and the Golden Age Pirates (Republic of Pirates), which was turned into a quickly forgotten NBC mini-series starring John Malkovich as Blackbeard. Since joining the Press Herald in 2012, he’s won a George Polk Award and was a finalist for the 2016 Pulitzer Prize in Explanatory Reporting. He used to be an avid sailor and SCUBA diver, but with small kids at home, his hobbies now include sleeping and picking up toys.
Posted inChapters, Unsettled
A simmering conflict, stoked by alcohol, erupts
November 14, 1965 Story by Colin Woodard, Staff Writer Photos by Gabe Souza / Staff Photographer Violence broke out in November 1965 in the yard outside Christy Altvater’s house, above, located just outside the Pleasant Point reservation. Two Passamaquoddy Indians were left badly beaten, one of them fatally. Photo by Gabe Souza/Staff Photographer The Altvater […]
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Posted inChapters, Unsettled
White men from out of state come hunting for girls
November 14, 1965 Story by Colin Woodard, Staff Writer Photos by Gabe Souza / Staff Photographer Captured in the early morning through the aperture of a pinhole camera recently, this stretch of road leads into Pleasant Point Indian Reservation, where a menacing situation developed late in 1965, when out-of-state hunters clashed with the native residents. […]
Posted inChapters, Unsettled
An unlikely handshake alters the course of Maine’s history
May 19, 1964 Story by Colin Woodard, Staff Writer Photos by Gabe Souza / Staff Photographer Traditions and trials have been a part of Indian life in Maine for as long as members of the Passamaquoddy tribe, like this elder at Indian Township, can remember. Their ancestors found sustenance in this corner of the world […]
Posted inNews
Ex-finance director pleads not guilty to stealing from Maine tribe
Charles Fourcloud, 59, makes his initial appearance in federal court in Bangor on charges that he stole more than $15,000 by submitting false expense claims.
Posted inNews
Judge voids ruling by Maine’s Aho in wind farm case, says it ‘had no rational basis’
The court decision adds to criticism that the actions of Patricia Aho, Maine’s environmental chief, frequently benefit her former employer’s clients.
Posted inNews
Lawmakers plan to keep close watch on Maine DEP
They’ll work to tighten oversight of the department after the Press Herald uncovered failures, but don’t expect to investigate its commissioner.
Posted inNews, Politics
Washington County residents have mixed reactions to plan to eliminate taxes
Maine’s poorest county has struggled for years, and some wonder whether the FreeME proposal from the Maine Heritage Policy Center is the answer to overcoming poverty and boosting population.
Posted inNews
Probe continues into Maine tribe’s ex-finance director
Charles Fourcloud’s past as a convicted embezzler resulted in his dismissal at Pleasant Point.
Posted inNews
Maine legislators try to end missed dam deadlines
A bill would tighten oversight of the DEP when it comes to dam relicensing to keep the state from losing its say on water levels.