His recusal effectively halts review of a controversial contract between Nestle Waters and Fryeburg Water.
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 inNews
Public Utilities Commission chairman not recusing himself
Approval of the terms of a 25-year contract with Nestle Waters North America is in jeopardy because all three PUC commissioners and the state’s public advocate have ties to Nestle.
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Posted inNation & World, News
Vaccine illegally exported to Syria not used to create biological weapons, say experts
Maine Biological Laboratories of Winslow shipped 14 million doses of its vaccine for Newcastle disease to a Syrian company in 2001 and early 2002.
Posted inNation & World, News
Winslow lab’s illegal shipments may have helped Syria
Maine Biological Laboratories, of Winslow, may have helped Syrian dictator Bashar Assad build his biological-weapons capability when it illegally shipped vaccines containing an avian flu virus to Syria in 2001 and early 2002.
Posted inNews
Schools experience few problems getting new computers
School officials in Maine are applauding the speedy roll-out of the new laptops and tablets.
Posted inNews
For regulators and Nestle Waters, conflict by the gallon
All three PUC commissioners and Maine’s public advocate have ties to Poland Spring’s parent company, which is seeking a 25-year contract.
Posted inNews
More dam relicensing slips past Maine’s DEP
The agency misses deadlines and loses its say on five water-control projects, but says the impact will be ‘zero.’
Posted inBusiness, News
MaineHealth head offers views on care
As MaineHealth goes through a transition period of consolidation and cost-saving measures, its CEO and president, Bill Caron, answers questions about the company and the health care industry as a whole.
Posted inNews
Maine’s pulp, paper industry supports DEP proposal to relax anti-smog regulations
The Maine Pulp and Paper Association says the existing laws put the industry at a disadvantage. The DEP says a change in the law will benefit plants converting to natural gas.
Posted inNews
DEP calls for weakening of Maine smog regulations
Critics say the changes would remove Maine from a regional effort to control cross-border pollution.