Child welfare ombudsman Christine Alberi concluded her 2024 annual report to lawmakers by saying that more improvement is needed in investigating abuse or neglect claims and in reunifying children with families.
Eric Russell
Staff Writer
Eric Russell has been a general assignment reporter at the Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram since 2012 and has been a journalist in Maine since 2004. Because he doesn’t have a specific geographic or topical area to cover, Eric often is free to roam the state in pursuit of the most interesting stories, whether it’s tackling the big topic of the day or chasing ideas that fall just outside the boundaries of everyday news. His favorite assignments are ones where he can leave the office and meet with people in their homes or their workplaces to talk about their struggles and challenges – and sometimes their triumphs. Or to try and answer complicated questions.
Eric grew up in Southern Maine, went to college at the University of Maine and worked in Bangor for eight years before joining the Press Herald. He lives in Brunswick with his wife, a school teacher, and two daughters.
Posted inBusiness, Local & State, News
Lawsuit over Poland Spring’s ‘natural spring water’ label moves forward
Plaintiffs in several states, including Maine, claim the parent company’s use of ‘100% Natural Spring Water’ is false.
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Posted inLocal & State, News
Is Maine finally turning the tide on overdose deaths? Maybe.
In the first 10 months of 2024, there have been 403 fatal drug overdoses, which puts the state on pace for its lowest annual total since 2019.
Posted inLocal & State, News
Top Maine Republicans renew calls to overhaul child protective services
Republicans leaders in the House and Senate seized on Thursday’s letter of no confidence in the Office of Child and Family Services director to criticize the Mills administration.
Posted inLocal & State, News
Maine child protection workers express no confidence in director
Gov. Janet Mills, however, pushes back on the letter signed by 1 in 5 staff members and criticizes the employees’ union for an ‘extreme approach’ that is not productive.
Posted inLocal & State, News
Rape kit backlog shows how much Maine still lags on investigations
A 3-year, $2.5M grant will allow Cumberland County to inventory as many as 500 untested kits and then investigate and prosecute eligible cases. It remains a statewide problem.
Posted inLocal & State, News, Sports
Lisbon’s football season was derailed by hazing allegations. Here’s how it happened.
The team forfeited the second half of its season after officials began investigating. Seven players were removed from the team.
Posted inHealth, Local & State, News
After 34 years, court oversight of Maine’s mental health services has officially ended
A superior court judge this week approved the state’s petition to dissolve what has come to be known as the AMHI consent decree, which settled a class action lawsuit brought by former patients of Augusta Mental Health Institute.
Posted inLocal & State, News
Remains, artifacts could soon be repatriated to Wabanaki tribes in Maine. It hasn’t always been that easy.
A 1990 federal law requires museums and cultural institutions to inventory remains or items thought to be funerary. But that process is often drawn out and doesn’t always run smoothly.
Posted inVarsity Maine
No charges in what DA calls ‘horseplay’ in Lisbon High School hazing incident
The Androscoggin County prosecutor said he sat down with students and their families multiple times to ensure they had every opportunity to explain what occurred and who was involved.