To honor veterans, many legislators seek to bypass a ban on new memorials in a section of the National Mall in Washington.
Steve Collins
Columnist
Steve Collins became an opinion columnist for the Maine Trust for Local News in April of 2025. A journalist since 1987, Steve has worked for daily newspapers in New York, Connecticut and Maine and served as the State House reporter for the Sun Journal since 2016. The Maine Press Association named him Maine's Journalist of the Year in 2022. Among his other awards are the Society of Professional Journalists’ 2016 Ethics in Journalism Award, the I.F. Stone Whistle-Blower Award in 2015 and the Bob Wallack Community Journalism Award from the New England Newspaper & Press Association. Steve is a founder and board president of Youth Journalism International, a charity that teaches students around the globe about news writing, media literacy and issues of the day. His wife, Jackie Majerus, serves as its executive director. Born in Massachusetts, he grew up in a military family that took him to Norway, Ohio and Virginia, where he earned a degree in history from the University of Virginia. He and Jackie live in Auburn. They have two adult children, two collies and not enough time.
Posted inLocal & State
Up, up and no way: Maine law bans release of latex balloons
Legislators back ban on release of latex balloons in Maine in bid to protect wildlife and prevent litter.
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Posted inBusiness, Local & State, News
State pulls licenses from Lewiston cremation business after finding improperly handled remains
Affordable Cremation Solutions loses its licenses for 30 days pending a hearing before the state Board of Funeral Services on July 13.
Posted inBusiness, Local & State
Legislators weighing whether to ban consumer fireworks in Maine
Officials hope to find a compromise that would impose more restrictions in a bid to lower the volume of fireworks-related complaints.
Posted inBusiness, Lewiston-Auburn, Local & State
State fixes glitch in liquor law overlooked for 45 years before sellers feel the pinch
When regulators discovered a problem overlooked for half a century, state legislators rushed to rewrite the statute before it hurt Maine’s hospitality businesses.
Posted inLocal & State
Hot and dry weather create drought conditions in Maine
Water levels in the reservoirs and rivers are low, some days at historically paltry levels, and officials are beginning to worry.
Posted inBusiness, Lewiston-Auburn, Local & State, Politics
Proposal to extend passenger rail into Androscoggin County picks up steam among state legislators
Bills to fund studies of service to Lewiston, Bangor and more are moving toward approval and could lay groundwork for federal aid down the tracks.
Posted inElections, Local & State, Politics
Oakland Republican jumps into 2nd Congressional District race
Michael Perkins hopes to unseat two-term U.S. Rep. Jared Golden, a Lewiston Democrat, in the 2022 political contest.
Posted inHealth, Local & State
Yes, there really is more pollen, thanks to climate change
A new Maine study calls rising pollen levels a public health threat as respiratory problems worsen.
Posted inLocal & State, Politics
Troy Jackson seeks transparency for online news sites trying to influence elections
The Allagash Democrat said sites that masquerade as news organizations ought to include a disclaimer so people know who paid to put them online.