Faced with the threat of COVID-19, the college plans to hold a virtual graduation ceremony online instead May 31.
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 Journalistsโ 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.
Bates professor partners with Colby, Bowdoin to print coronavirus protective gear
Personnel at Bates, Colby and Bowdoin colleges are working together to use 3-D printers to make visors for face shields needed by medical staff and first responders.
COVID-19 closes hot spot for campaigning, but politicians remember
U.S. Sen. Susan Collins cites Simones’ Hot Dog Stand, a Lewiston landmark since 1908, as a reason for federal COVID-19 help for small businesses.
Maine hospitals face financial crunch but remain focused on coronavirus crisis
The state’s hospitals have seen revenues dip by 50% in recent days because they shifted from normal services to preparing for a surge of COVID-19 patients.
Maine congressional race turns hot after Trump scorches an Eric Brakey ally
Adrienne Bennett and Dale Crafts, challenging Brakey in Maine congressional primary, tie him to a Republican congressman Trump said should be thrown out of the GOP.
Eric Brakey denounces $2.2 trillion relief bill as a ‘rotten deal for the American people’
Eric Brakey is alone among the three Republicans in Maine’s 2nd District congressional primary in rejecting the compromise bill that won unanimous backing in the U.S. Senate.
Masks and other protective gear running short at Central Maine Medical Center
Like many of its counterparts, Central Maine Medical Center is ‘conserving our resources’ to ensure it has masks, gloves and more for healthcare workers dealing the coronavirus.
Republican congressional contenders clash over appropriate campaigning during emergency
Adrienne Bennett accused Eric Brakey of putting elderly and sick at risk from COVID-19 by knocking on doors in a bid to gain more 2nd District votes.
Central Maine colleges, universities still have students living on campus amid outbreak
When coronavirus fears closed campuses, some had nowhere else to go.
Food bank calls on Mainers to stop hoarding
Good Shepherd president says hoarders are ‘creating a crisis’ by snatching up months’ worth of food and emptying out grocery stores.