WINTHROP — For Denise Altvater, time in the child welfare system created a legacy of trauma in her family, just as it did for thousands of other American Indian families.

AUGUSTA — George Speck had 20 minutes between classes at the University of Maine at Augusta, so he walked to his car in the rear of the parking lot, put his books in the back and sat in the driver’s seat.

AUGUSTA — First there were the weeks of travel, family gatherings and parties, topped off with kisses to ring in the new year. Adults have since returned to work and children to school.

AUGUSTA — The Family Violence Project carefully tracks the number of victims it serves, but just as important is something that can’t be counted: abuse averted by education and prevention efforts.

AUGUSTA — The mismatch between existing and future jobs in Maine, and the workers willing and able to do them, applies across many fields, from hospitality to advanced manufacturing.

AUGUSTA — In an elementary school classroom in central Maine this year, one girl has destroyed several books, ripped charts off the walls and thrown shoes at a classmate.

AUGUSTA — It wasn’t yet noon when a volunteer at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church scraped the bottom of the steam table pan of mashed potatoes.

FARMINGDALE — Where once a historic mansion perched above Maine Avenue, a modern bank building has sunk its roots deep into the ground.