For Sexual Assault Awareness Month in April 2013, BDN Newsroom Administrator Natalie Feulner and Editorial Page Editor Erin Rhoda took 40 hours of training to become advocates for victims of sexual assault. The training was provided by Rape Response Services, a subsidiary of Penquis in Bangor, to ready volunteers to meet victims at the hospital […]
Tag Archives: Opinion
Encouraging change of mind on drug testing welfare recipients
Drug Abuse Maine FocusEditorials by design, are meant to encourage change. This particular one regarding a welfare drug-test bill, LD 678, was no different. The bill ultimately failed, but not before the BDN’s editorial department took a stab persuading lawmakers to give it a thumbs down. We felt Maine lawmakers needed to stop creating bills that would require […]
What will build a workforce for Maine’s future?
Growing Maine's Economy Maine FocusA number of efforts are already underway in Maine to build a workforce ready to take on the jobs of Maine’s economic future. The Democratic majority made the state’s workforce a key issue of this year’s legislative session, assigning a special legislative committee the task of developing legislation aimed at strengthening the state’s workforce. The […]
Demographics are destiny for Maine’s workforce
Growing Maine's Economy Maine FocusDemographics, as economists say, is destiny. Maine’s destiny is bleak. In many counties, deaths outnumber births. Young people are leaving. Those that stay in Maine are, generally, less educated. Manufacturing jobs are drying up and not being replaced. If Maine wants to reverse this trend of economic decline and stagnation, it must adopt innovative policies […]