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 for 13 years. 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: How does a woman die alone in a Wells mobile home without anyone knowing for 2.5 years? How does a convicted rapist from Massachusetts disappear before his sentencing and then live quietly in Gorham for 34 years before being caught? How does a husband in Bath respond when his wife develops early-onset Alzheimer’s disease? 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.
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PublishedApril 4, 2017
In fight against opioids, prevention’s crucial but often overlooked
Advocates say more study and more investment are needed to stop heroin and other addictive drugs from ever taking hold.
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PublishedApril 3, 2017
Maine lobsterman denied bail in federal manslaughter case
Christopher Hutchinson, 28, of Cushing is charged with seaman’s manslaughter in the deaths two crewmen in 2014.
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PublishedMarch 31, 2017
Fragile recovery: Shannon Long’s story illustrates how difficult sobriety can be
The up-and-down journey, marked by the ever-present risk and reality of relapse, means opioid addicts who want to quit – like this 24-year-old mother from western Maine – face a grueling, sometimes lifelong battle.
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PublishedMarch 30, 2017
Treatment dilemma: No consensus on cure as demand for it explodes
In addition to woefully inadequate treatment resources to meet exploding demand in Maine, there is tension, too, among providers and policymakers over the best way to beat an opioid addiction.
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PublishedMarch 28, 2017
Two midcoast businessmen plan to sue state over cap on opioid painkiller doses
A new DHHS rule is aimed at reducing addiction, but the long-term users with chronic pain say they need strong medication to function and do their jobs.
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PublishedMarch 28, 2017
Disease or bad behavior: Does addiction call for compassion or punishment?
Drugs with the power to disorient a user’s moral compass create a fundamental split in how addicts are perceived, and the difference trickles into the public policy and resources meant to combat the crisis. Meanwhile, as the societal response wavers, people are dying.
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PublishedMarch 27, 2017
Families hit hard: For some caught in crisis, tragedies multiply
Because addiction is driven largely by genetic and environmental factors, overdoses can strike the same home twice, compounding the sense of grief and shame that is common among the epidemic’s survivors.
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PublishedMarch 26, 2017
Opioids rewire – and take control of – the brain
From its initial use, heroin alters chemical processes in the nervous system and makes the agony of withdrawal an overwhelming deterrent to quitting.
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PublishedMarch 26, 2017
A deadly epidemic: Addiction to opioids has put an entire generation at risk
The grisly trend – fatalities from drug overdoses in Maine reached an all-time high in 2016 – only seems to be getting worse, prompting one caregiver to lament: ‘Where is the outrage?’ This 10-part examination lays out the ramifications of the crisis, mining answers from the human toll by telling the stories of those we’ve lost.
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PublishedMarch 18, 2017
Former U.S. attorney for Maine reflects on his sudden ouster
Thomas Delahanty says he knew his time as the state’s top federal lawyer would soon be over when Donald Trump was elected, but the way it was handled caught him a bit off guard.
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