The state plans to apply for a federal waiver that would eliminate a ban on using Medicaid dollars to pay for care at substance use disorder treatment facilities with more than 16 beds.
Eric Russell
Staff Writer
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 since 2004. 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. 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.
Posted inMaine, Politics
Mills administration will increase supplemental food stamp benefit for working Mainers
The monthly amount for those who work 30 hours per week, or 20 hours if they have a small child, will jump from $15 to $50, paid for with federal funds that went unspent by the LePage administration.
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Posted inMaine, Schools and Education
Should Maine students have to learn cursive? Some lawmakers think so.
A public hearing was held Thursday on Rep. Heidi Sampson’s bill to require cursive instruction in grades 3-5 of Maine public schools.
Posted inBusiness, Maine, News, Politics
In business, requirement for paid sick time a source of healthy debate
Some see a proposed state mandate as contributing to a more productive and stable work force, while others decry the burden of cost, especially when profit margins are ‘very thin.’
Posted inMaine, News
Aroostook County woman makes her case for medication-assisted treatment in jail
Brenda Smith hasn’t had a relapse for five years but says she fears that stopping her medication could affect her long-term recovery from opioid use disorder.
Posted inMaine
Maine had fewer overdose deaths in 2018 but opioid epidemic remains a ‘public health crisis’
Attorney General Aaron Frey released a report Friday estimating there were 376 drug overdose deaths in Maine last year.
Posted inHealth, Maine, Politics
‘Time for our state to recover’: Mills signs order to combat opioid crisis
The governor orders the purchase of 35,000 doses of overdose-reversing naloxone; integration of medication-assisted treatment into the criminal justice system; and creation of a statewide network of 250 recovery coaches.
Posted inMaine, News, Sports
Trevor Bates’ altercation with police baffles his supporters
Questions haunt last weekend’s arrest of a former UMaine football standout from Westbrook who has been playing in the NFL.
Posted inMaine, News
Gov. Mills shifts the tone in tackling Maine’s opioid crisis
The Democratic governor has made addressing the epidemic one of her top priorities. Her ideas are likely to be vastly different from her predecessor’s.
Posted inHealth, Maine, News
Mills picks longtime lobbyist for doctors to lead Maine’s response to opioid crisis
Gordon Smith, executive vice president of the Maine Medical Association since 1993, will coordinate state efforts to combat an epidemic that persists in communities across the state.