Beacon Podcast

Cate Blackford interviews State Representative Cheryl Golek on her work on the Joint Special Committee on Housing, her proposal for a state housing voucher program and other ways to address rising rents and an increasing lack of affordable housing in Maine. Ask a question or leave a comment for a future show at (207) 619-3182.…

The post Podcast: Creative solutions to Maine’s housing problems, with Rep. Cheryl Golek first appeared on Maine Beacon.

Esther, Cate and Ben recap and unpack this Tuesday’s election results, from town councils to statewide referenda to national trends. Plus: how to massage a shiba inu. Ask a question or leave a comment for a future show at (207) 619-3182. Subscribe to the podcast feed using any podcasting app or subscribe on Apple Podcasts.

The post Podcast: Homeless sweeps, electric rates, abortion rights and Britney Spears first appeared on Maine Beacon.

Beacon reporter Dan Neumann joins the podcast this week to discuss the prospects of gun safety reform at the state and federal levels following the mass killing in Lewiston. Dan, Nora Flaherty-Stanford and Esther Pew also provide a record 9 rays of hope for a difficult week. Ask a question or leave a comment for…

The post Podcast: What’s possible on gun reform in Maine and some extra rays of hope first appeared on Maine Beacon.

Note: This podcast episode was recorded prior to Wednesday’s shootings in Lewiston. This week on the podcast, Cate, Esther and Ben discuss the four citizen-initiated referendums and four constitutional amendments that are on the November 7 ballot. Ask a question or leave a comment for a future show at (207) 619-3182. Subscribe to the podcast…

The post Podcast: Everything you need to know about all eight ballot questions first appeared on Maine Beacon.

A panel of advocates for reproductive and abortion rights join the podcast this week to discuss new laws going into effect in Maine on October 25th and January 1st and where Maine and the nation stand in the wake of the Dobbs decision. Esther Pew is joined by Nicole Clegg, CEO of Planned Parenthood Maine…

The post Podcast: Maine’s moment to stand for reproductive freedom first appeared on Maine Beacon.

This week on the Beacon podcast, Ben Chin interviews former host and current state senator Mike Tipping on a range of new laws going into effect from the legislative session this year and the process of the Agricultural Worker Minimum Wage Committee, created by Governor Janet Mills after she vetoed a bill to pay farmworkers…

The post Podcast: The minimum wage doesn’t apply for farmworkers in Maine, but it may soon first appeared on Maine Beacon.

This week on the Beacon podcast, two interviews highlight the range and depth of organizing. Ben Chin interviews Analilia Mejia, co-director of the Center for Popular Democracy and former political director for Bernie Sanders, among many other roles, while Esther Pew sits down with two Maine activists, Scott Harriman and Gracia Bintu, after they had…

The post Podcast: Creating change, from the grassroots to the halls of power first appeared on Maine Beacon.

This week on the podcast, we revisit a panel discussion Maine People’s Alliance Senior Organizer Esther Pew hosted one year ago featuring Senior Vice President of Public Affairs of Planned Parenthood of Northern New England Nicole Clegg, Maine AFL-CIO President Cynthia Phinney and Maine Women’s Lobby Executive Director Destie Hohman Sprague. They discuss what full…

The post Podcast: Revisiting a conversation on Women’s Equality Day first appeared on Maine Beacon.

Chris Smalls, president of the Amazon Labor Union, joins Esther, Ben and Cate to discuss working, organizing and policy at the state and federal level. Ask a question or leave a comment for a future show at (207) 619-3182 or by writing to [email protected] Subscribe to the podcast using any podcasting app or subscribe on…

The post Podcast: Chris Smalls of the Amazon Labor Union on how to organize in Maine first appeared on Maine Beacon.

Writer Andy O’Brien joins the podcast this week to discuss the neo-Nazi group attempting to create a base in Maine, the state’s history on race and extremism, and how Mainers can confront the threat these groups represent without giving them the attention they seek. Ask a question or leave a comment for a future show…

The post Podcast: Is the extreme right a threat in Maine and how should we deal with them? first appeared on Maine Beacon.