Maine Calling

Medicare enrollment is currently underway and ends on December 7th . This is the only time of year when more than 290,000 Medicare recipients in Maine can review and make changes to their Medicare coverage. Two experts join us to offer answers to your Medicare Open Enrollment questions--and information on where to get free help. Guests: Jim Baker , volunteer with Southern Maine Area Agency on Aging and a Medicare Open Enrollment expert. Jane Sung from AARP Public Policy Institute

Two legislators from the Joint Select Committee on Marijuana Legalization Implementation describe what they learned about other states’ marijuana regulation and how they formulated Maine’s new rules. Guests: Rep. Teresa Pierce (D-Falmouth) Sen. Mark Dion (D-District 28)

In the aftermath of the storm that left half of Maine without power, several experts join us to offer advice and caution about what to do to recover. From warnings about hidden dangers to tips on home repairs to answers to insurance questions, we'll try to address your storm recovery needs--and we'll share your stories. Guests: Susan Faloon , public information officer with the Maine Emergency Management Agency Tom Hedstrom , founder of Hedstrom Electric , a family-owned and -operated company in

The longtime NPR correspondent joins us to talk about the latest international news, especially the relationship between the United States and Russia. Guests: Corey Flintoff is National Public Radio's former bureau chief in Moscow.

Our panel discusses the changing US-Cuba relationship. We’ll also discuss journalism under an authoritarian regime and how the Trump administration is changing the US policy toward its southern neighbor. Guests: Cristina Escobar , journalist and anchorwoman for Cuba’s state television network. Richard Blanco , poet, public speaker, author and civil engineer and Cuban American. (via ISDN) Allen Wells , Roger Howell, Jr., Professor of History at Bowdoin College, specializing in Latin American

Experts give answers to listener questions about signing up for insurance through the Affordable Care Act. Guests: Julie Rovner , Chief Washington Correspondent. Kaiser Health News Kate Ende , Consumer Assistance Program Manager with Mainers for Affordable Health Care Ashley McCarthy , Health Navigator Program Coordinator, Western Maine Community Action Joanne Rawlings-Sekunda , Director, Consumer Health Care Division, Maine Bureau of Insurance

Ballot Issue 1 on the November ballot reads: “An Act To Allow Slot Machines or a Casino in York County. Do you want to allow a certain company to operate table games and/or slot machines in York County, subject to state and local approval, with part of the profits going to the specific programs described in the initiative?” Our panelists debate the pros and cons of the ballot measure. Rep. Louis “Louie” Luchini is serving his fourth term in the Maine House of Representatives, representing

Ballot Issue 2 on the November ballot reads: “An Act To Enhance Access to Affordable Health Care. Do you want Maine to expand Medicaid to provide healthcare coverage for qualified adults under age 65 with incomes at or below 138% of the federal poverty level, which in 2017 means $16,643 for a single person and $22,412 for a family of two?” Our panelists debate the pros and cons of the ballot measure. Guests: Garrett Martin , Executive Director of Maine Center for Economic Progress Brent

For many people, when they hear the term 'co-op' they think of the local food store or maybe one of the lobster co-ops that dot the coast. But Maine has co-ops of all sizes and types in the retail, agriculture, fisheries, manufacturing, housing, financial services and other sectors. October is Co-op Month, so Maine Calling asks “What is a co-op?” and examines the role of co-ops in Maine Guests: Rob Brown - Cooperative Development Institute, Director of Business Ownership Solutions program David

Broadcasting from Houlton High School: What factors lead to the health or decline of rural towns in Maine? We learn about efforts to boost rural economies through education, greater access to services—from health care to broadband—and through smart use of the natural resources and assets that these communities already have. Guests: Kristen Wells , former executive director, Aroostook Aspirations Initiative Chris Anderson , president, The F. A. Peabody Company based in Houlton, working in the