Let's Connect

Andrew Clark (Transit Program Manager) and Teagan Betori (Communications Specialist) discuss plans to bring a rapid transit line connecting Gorham, Westbrook, and Portland.

Siobhán Brett (PPH Opinion Editor) shares her story of how she landed in Maine and talks about what issues are top of mind for Mainers.

Rebecca Hatfield (President & CEO of Avesta Housing) and Kevin Bunker (Founder & Principal of Developers Collaborative) discuss the barriers they face and opportunities they see as they work to create more affordable housing.

Bob Greene (former Associated Press journalist and Maine historian) and Pedro Vazquez (Chair of the South Portland Human Rights Commission) share their stories and discuss Black history, racial equity efforts in Maine, and Juneteenth.

Most of Maine's newspapers, including The Portland Press Herald, the Forecaster, and the Lakes Region Weekly, are up for sale. What does this mean for the future of local news in Maine? Bill Nemitz (former Portland Press Herald columnist) discusses the issue with Krista Chappell (Gray Town Council Vice Chair) and Jarrod Maxfield (Windham Town Councilor).

Eamonn Dundon (Director of Advocacy at the Portland Regional Chamber of Commerce) and Chris Hall (Director of Regional Initiatives at the Greater Portland Council of Governments) discuss the Maine Legislature and efforts underway to address two of our region's biggest challenges—housing and transportation.

Greg Jordan (Executive Director of Greater Portland Metro) talks about how the pandemic affected bus ridership and what METRO is doing to win back riders.

Patrícia Campos Mello is an award-winning investigative journalist from Brazil who has covered conflicts and elections across the globe. She was recently featured in the HBO documentary Endangered where she tells the story of how former President Bolsonaro targeted her on social media after she wrote about disinformation during his presidential campaign. She sued the former President and won. She...

Kristina talks with Jeff Marks, the Executive Director of CLIMATEWORK MAINE , and Ania Wright and Nyalat Biliew, both of whom work with the Maine Chapter of the Sierra Club , about why they became climate action advocates and what others can do get involved in local climate efforts.

Biddeford, which was once a mill town, is now Maine's youngest downtown. The average age of resident in Biddeford’s downtown? 29. Kristina Egan talks with Jim Bennett, City Manager of Biddeford, and Delilah Poupore, Director of the Heart of Biddeford , about how Biddeford has transformed from a mill town to a vibrant downtown.

Complete Streets is an approach to designing streets that are safe, convenient, and comfortable for all users—pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists, and transit riders of all ages and abilities. This design approach has been adopted by cities and towns all over the country and most recently, a regional Complete Streets Policy has been adopted in the Portland area.

Only 13% of Maine has sufficient access to high-speed internet. Kristina talks with Bridgton Library Director Amy Stone and Regional Broadband Coordinator Clara McCool about the challenges people face in accessing high-speed internet and the efforts now underway to provide access to underserved communities in Cumberland County.

Why do people volunteer? And how do organizations find the right people to help them? T om Bell talks with Michael Ashmore, the Training and Program Development Officer at Volunteer Maine, and two Resilience Corps Fellows, Anna Paddock and Caitlan Vultaggio, about how volunteerism helps communities and nonprofits thrive.

South Portland Mayor Kate Lewis discusses the city’s efforts to take the lead on several tough issues, including environmental sustainability and housing.

Kristina Egan, Executive Director of the Greater Portland Council of Governments, speaks with Freeport resident Claire Houston, land use planner Vanessa Farr, and John Egan, Vice Chair of the Freeport Town Council, about efforts to add more housing to downtown Freeport.

Kristen Dow, Director of Health and Human Services for the City of Portland and Mufalo Chitam, Executive Director of the Maine Immigrant Rights Coalition, discuss efforts to provide asylum seekers with temporary housing as the system reaches a crisis point.

Tom Hall, the Town Manager of Scarborough, Jami Fitch, Scarborough’s Sustainability Coordinator, and Sara-Mills Knapp, the Director of Sustainability at the Greater Portland Council of Governments, discuss the impact of the climate crisis and what the region can do to bolster its resiliency to extreme weather.

How can our public transportation agencies work together to improve the experience of currentriders, attract new riders and make the system more effective and efficient? The region’s seven agencies have just finished a plan called Transit Together to improve public transportation. Kristina talks with Chad Heid, the Executive Director of BSOOB Transit and Andrew Clark, the Transit Program Manager a...

Maine's housing shortage has made finding an affordable place to live a big challenge for many people. The median rent for a one-bedroom in Portland: $1,777 per month. But what about in Japan, where there's actually a surplus of housing? Rent for a one-bedroom in Tokyo, Japan's most expensive city: $1,200 per month. Kristina talks with Kat Violette about how Japan has created a surplus of affordab...

Maine has grown quickly over the last two years. What does this mean for traffic? How will we get around in the decades to come? Our region has a plan. It’s called Connect 2045, and it’s a bold and groundbreaking vision for the future of transportation. Kristina talks with Transportation Director at the Greater Portland Council of Governments Chris Chop to learn what this vision is and how we make...

Paul Johnson, Senior Economic Development Manager at the Greater Portland Council of Governments, speaks with Gray Town Manager Nate Rudy and Joshua Brister, owner of theLewiston-Auburn Maples, a women’s semi-professional basketball team, and talk about how to expand opportunities for prosperity in Greater Portland.

What can we learn from Copenhagen, where nearly 50% of its residents commute to work or school by bike? Denmark’s largest city is now known as the bicycle capital of the world, but that wasn’t always the case. Kristina sits down with Teagan Betori to discuss how Copenhagen transformed its transportation system and what solutions we can bring to Southern Maine. Want to learn more? Check out these l...

Tony Plante chats with Clara McCool about efforts to expand broadband in the Lakes Region