Let's Connect

Sadie Donnell (blind Gorham resident) talks with Kevin Jensen (Gorham Economic Development Director) about the challenges people with disabilities face when navigating our region’s transportation system.

Portland Press Herald reporter Rachel Ohm, who has written in depth about the homeless in Portland, and Amber Lesperance, who lives in a homeless encampment on Marginal Way, discuss what it’s like to be homeless and the factors causing an increase in the region’s homeless population.

Danielle West (City of Portland City Manager) talks about Portland’s most pressing issues, including housing.

Christine Grimando (Portland Director of Planning & Urban Development) and Nell Donaldson (Portland Director of Special Projects) discuss ReCode Portland —an effort to update Portland's zoning to help build more housing and create more livable, walkable neighborhoods.

Dave Reidmiller (Director of the Climate Center at the Gulf of Maine Research Institute) shares how climate change will impact Maine and what efforts are underway to help coastal communities adapt to a changing climate.

Mary Fernandes (Casco Selectboard Member) and Victoria Pelletier (Portland City Councilor) are trailblazers; Mary was the first Black woman ever elected to the Casco Selectboard, and Victoria is the second Black woman ever elected to the Portland City Council. In this episode, they share their experiences serving their communities as Black women and discuss how they’re paving the way for others.

Allison Burson (National Greenway Director at East Coast Greenway), Rob Lavoie (Gorham Town Councilor), and Dick Woodbury (former Maine State Senator) discuss the importance trails and what efforts are underway to expand the trail network.

Grier Miskell (Housing Navigation Coordinator at Quality Housing Coalition) and Aaron Geyer (Director of Social Services for the City of Portland) speak with Tom Bell about a new home-share program to provide housing for asylum seekers who on Aug. 16 could be homeless when the Portland Expo shelter shuts down.

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.