Joe Lawlor

Staff Writer

Joe Lawlor writes about health and human services for the Press Herald. A 24-year newspaper veteran, Lawlor has worked in Ohio, Michigan and Virginia before relocating to Maine in 2013 to join the Press Herald. He is still considered “from away” but since then, he has learned what a “dooryard” is, eaten “whoopie pies” drank Moxie and boiled some “lobstahs.” The stories he enjoys most are when he learns something and meeting inspiring people. He lives in South Portland - aka “SoPo” - with his wife, Melanie, and two school-age children.

Latest

Published
March 22, 2017

Pingree, on House floor, tells story of Mainer who says he would die under Republican health care bill

The full House is expected to vote Thursday on the House bill that would repeal the Affordable Care Act.
Published
March 19, 2017

Mainers would pay up to 7 times more in premiums under House Republican ACA replacement bill

Residents ages 55 to 64 would be hit hardest by Congress’ overhaul, and small-town Maine could see premiums jump sevenfold under the House plan.
Published
March 18, 2017

Hawk watchers busy at work on top of Bradbury Mountain

For the past decade, participants in Spring Hawkwatch have been counting the path of hawks and other migratory birds of prey to track their movements and populations.
Published
March 16, 2017

Sen. Collins says she can’t support House health care plan in current form

The moderate Republican says ‘Older people living in rural America would be really left behind.’
Published
March 10, 2017

Hunch about dogfish leads MDI scientists to potential heart disease breakthrough

The research into a drug derived from a molecule found in dogfish sharks could help damaged hearts regenerate healthy tissue.
Published
March 7, 2017

House Republicans’ plan for replacing Affordable Care Act troubles Collins, LePage

Maine’s governor and senior senator are part of a chorus of criticism on the potential impact of the proposed health care reforms.
Published
March 6, 2017

Medical conference in Augusta focuses on alternatives to prescribing opioids

More than 500 medical professionals attend a gathering hosted by the Maine Department of Health and Human Services.
Published
February 24, 2017

Maine’s $2 million drug treatment plan for uninsured would help, but more is needed, experts say

‘In proportion to the severity of the problem, it’s lacking by a magnitude of an order of at least 10 times what’s needed,’ one doctor says.
Published
February 3, 2017

Iraqi family in Maine reunited with daughter caught in immigration ban

While her family came to the U.S., Banah Al-Hanfy, 20, was left alone in Iraq when the president’s immigration order prevented her from boarding a plane.
Published
January 25, 2017

Sen. Collins’ plan for replacing Affordable Care Act holds seeds for compromise

One policy analyst says it’s innovative to use Health Savings Accounts to help pay for coverage, but another expert sees serious drawbacks in the Obamacare alternative.