Student protests, threats and intense federal scrutiny are changing how college students and professors in Maine and across the country talk about politics.
Riley Board
Staff Writer
Riley covers education for the Press Herald. Before moving to Portland, she spent two years in Kenai, Alaska, reporting on local government, schools and natural resources for the public radio station KDLL as part of the Report for America program. Riley originally hails from Sarasota, Florida, and is a graduate of Middlebury College in Vermont, where she served as the editor-in-chief of the college’s student newspaper, The Campus. She has interned at the Burlington Free Press, and at the Smithsonian Institution’s Folklife Magazine in Washington, D.C. Outside of work, Riley is passionate about roller skating, cooking and her cat, Edgar.
Posted inLocal & State, News
Encounter between Portland eighth-grader, stranger on walk to school ‘not nefarious,’ police say
The girl was not injured and the family declined to press charges.
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Posted inLocal & State, News, Politics, Schools and Education
Bowdoin alums criticize college’s response to Mamdani victory
A social media post acknowledging the 2014 graduate’s win in New York City drew more than 600 comments criticizing the college for not including a statement of congratulations or even a photo of the mayor-elect.
Posted inLocal & State, News
More Maine school districts align with Trump’s transgender policy, defying state law
Even as state law and updated federal guidance from the Trump administration over transgender students are in conflict, a conservative group is helping districts change their policies.
Posted inLocal & State, News, Politics, Schools and Education
Bowdoin students closely watching Mamdani in NYC mayor’s race
The 2014 alum of the Brunswick college is leading the polls going into next week’s election.
Posted inLocal & State, News, Politics, Schools and Education
Portland schools foundation raises $40K for food assistance
The funds will be used to stock pantries in schools, and provide Hannaford gift cards for families struggling to access food during the lapse in SNAP funding.
Posted inLocal & State, News, Politics, Schools and Education
Maine students vote in first mock referendum election
At Morse High School in Bath, one of the 78 schools that participated in Tuesday’s mock election, students said they felt informed about the red flag referendum, less so about the voter ID proposal.
Posted inCops & Courts, Local & State, News, Schools and Education
How do Maine schools decide to go into lockdown?
Experts say with careful planning and drills, schools can minimize trauma to students when responding to safety threats.
Posted inLocal & State, News, Schools and Education
USM eliminates therapeutic recreation program, lays off 2 faculty members
The provost called the decision difficult but said student enrollment in the program has dropped significantly.
Posted inLocal & State, News
Mainers who rely on Head Start may feel strain of prolonged shutdown
The federal program for low-income children and families provides early education, health and nutrition services. Roughly 170 children in Maine are at risk that their program losing funding on Nov. 1