Callie Ferguson, Bangor Daily News Journalist Profile

Articles

The feds cleared UMaine of violating Title IX. They're still taking money away.

1 week ago | bangordailynews.com | Callie Ferguson

President Donald Trump’s administration has continued to withhold federal funding from the University of Maine over the state’s transgender athlete policies even though one of its agencies cleared the university of violations on that topic weeks earlier. Last month, UMaine laid off nine engineers, technicians and scientists after losing millions in federal funding that supported work at its prestigious engineering lab known for work on offshore wind.
Mainer’s tip got an immigrant wrongly detained for 65 days

2 weeks ago | themainemonitor.org | Callie Ferguson

This story appears as part of a collaboration between The Maine Monitor and Maine Focus, the investigative team of the Bangor Daily News, a partnership to strengthen investigative journalism in Maine. You can show your support for this effort with a donation to The Monitor. Read more about the partnership.
A ‘concerned’ Mainer’s tip got an immigrant wrongly detained for 65 days

2 weeks ago | bangordailynews.com | Callie Ferguson

Border agents in Calais wrongfully arrested a Venezuelan man with lawful documentation to work and reside in the U.S. earlier this spring after a “concerned citizen” reported his construction crew’s van at a local gas station, according to court documents.
A fisherman’s new boat is caught up in Donald Trump’s cuts to Maine

4 weeks ago | bangordailynews.com | Callie Ferguson

More than 40 years of pulling lobster traps ruined John Cotton’s shoulders. The pain he feels from decades in Maine’s most iconic fishery now limits the amount of time he can spend on his latest endeavor, running a small oyster farm in Port Clyde. One of the reasons Cotton, 64, started Ice House Oysters in 2016 was to stay working on the water without hiring any staff, after he found it difficult to find reliable help on his lobster boat.
Donald Trump’s administration is holding up nearly $50M for Maine universities

1 month ago | bangordailynews.com | Callie Ferguson

President Donald Trump’s administration has paused, terminated or threatened to withhold nearly $50 million in funding to Maine’s university system, primarily affecting programs at the flagship campus in Orono, according to a notice circulated internally on Wednesday. Federal funding freezes and cuts to the University of Maine were a major storyline early in Gov.
A teenager’s immigration arrest started with a Maine traffic stop

1 month ago | themainemonitor.org | Callie Ferguson

This story appears as part of a collaboration between The Maine Monitor and Maine Focus, the investigative team of the Bangor Daily News, a partnership to strengthen investigative journalism in Maine. Read more about the partnership. The sun had just begun to rise over the Maine Turnpike when Trooper James Anstett noticed a black Chrysler minivan with Massachusetts plates going too fast and staying too long in the left lane. He decided to pull the van over.
A teenager’s immigration arrest started with a Maine State Police traffic stop

1 month ago | bangordailynews.com | Callie Ferguson

The sun had just begun to rise over the Maine Turnpike when Trooper James Anstett noticed a black Chrysler minivan with Massachusetts plates going too fast and staying too long in the left lane. He decided to pull the van over. Behind the wheel, he discovered a dark-haired man who didn’t speak English and a teenage boy in the passenger seat. Anstett asked for the driver’s valid Maine license, according to a report he later wrote about the stop. The man didn’t have one.
Can this plan to transform Maine’s youth prison win over Janet Mills?

1 month ago | bangordailynews.com | Callie Ferguson

A lawmaker who has generally collaborated with Gov. Janet Mills on juvenile justice reform has proposed an idea to transform Maine’s only youth prison into a more treatment-focused facility for adolescents in the juvenile justice system. The bill from Rep. Michael Brennan, D-Portland, is a novel idea that revives a dormant effort to stop using Long Creek Youth Development Center in South Portland in its current form.
Who should handle kids in trouble with the law? Lawmakers return to familiar debate.

2 months ago | bangordailynews.com | Callie Ferguson

Last week, Maine lawmakers discussed a bill that would give police the option to refer adolescents accused of a crime to state health officials for an evaluation instead of sending them to juvenile court. The proposed legislation, LD 740, is designed to identify and address the underlying reasons why teens are getting into trouble with the law without sending them into the juvenile justice system, exposure to which can have a negative effect.
Maine Coalition Against Sexual Assault names new award after BDN editor

2 months ago | bangordailynews.com | Callie Ferguson

The Maine Coalition Against Sexual Assault during its annual awards ceremony in Augusta on Thursday recognized Erin Rhoda, editor of the Bangor Daily News’ Maine Focus team, for her dedicated coverage of stories that affects sexual assault survivors and the systems the hold perpetrators accountable. The organization presented her with an award it created to honor her work over the years: The Erin Rhoda Excellence In Reporting Award.