By Ramona du Houx, President of Maine Insights

Maine Insights is a non-profit 501(c)4, progressive, statewide newsmagazine. Now published quarterly online and with important updates as they occur. Since 2005 we’ve been reporting on many issues other news outlets overlook.

Maine Insights connects our main streets with lawmakers in Augusta, highlighting state policies, technological innovations, agriculture, education, community growth and economics with factual analysis, individual profiles and exclusive in-depth coverage. We also report on areas where justice is not being served in the hope to be a contributing catalyst for change.

On June 26, 2020 the platform, VIRB, where Maine Insights was hosted shut down. The company had been bought by GoDaddy. That corporation for years systematically eroded services to customers. They never sent us an advance notice of their intent to close. Those customers who saw a brief message in June, when they went to post something on their website, scrambled to archive their website. As you can imagine a news magazine running for fifteen years has a lot of information to transfer. The bulk is archived our new website, over time we will add more.

From 2005, Maine Insights has been reporting on issues pertinent to the people of Maine, the state’s role in the nation, and the world. First known as The Maine Democrat we changed our name to reflect the interconnected role the people of Maine have with others, in their communities, the state, and beyond. Throughout the publication’s history we highlighted the efforts of individuals who contributed to their communities, from scientists, farmers, artisans, environmentalists, and local shop owners who enhanced Maine’s creative economy to public servants who dedicated themselves to help people live the American dream. Not the dream of riches, the dream shared by millions around the world to be able to live a healthy, safe life, with opportunities to earn good paying jobs so their families and communities can flourish in a democracy. To be able to live without want or worry while contributing to humanity in a democratic society where all are truly equal.

All these individuals helped to make the state as the saying goes, “the way life should be.”

The archived issues are a historic document. In 2017 Maine Insights stopped our print edition, as multiple platforms dispersing news made printing unaffordable and we refused to jeopardize the integrity of our reports by relying on advertising revenue. While our print edition was free at 33 public locations around the state, our subscription base was diminished. To access information in the archive, use the search bar as you would google. It’s the most effective way.