Steve Collins – Page 110 – Lewiston Sun Journal

Columnist

Steve Collins became an opinion columnist for the Maine Trust for Local News in April of 2025. A journalist since 1987, Steve has worked for daily newspapers in New York, Connecticut and Maine and served as the State House reporter for the Sun Journal since 2016. The Maine Press Association named him Maine's Journalist of the Year in 2022. Among his other awards are the Society of Professional Journalists’ 2016 Ethics in Journalism Award, the I.F. Stone Whistle-Blower Award in 2015 and the Bob Wallack Community Journalism Award from the New England Newspaper & Press Association. Steve is a founder and board president of Youth Journalism International, a charity that teaches students around the globe about news writing, media literacy and issues of the day. His wife, Jackie Majerus, serves as its executive director. Born in Massachusetts, he grew up in a military family that took him to Norway, Ohio and Virginia, where he earned a degree in history from the University of Virginia. He and Jackie live in Auburn. They have two adult children, two collies and not enough time.

Lewiston-Auburn, Maine

Bates College considers changes for its fall semester

by Steve Collins April 17, 2020April 18, 2020

Administrators trying to figure out if campus can operate normally in the coming academic year.

Lewiston-Auburn, Maine, Politics

Republican primary challengers faltering in race for campaign cash

by Steve Collins April 16, 2020April 17, 2020

Auburn’s Eric Brakey has taken in the most money for his campaign but he trails far behind U.S. Rep. Jared Golden, a Lewiston Democrat.

Business, Franklin, Maine

Investigators try to pinpoint cause of Jay mill explosion

by Steve Collins and Kathryn Skelton April 16, 2020April 17, 2020

The State Fire Marshal’s Office and others probed the wreckage in Jay on Thursday to determine what caused a big blast at the paper mill Wednesday.

Lewiston-Auburn, Schools & Education

7.6% school budget hike sought in RSU 16

by Steve Collins April 15, 2020April 16, 2020

In its first online-only meeting, the RSU 16 School Board is eyeing a proposed $24.2 million budget that would increase spending in the three-town school district by 7.6%. The proposal spending plan, which is not yet final and will require public approval, hikes pay for teachers and support staff by 5%, adds a world languages […]

Franklin, Maine

2012 Verso mill explosion in Minnesota was deadly

by Steve Collins April 15, 2020April 16, 2020

In 2012, an explosion and fire ripped through a Verso mill in Minnesota, killing one employee and injuring five others. The Sartell mill, which burned for days, suffered $60 million in damages and lost about $18 million worth of material, according to a report by the Minnesota State Fire Marshal. In that case, the blast […]