Education Commissioner Stephen Bowen has some big ideas about how to change Maine's schools and engage Maine students. Learn about his plan, which is a proficiency-based system that allows students to move through school at different speeds and with different goals.

Ocean Renewable Power Company plans to "break water" on Maine's first tidal generator in Cobscook Bay along the coast of eastern Maine. Also, learn about the Port of Eastport's new conveyer belt, designed to open the port to bulk commodities. Plus, a new effort to spay or neuter thousands of pets each year.

The debate over Maine's energy future continues. Governor LePage believes the free market will bring power costs down. But, a coalition of environmentalists and industry is pushing a renewable energy referendum. What's best for the state? Also, economic forecaster Charlie Colgan has delivered his annual economic forecast for the state. Find out why he is more pessimistic than last year.

The last time an Eastern cougar was shot and killed in Maine was 1938. Now, it has been declared extinct. Yet, hundreds of people believe they've seen them. Meet a couple of those people and U.S. Fish and Wildlife expert Mark McCollough. Plus, a pair of local filmmakers are making waves at international film festivals.

It's been 20 years since Maine overhauled its worker's compensation system, and some believe it's now time to change the system again. A bill to reform the worker's comp system in the Maine legislature. Find out why organized labor has voiced opposition to it.

A new legislative session is underway, and lawmakers have some major items on their plate: from MaineCare to LURC to Clean elections. Hear from both houses and both sides of the aisle.

There is a growing trend among high schools in Maine where international students from Asia, Europe, and the Middle East are recruited to come to the Pine Tree State and enroll in school. The full tuition paid by these students can help the bottom line and provide a broader experience for Maine kids, but experts say it's only a good idea if it's approached carefully and thoughtfully.

Despite the advent of e-books and online information, Maine communities both small and large are expanding their libraries, and find more people using them than ever before. Check out libraries in Augusta, Portland, and South Berwick to see how the public library in Maine is changing.

Hundreds of Maine people swarmed the State House in Augusta this week for public hearings on Governor LePage's proposed cuts to MaineCare. Maine Watch was there and broadcast a live discussion about what's at stake and whether the proposal will pass.

The number of people with eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia is higher now that ever before. In Maine, a new network of professional teams aimed at early intervention is getting off the ground. Plus, a new report looking at mercury contamination in Maine rivers was published. What are its implications?

Maine is facing a dramatic cut in federal funding for home heating assistance this winter, and local agencies are scrambling. Find what's being done to keep low-income Mainers warm this winter. Also, filmmakers are attempting a feature film based on the book "Lost on a Mountain in Maine," which is about the young Donn Fendler as he miraculously survived getting lost on Mount Katahdin.

LURC, the Land Use Regulation Commission, can be a lightning rod in rural Maine. During the past legislative session, Senate President Kevin Raye proposed a bill that would have abolished the commission. The bill failed, but instead, the legislature established a task force to come up with reforms. Plus, author Jim Witherell shares new insights about L.L. Bean...the man.

Former Senator George Mitchell recently stepped down as US Special Envoy to the Middle East and he discusses the Arab Spring and other current middle east events. Also, hear his assessment of the 2012 presidential race.

The unemployment rate in Maine is 7.5%, which is statistically better than the nation at a whole, but young people and rural counties have been disproportionately harder hit. Learn what's being done to address this imbalance. Plus, author David Solmitz discusses his father, a Holocaust survivor and former Bowdoin professor who wrote a recollection of "Crystal Night."

Tuesday, November 8 Maine voters decide whether to continue same-day voter registration, and whether to allow two racinos and a casino to open in Biddeford, Washington County and Lewiston, respectively. Hear from all sides of each issue.

Mussel farming in Maine has potential to become a major coastal industry according to some. It's already a $40-million industry on Canada's Prince Edward Island. Could it be that here? Plus, rethinking the way we learn through storytelling.

A new report by the AARP foundation shows that the hunger rate for senior citizens in Maine is the highest in New England. What are the implications of this for health and welfare, and what might be done to improve nutrition among older adults? Also, former Governor Angus King has written a new book about the great RV adventure he took after leaving the Blaine House.

Three women and two children have been killed in this state during the past six months alone. But even in the face of those grim statistics, there is hope preventing domestic violence homicide. How far have we come? And what still needs to be done? And what should women in jeopardy know to protect themselves?

After weeks of partisan wrangling, legislators came up with an eleventh-hour compromise for Maine's new congressional district boundaries. What does it mean for Maine politics? Also, meet the director of a new film about the last sardine cannery in Maine, and see clips of this work-in-progress.

Thanks to a tough new state law, there are far fewer Canadian loggers working in the Maine woods this year. Some believe the law will hurt the forest products industry, others believe it is simply protecting Maine workers. What's the reality? Also, a U-Maine Farmington student returns to South Sudan to try and start a school lunch program.

A conversation with Roxanne Quimby, who wants to donate 70,000 acres of land for the creation of a new national park in Maine. Hear what she has to say about the controversy surrounding the idea. Plus, the former Winter Harbor naval station on Acadia's Schoodic Peninsula has been converted into the brand new Schoodic Research and Education Center, which aims to expand science research and learning opportunities on the coast of Maine.

Police officers and doctors say it has become a major problem in parts of Maine: the frightening arrival of the drug known as bath salts, a synthetic stimulant also known as monkey dust. It's now a priority for law enforcement officers, as they deal with a growing number of paranoid and violent users. And, building a new home for a retired circus elephant named Rosie - in the small town of Hope.

For 26 seasons Maine Watch has been a mainstay on MPBN with discussion of the issues and events that shape Maine and the surrounding region. Take a look back over this historic 26th season at some of the topics covered by the Maine Watch team, including: the Goodwill Hinckley school; Maine poet laureate Wesley McNair; Nobel Peace Prize winner Shirin Ebadi and the 1911 fire, which leveled much of downtown Bangor.

Four towns in Maine have voted to exempt local farmers from some state and federal food safety laws. This action sprung out of what some have dubbed the “food sovereignty” movement. And, the artist Charles Martin brought the Monhegan way of life to the masses through his lively New Yorker magazine covers.

Meet the Chief Operating Officer of Jackson Lab in Bar Harbor, Chuck Hewett. The renowned non-profit institution has cancelled its major expansion plans in Florida and learn what's next for JAX. Find out the plans for its facility on MDI. Plus, meet the authors of a new book about Portland's Great Fire, which occurred July 4, 1866.

STEM is the acronym for the Science, Tech, Engineering and Math fields and there is a new coordinated effort to try to get girls, especially rural girls, interested in careers in these fields. Studies show that, despite years of effort, many girls lose interest in these subjects in high school, despite strong aptitude in science and math. A seafaring exhibit opens in Saco called Voyages.