For about a decade, around Thanksgiving, what is now the Maine Trust for Local News has published the Mainers To Be Thankful For issue.

This year, readers submitted over 50 people to consider for the annual feature. I’m sure many, if not all, deserve the nomination. But as I read the profiles of the 10 you see here, I found myself going back to one word: generous.

Each of the individuals highlighted has been generous with their time, generous in spirit or generous in sharing what they know. They inspire us with their drive to share the best parts of themselves with the world. And at a fractious time in our country’s history, they serve as a reminder of what’s possible if you give what you can to help others.

I feel much the same way about the journalists I’ve worked with the past two months as the new executive editor of the Maine Trust.

This hardworking group has welcomed me with smiles, and tips on where to eat, drink and hike. They are committed to a shared mission of informing their communities and shining a light in dark corners. They do this while working odd hours and asking questions of officials who often don’t want to answer. And if you asked me to name the most important part of my new job, it’s finding ways to support them.

So on that note, I’m writing today to launch the start of a year-end giving campaign for the Maine Trust. It’s been a tough stretch for local journalism and we face the same headwinds as many in our business. As we continue to forge a path to sustainability for local news in Maine, an important part of our future is asking for those who can help to help.

We are grateful to our subscribers for supporting our journalism. And if what you can do this holiday season is keep subscribing, please know how much we appreciate it. If you are in a position to give a little more this year, we would be thankful.

What we do here matters. If you’re reading this column, I probably don’t have to tell you that. And we want to keep doing it for many years to come. Your continued support makes that possible.

Happy Thanksgiving. And thank you for reading.

The Maine Trust for Local News publishes the local newspapers that have served Maine communities for decades. Funds from this donation campaign will directly support our news operations in Maine. Donate at centralmaine.com/donate.

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Michael Toomey, assistant principal at Philip W. Sugg Middle School in Lisbon, high-fives students Tuesday after an assembly honoring him as Maine’s 2025 Assistant Principal of the Year. Andree Kehn/Sun Journal

LISBON — Philip W. Sugg Middle School Assistant Principal Michael Toomey was presented with the Maine Principals’ Association’s 2025 Assistant Principal of the Year award Tuesday afternoon.

Over 300 students and staff assembled in the school gymnasium for the surprise announcement that one of their own would be honored as Maine’s best. Waves of excitement went through the crowd of sixth, seventh and eighth graders as Principal Ryan McKenney, with the help of Holly Blair, MPA’s executive director for the professional division, announced Toomey’s latest accomplishment.

“Mr. Toomey ignites our inspiration, fuels our compassion for others and highlights, when needed, the importance of staying between the guardrails on the middle school road of life,” McKenney said as Toomey stood among students and teachers.

“He inspires each of us to be more than we often thought we were capable of,” McKenney continued. “He inspired me to be more than I thought I was capable of. Today, we recognize and congratulate Mr. Toomey as Maine’s Assistant Principal of the Year.”

The people erupted with applause.

In a statement from the MPA, Blair wrote that Toomey started career in Virginia after completing his bachelor’s degree in elementary and special education in 2006.

He began teaching in Virginia in 2008 and took on roles as a special education teacher and behavior management specialist while there. He moved to Pennsylvania where he completed his master’s degree in educational development and strategies at Wilkes University in Wilkes-Barre.

Toomey came to Maine in 2018 as a special education teacher at Mt. Ararat High School in Topsham. In 2020, he was hired as Sugg Middle School assistant principal and athletic director.

“The MPA is proud to recognize Michael Toomey for his exceptional contributions as an assistant principal,” Blair said, adding that he cultivates a positive school culture and climate, always focusing on student needs. “Michael connects with every student, inspiring them to recognize their potential as leaders, even those who may not see it in themselves.”

After all the high-fives and congratulations, Toomey said his award says as much about the successes of the school administration and student body as it does about him. Success never happens in a vacuum, he said. It is the strengths of those around him which have created the kind of environment needed to succeed, he said.

“As soon as I was notified that I was the recipient of this the first thing that came to mind was all of the things that we have done as a school,” Toomey said. “It really is a team award. I can do all the things that I feel I’m good at and strong with, but none of that matters if the people in this team don’t do their part, too.”

Toomey also thanked the student leadership team, known as the Captains Council, which he started when he joined the administrative team.

“All of our efforts with our community service projects and our charitable efforts — going through that final round allowed me to highlight that student leadership group in particular which is a really proud moment for me.”

Toomey will be honored at the MPA annual Night of Excellence in May.

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WASHINGTON (WAGM) – The Justice Department announced today that it secured a settlement agreement to resolve its lawsuit alleging that Maine violates Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Supreme Court’s decision in Olmstead v. L.C. by unnecessarily segregating children with behavioral health disabilities in psychiatric hospitals, residential facilities and a state-operated juvenile detention facility.

“This agreement reflects the Civil Rights Division’s commitment to ensuring that children with disabilities can live at home surrounded by the love and support of their families rather than isolated away in facilities,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “We know that too many children with behavioral health disabilities end up in juvenile justice settings or in out-of-home placements, often in different states far from their families, disrupting their lives in ways that can cause permanent harm. Under this agreement, more children will have access to community-based services and in-home behavioral health services so that they can grow up surrounded by family and loved ones.”

“Mainers with disabilities, particularly children, must be able to access the critical services they need in their homes and within their communities,” said U.S. Attorney Darcie N. McElwee for the District of Maine. “Maine’s geographical expanse is a treasure, but children with behavioral health disabilities cannot be needlessly limited to accessing necessary services and supports in facilities away from their families. This agreement prioritizes Maine’s children and ensures the availability of crucial services to allow them to pursue their greatest potential and ease the emotional toll on their caregivers.”

The department sued Maine in September, following a thorough investigation and a public letter of findings notifying Maine of the violation. The lawsuit alleged that Maine limited families’ access to needed behavioral health services for their children to live in the community. These services can include assistance with daily activities, behavior management and individual or family counseling. Community-based behavioral health services also include crisis services that can help prevent a child from being institutionalized during a mental health crisis. Absent these services, Maine children with disabilities would enter emergency rooms, come into contact with law enforcement and remain in institutions.

The agreement resolves the department’s allegations and requires Maine to make significant improvements to ensure children with behavioral health disabilities can receive the services they need in the community, including:

• Help hundreds of children remain with their families or foster families with the services they need to avoid emergency department stays and institutions;
• Help children move out of institutions, including the Long Creek juvenile detention facility, and instead receive services at home, if their needs can be met there and they and their families want them to be at home;
• Identify children with behavioral health disabilities and timely furnish them the full range of services they are eligible for at home;
• Provide children with care coordination designed so that children with the most intense behavioral health disabilities can be successful at home;
• Address any current or future workforce shortages of community-service providers. This includes providing payment rates and support for community providers to enable children they serve to return to or remain at home long-term;
• Improve oversight of community providers and monitor desired outcomes and timeliness of services; and
• Provide prompt mobile crisis interventions to help children avoid entering emergency departments or law enforcement contact.

The parties have agreed that the federal district court will retain jurisdiction to enforce the agreement and that an independent reviewer will evaluate the state’s compliance.

Enforcement of the ADA’s Integration Mandate Nationwide

This agreement is the most recent example of the Civil Rights Division’s enforcement of the ADA’s “integration mandate”—that is, the right to receive services in the most integrated setting appropriate. The Division has worked to enforce the integration mandate to address the segregation of people with disabilities in all its varied forms. For example, a 2023 agreement with Alameda County, California, provides relief to adults with mental health disabilities facing a similar dearth of services that resulted in their admission to emergency departments and jails. The Division has also won court-ordered relief for children with physical disabilities who were unnecessarily segregated in nursing homes in Florida. Florida is now required to provide those children the services they need to move out of nursing facilities. And last month, the Division secured an agreement with Colorado to ensure adults unnecessarily segregated in its nursing facilities have meaningful opportunities to live at home. The Civil Rights Division’s enforcement of the integration mandate has brought change across the country for people with disabilities of all ages and those who have been segregated from their communities.

Additional information about the Civil Rights Division is available on its website at www.justice.gov/crt. Those interested in finding out more about the ADA may visit www.ada.gov.

Members of the public may report possible civil right violations at www.civilrights.justice.gov.

View the settlement agreement here.

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