John Forbes

7 posts

John Forbes was a reporting fellow for The Maine Monitor through the Scripps Howard Fund. Born and raised in Indiana, John attended the University of North Texas, where he earned two bachelor’s degrees in journalism and political science.

John has previously worked as a reporting fellow at the Fort Worth Report, the news editor for his university’s student-led, editorially independent publication the North Texas Daily, a freelance reporter and photographer for his hometown paper the South Bend Tribune and as an intern in the U.S. Senate.

Jonathan Bisson poses for a photo while sitting on a park bench.

Maine banned cellphones in schools to help teens focus and connect. Teachers and students say it’s working

“My phone left my mind, and I didn't really think about not having it,” one student said. “In fact, I think I almost left it at school that day.”

ByJohn Forbes

October 26, 2026

How does Maine choose its constitutional officers and state auditor?

State lawmakers elect the secretary of state, attorney general, state treasurer and auditor through a secret ballot process. It is the only state that chooses all four positions this way.

ByJohn Forbes

October 22, 2026

Half of emergency room nurses in northern Maine hospital quit

In addition to losing six nurses in four months, the emergency department no longer has a designated person to check in patients at night, nurses said.

ByJohn Forbes

October 1, 2026

a woman placing a vegetable into her shopping basket

Mainers feel the pinch of food prices as grocery corporations grow sales

One woman said she now eats just a single daily meal. Others are traveling farther each week to different stores to save money.

ByJohn Forbes

September 30, 2026

exterior of a northern light hospital building

Hospital spending on contract staff almost back to a pre-pandemic normal

At the height of the pandemic, hospitals in Maine spent $560 million on contract staffing. This year, that number dropped to $214 million.

ByJohn Forbes

September 21, 2026

Maine struggling to get homeowners to test and treat private wells for arsenic

Low-income homeowners are least likely to test and treat their well water for arsenic, and a state program to help them has treated fewer homes than expected.

ByJohn Forbes

August 17, 2026

A woman looks at the ground standing near the scene of the ice shooting in biddeford.

What we know about the timeline of the fatal ICE shooting in Biddeford

The officers involved were reportedly not wearing body cameras, and video footage of the shooting itself has yet to emerge.

ByJohn Forbes Abi Brissett

July 16, 2026