Josh Keefe

23 posts

Josh Keefe is a government accountability reporter for The Maine Monitor with a focus on Maine’s child welfare system and indigent defense system.

Previously, he worked as an investigative reporter for The Tennessean in Nashville and Bangor Daily News. Originally from Veazie, he now lives in Portland.

His accountability reporting on Tennessee’s child welfare system, Maine county law enforcement, and the Maine Army National Guard has been recognized by the Sidney Hillman Foundation, New England First Amendment Coalition, Maine Press Association and Tennessee Press Association.

Contact Josh with questions, concerns or story ideas: josh@themainemonitor.org

Language(s) Spoken: English

Maine lawmakers grapple with what constitutes child neglect

The debates in Augusta center on concerns that Maine is unnecessarily investigating poor families and, in some cases, removing children for symptoms of poverty that are unfairly classified as neglect.

ByJosh Keefe

May 4, 2025

‘Do we hit pause? Do we pull the plug?’: In Maine, questions follow federal funding freeze

Nonprofit leaders and others reliant on federal grants said the Trump administration’s order put crucial services in jeopardy. And it’s unclear how to proceed.

ByJosh Keefe Rose Lundy Emily Bader Stephanie McFeeters

February 2, 2025

The black dome of the Maine State House stands among the trees.

These are 31 bills to watch in the 132nd Legislature

We examined legislation recently introduced that you should pay attention to.

ByRose Lundy Emmett Gartner Josh Keefe Adrienne Washington Emily Bader

January 26, 2025

exterior of the Office of Child and Family Services building.

New federal data shows Maine’s child welfare agency is moving against national trends

“We’re flooding the system,” said one child advocate, arguing that Maine is failing to keep kids safe not because it is investigating too few families but because it is investigating too many.

ByJosh Keefe

January 19, 2025

The list of Maine parents waiting for a lawyer grew by 700 percent in 2024 — and it may not account for the whole problem

As some attorneys question whether the state’s list of unstaffed cases is properly maintained, there are efforts to build a team of public defenders devoted to representing indigent parents in child protection cases.

ByJosh Keefe

January 5, 2025

How we reported on Maine’s housing crunch

Finding housing as a blue-collar worker on the island was tough back when I was waiting tables in 2009. In the intervening years, it has become nearly impossible.

ByJosh Keefe

December 29, 2024

exterior of the US Department of Health and Human Services.

Federal audit finds Maine’s child welfare agency failed to follow its own policies

Inspectors made a series of recommendations, including additional training for caseworkers and supervisors and a system for documenting when notification letters are sent out.

ByJosh Keefe

November 16, 2024