Susan Sharon
Deputy News Director Susan Sharon is a reporter and editor whose on-air career in public radio began as a student at the University of Montana. Early on, she also worked in commercial television doing a variety of jobs. Susan first came to Maine Public Radio as a State House reporter whose reporting focused on politics, labor and the environment. More recently she's been covering corrections, social justice and human interest stories. Her work, which has been recognized by SPJ, SEJ, PRNDI and the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, has taken her all around the state — deep into the woods, to remote lakes and ponds, to farms and factories and to the Maine State Prison. Over the past two decades, she's contributed more than 100 stories to NPR.
Got a story idea? E-mail Susan: ssharon@mainepublic.org. You can also follow her on twitter @susansharon1
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The state could elect the nation's first openly gay governor this fall. But Mike Michaud only recently came out, and some question whether he deserves the backing of Maine's largest gay rights group. -
Benzodiazepines like Xanax and Valium are among the most widely prescribed drugs in the U.S. Patients and addicts often mix them with prescription painkillers — sometimes to deadly effect. -
In some states, the overdose antidote known as Narcan is becoming more popular among law enforcement. Not the state of Maine; that state's governor is opposing a bill that would put Narcan in the hands of more first-responders. -
Lots of New England towns have taken non-binding votes against tar sands oil, but residents of South Portland, Maine, are about to take a vote that could matter. They are considering an ordinance designed to prevent their port from being used to export tar sands to world markets via an existing pipeline that connects Maine to Montreal.
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In Maine, an unusual and historic process is under way to document child welfare practices that once resulted in Indian children being forcibly removed from their homes. Many of the native children were placed with white foster parents. Chiefs from all five of Maine's tribes, along with Gov. Paul LePage, have created a Truth and Reconciliation Commission to help heal the wounds.
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The race for the state's open U.S. Senate seat has been dominated by three things: an independent former governor, third-party spending and a barrage of negative television ads. Among the casualties of the campaign have been the candidates' positions on the issues. -
Conservation groups, Native Americans and Maine's power company fought over the fate of the Penobscot River for 13 years. They finally reached an agreement that should preserve hydropower while improving the river's environmental and recreational offerings. -
Even in states where medical marijuana is illegal, it's still not OK on college campuses. That's because marijuana remains illegal under federal law, and colleges don't want to jeopardize their federal funding by letting students use their prescription pot on school grounds. -
Republicans and Democrats are battling for Sen. Olympia Snowe's soon-to-be-vacant Senate seat, but one potential candidate could ruin all their plans. Angus King — Maine's beloved former independent governor — is trying to get on the ballot, and one poll already has him in the lead. -
There was a political scramble in Maine after Tuesday's surprise retirement announcement from Olympia Snowe, one of the state's two Republican senators.
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Bu the GOP presidential hopeful walked away without delegates in the nonbinding caucuses and tallied fewer votes in the state than he did four years ago. This time, he barely beat rival Ron Paul.
