... Is the economy changing? There’s been a recent push around the trades, and now more money is being put into Maine’s Community Colleges to bolster those programs. At the same time the narrative is that employers can’t fill open slots. Learn more about when things might equalize in our story below.

Are women more burned out than men? Statistics show, yes. BBC investigates this important topic, and what happens next. It is also a reminder that the pandemic is still with us and trudging on. The COVID case number trend has been headed down this week, but we are still seeing hundreds of new cases on a daily basis.

A big pivot to look at your inner life, as writer Arthur Brooks explores the connection and sometimes mismatch between career and identity. I think this is such an interesting topic. Many journalists associate their identity with their profession. I try to be cautious about that. It’s a privilege to serve as a journalist at Maine Public, and I’m curious about so many things, but it's not the only aspect of my identity. I’m so pleased that many of my fellow Maine Public staffers have many other parts to who they are besides their profession. Some are knitters, blacksmiths, chefs, gardeners, business owners, and much more. That’s one of the amazing things about Maine Public, so many different facets.

Also in this issue, we travel to the top of Maine to visit a Jamaican community, the world’s hardest cheese, and how simply painting roofs white in India is helping drop temperatures without adding drain to the electric grid.

 

Thanks for reading,

Mark