Speak Up with Laurel Libby

Speak Up with Laurel Libby is on a mission to give everyday folks the insight and confidence to speak up and make their voices heard, in Maine and beyond.Each episode breaks down the issues of the day… separating fact from fiction, translating policy into plain language, and connecting local challenges to the national conversation. Through interviews, deep dives, and practical guidance, Speak Up empowers everyday citizens to become educated, get engaged, and take action for a stronger, freer future.

Speak Up with Laurel Libby is a news podcast hosted by Laurel Libby, with 19 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Laurel Libby hosts Speak Up with Laurel Libby, a news show with 19 episodes published.

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  Speak Up with Laurel Libby

  Proof the Lewiston Victims Fund Broke Its Promise | Bonus Episode with Amy Sussman

  Sep 8, 202634 minS1

  Amy Sussman is back. Her nephew Max Hathaway was killed in the October 2023 Lewiston shooting, on the day he graduated high school. Two years ago she learned what donors were never told: of the $6.6 million raised for victims and survivors, $1.9 million went to 29 outside nonprofits instead, while victims and survivors split $4.7 million, an average of $29,000 a person. In this bonus episode, Amy brings the paper trail. An email from the fundraiser's own consultant and a letter on Maine Community Foundation letterhead, both promising 100% of donations to victims and survivors. She walks through what changed after that promise was made, what the Attorney General's office told her when she asked them to reopen the case, and what happened this week when she finally sat down with Governor Mills' staff after fourteen requests. This episode covers: The exact documents promising "100%" to victims, read on camera How $6.6 million broke down between victims and 29 nonprofits Why the Root Cellar returned its $65,000 and 28 others have not The City of Lewiston's $810,000 into the fund, and the oversight question it raises What Amy asked Governor Mills' office, and what she's asking Maine's Government Oversight Committee at their September 16th hearing If you gave to this fund, or you just believe Mainers deserve to know where their money went, this is your update. The high-stakes Government Oversight Committee hearing is September 16th. Amy is on the agenda this time. We'll let you know what happens. Subscribe for the full "Speak Up with Laurel Libby" series and every follow-up on this story. Sign up for updates at www.leadmaine.com

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  Episode #17

  A Maine Entrepreneur, Farming Since AGE NINE

  Sep 1, 202649 minS1

  Brayden Nadeau started following his grandfather around a Maine farm basically from birth, and farming it for real at nine years old. By sixteen he was running his own vegetable stand, farming 10 to 15 acres, raising 18 head of cattle, and turning a Facebook page into national attention from Rachael Ray and Lester Holt. On this episode of Speak Up, Laurel sits down with Brayden, his grandfather Dan, his mom, and his grandmother at the farm on Hatch Road in Auburn to trace how a nine-year-old's fascination with a seed turned into a business. Dan opens the episode talking about what has actually changed in Maine farming: shrinking land, rising costs, and a market that keeps getting harder to hold onto. Brayden picks up from there: the garage full of vegetables that became his first stand, the honor-system box that got broken into, and the $10,000 donation that came out of nowhere on live TV. This episode covers: How a nine-year-old talked local landowners into letting him farm their land The break-in at his farm stand and how the community rallied around him The Rachael Ray donation and how a local Facebook page turned into national news What his grandmother had to navigate protecting a kid from sudden media attention His advice to any young person who thinks they are too young to start something Find Brayden's Vegetable Stand at 470 Hatch Road, Auburn, Maine, or on Facebook at Brayden's Vegetable Stand. Subscribe to Speak Up with Laurel Libby: ▶ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@laurel_libby/videos ▶ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/75Y2G40k0gWwFH6cncgiuW ▶ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/speak-up-with-laurel-libby/id1870102672

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  Episode #16

  Follow the Money | Episode 16 with OJ Oleka

  Aug 18, 20261h 10mS1

  How fraud becomes your tax bill...What if the reason Augusta keeps asking you for more money is that no one stopped the money it already lost? Dr. OJ Oleka, CEO of the State Financial Officers Foundation, shows exactly how fraud takes root in a state budget, and what Maine could do about it.In this episode you'll hear: What treasurers and auditors actually do, and why an elected officer can stop a bad payment when an appointed bureaucrat has no reason to How a routine $5,000 contract becomes fraud one small overage at a time, and returns as legislative "investments," the word politicians use when they want to raise your taxes What the January 2026 federal audit found in Maine's Medicaid autism-services program, and why post-payment review was the missing piece The two fixes Lead Maine is advancing for MaineCare: in-person inspections that happen in person, and holding payments in escrow when a provider is under suspicion of fraud Why Oleka calls fraud a "feature of the system," and the stewardship-versus-entitlement divide underneath every budget fight About Dr. OJ Oleka: He has led the State Financial Officers Foundation since October 2024 and testified before the U.S. House Oversight Committee in April 2026. He previously served as assistant treasurer of Kentucky under Treasurer Allison Ball.Resources mentioned: State Financial Officers Foundation: https://sfof.com SFOF 2025 Oversight Report: https://sfof.com/fraud-oversight/ HHS-OIG audit of Maine's autism-services Medicaid payments (Jan. 2026): https://oig.hhs.gov/reports/all/2026/maine-made-at-least-456-million-in-improper-fee-for-service-medicaid-payments-for-rehabilitative-and-community-support-services-provided-to-children-diagnosed-with-autism/ OJ Oleka testimony, U.S. House Oversight Committee (April 2026): https://oversight.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Oleka-Written-Testimony.pdf

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  Episode #15

  Transforming Education with Accountability and High Standards | Episode 15 with Mike Miles

  Aug 4, 20261h 16mS1

  Mike Miles took over Houston ISD (170,000 students, the largest district in Texas) in June 2023. The district was broken: 121 D and F schools, 1,900 chronically absent teachers, zero focus on instruction quality, financial chaos, and worst of all, kids failing year after year.In just three years, HISD transformed. From 121 D and F schools to nearly 200 A and B rated schools 13 of 20 state exams: above state average (previously zero) Reading and math proficiency gains three years in a row Teacher salaries: highest in Texas ($83K-$101K) Chronic absenteeism: from 1,900 absent teachers to near zero How?? With systemic, wholesale reform: New curriculum + direct instructio New evaluation + pay for performance Teacher coaching + daily support Real accountability + real consequences Speed: 85 schools completely overhauled in one summer Mike's message to Maine (and every state struggling with education): Kids are never at fault. Adults are the problem. Set high expectations. Move fast. Refuse excuses. Pay teachers well. Hold everyone accountable. The roadmap exists. The question is: are we willing?More about Mike Miles: Mike's book: "By Design: How to Transform School Systems" (Amazon) Paradigm Leaders Fellowship (training next-gen education leaders) Third Future Schools (charter-district partnership network) goodreasonhouston.org

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  Episode #14

  What Does it Take to Prosper? | Episode 14 with Owen McCarthy

  Jul 21, 20261h 24mS1

  Owen McCarthy grew up in a trailer on his grandfather’s land in Patten, Maine, the son of a logger and a school lunch worker. He became the first in his family to finish college, co-founded the Maine health-tech company MedRhythms, and this spring ran fifth of seven candidates in the 2026 Republican primary for governor. Owen McCarthy sat down with me in-studio for a post-primary look at why he ran, what building a company in Maine taught him about the state’s business climate, and the specifics of his Maine 2040 plan. In this episode: How MedRhythms uses foot-worn sensors and real music to help stroke and Parkinson’s patients relearn how to walk Why McCarthy moved the company from Boston to Maine, and what he says is the hardest part of building a health care company here McCarthy’s case for why young Mainers leave the state, and where Maine ranks for new business formation The campaign-trail issue McCarthy says he heard about most: electricity costs Maine’s record education spending alongside record-low reading scores The “smart bets” in McCarthy’s Maine 2040 plan, from maritime innovation to a state crypto framework This year’s AI data center fight in Augusta, and what McCarthy says it signaled to investors A constituent’s anger over the Gateway Community Services MaineCare fraud case McCarthy’s case for provider-to-provider telehealth and why he says “coverage is not the same as access” What McCarthy learned about Maine, and himself, in the 2026 primary About the guest: Owen McCarthy of Gorham, Maine, is co-founder of MedRhythms, a Maine digital therapeutics company. He grew up in Patten, Maine, was the first in his family to finish college, and holds an engineering degree from the University of Maine and an MBA from Harvard. He served as a University of Maine System trustee and on the American Telemedicine Association board, and was one of seven candidates who ran in the 2026 Republican gubernatorial primary. Please subscribe! Follow Laurel: X www.x.com/Laurel_LibbyFacebook https://www.facebook.com/LaurelLibbyMEHouse Follow Lead Maine: X www.x.com/lead_maine Facebook www.facebook.com/leadmaine More on www.leadmaine.com

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