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 21 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

Laurel Libby hosts Speak Up with Laurel Libby, a news show with 21 episodes published.

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  Episode #19

  One Maine Teacher, Every Kind of Classroom | Episode 19 with Carla Lobley

  Sep 29, 20261h 9mS1

  I sat down with Carla Lobley, a Maine teacher who has homeschooled her own kids, taught in a Christian school, worked in public-school gifted education, and now helps lead Avodah, a Christ-centered K-12 school in Auburn. Carla has seen education from almost every angle. Public school, she says, was a boot camp: policy, process, paperwork, and how hard it is to move a gifted kid who is already a year ahead. One freshman doing sophomore-level work. The answer from the high school: we'd have to get a bus. We talk about what homeschool, private school, and public school each taught her that the others could not. We talk about mixed-ability classrooms, and a line her students know too well: I can get Jimmy to do my thinking. And we talk about the text that started Avodah, from Kaytlen Davis: do you want to start a school? If you are a Maine parent who knows the fit is wrong and feels stuck, this one is for you. Topics covered: What homeschool, private school, and public school each taught Carla Why she calls public school a boot camp of education The text that started Avodah, and how the hybrid model actually works Gifted kids who have never had to work hard Mixed-ability grouping versus stacking classes by subject Practical advice for a parent who feels trapped in a zip-code school Watch, subscribe, and send this to one parent who needs it. Learn more about Avodah: https://www.avodaheducation.org/ Learn more about Lead Maine: leadmaine.co Subscribe to Speak Up with Laurel Libby: ▶ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@laurel_libby ▶ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/75Y2G40k0gWwFH6cncgiuW ▶ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/speak-up-with-laurel-libby/id1870102672 Follow Laurel: ▶ X: www.x.com/laurel_libby ▶ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LaurelLibbyMEHouse Follow Lead Maine: ▶ X: www.x.com/lead_maine ▶ Facebook: www.facebook.com/LeadMaine Show Resources: https://www.avodaheducation.org/ https://www.avodaheducation.org/meet-the-team https://www.facebook.com/p/Avodah-61574055812307/

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  Episode #18

  How States Compete (And Why Maine Is Losing) | Episode 18 with Grover Norquist

  Sep 15, 20261h 13mS1

  Eight states now have ZERO income tax. Thirteen more are on automatic paths to zero. That's 21 out of 50 states moving aggressively to lower taxes and attract business, talent, and families. Meanwhile, Maine has the 5th highest tax burden in the nation. If you earn under $100,000/year (the vast majority of Mainers), you pay the HIGHEST income tax rate in all of New England. This is not accidental. This is strategic policy, and it's reshaping which states win, and which lose. My guest, Grover Norquist is the president of Americans for Tax Reform and the creator of the Taxpayer Protection Pledge, a political tool that has transformed Republican politics since 1986. In this episode, he breaks down: Why 21 states are moving toward zero income tax (and what makes them competitive) North Carolina's bold move: cut income tax in HALF in 4 years (with $2B budget buffer) The Taxpayer Protection Pledge: why it works, how it's used politically, and why zero Democrats will sign it Maine's specific problem: high taxes + hostile business climate = brain drain and zero growth Property tax caps (Prop 13 model, Arizona's approach) School choice as a spending-control tool (14 states) How businesses choose where to locate (spoiler: Maine isn't on their list anymore) What Maine can do right now: Use the initiative process to put tax/spending limits on the ballot Americans for Tax Reform: atr.org

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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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