Kate Cough covers energy and the environment for The Maine Monitor, an investigative outlet based in Maine, where she was born and raised. She was previously a reporter and then the digital media strategist for The Ellsworth American, a 150-year-old weekly paper based in Ellsworth, Maine. While there, she won awards from the Maine Press Association and the New England Newspaper Association for her work on where local recycling really winds up, how businesses are coping with the labor shortage, and a local network of white supremacists, among other pieces. Kate graduated with honors from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and Magna Cum Laude from Bryn Mawr College, and spent time in medical school before leaving to pursue her dream of becoming a journalist.
Beat: Energy and environment
Until now, Maine has lacked a full-time journalist focused on climate and energy. As the state grows coverage of this issue, this Reporter will investigate its broad implications. Just this year, Maine lept from among the lowest-ranked states in adopting renewable energy and addressing climate to the forefront of rural states actively working at it, from within local communities to national and international platforms.