There are certain people within the Town of Scarborough staff who have become synonymous with what it means to work for our local government — those who have been with the Town for many years and have become a recognizable asset. Finance Director Ruth Porter falls squarely in that category, having worked in the finance […]
Courier Opinion
Posted inBiddeford-Saco-OOB Courier, Kennebunk Post, Southern Maine Weeklies
From Augusta – Applying for heating assistance
With the leaves rapidly changing and falling from the trees and the weather getting cooler, I want to encourage folks to check their eligibility for heating assistance. So far, community action agencies — which includes York County Community Action Corp. (YCCAC) — have received more than 18,000 applications for the Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP). […]
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Posted inBiddeford-Saco-OOB Courier, Southern Maine Weeklies
Ruralist Lament: We’re number (forty) one!!!
Before picking the sweet corn today I glanced at the local paper. This edition carried more than its share of reports (without useful context of course) indicating the increasingly down-scale nature of existence in Maine and these United States — for those outside what John Kenneth Galbraith once called “The Fortunate Fifth” of the population. […]
Posted inBiddeford-Saco-OOB Courier, Southern Maine Weeklies
Chamber Corner: Is the business of Biddeford and Saco business?
In 1925, President Calvin Collidge was credited with saying, “The business of America is business.” Silent Cal wasn’t always silent apparently, and this quote has remained in our popular lexicon now for almost a century. In 1953, the secretary of defense (and former General Motors president) Charles Erwin Wilson was purported to have said a […]
Posted inBiddeford-Saco-OOB Courier, Southern Maine Weeklies
From Augusta: No child should have to learn on an empty stomach
It’s hard to believe, but another summer has gone by – and back to school season is here. When I think back to my own time spent inside the classroom, I can remember the smell of rubber erasers, the sound of hand-crank pencil sharpeners and the sight of freshly painted chalkboards. I was an eager […]
Posted inBiddeford-Saco-OOB Courier, Kennebunk Post, Southern Maine Weeklies
From Augusta – Going back to school, feeding students
As a mom, I have many memories of back to school season. The long summer days start to fade into fall. Pen and marker stains start to show up on clothes. And, of course, brown bag lunches start to sit on the kitchen tables again. However, I know that parents sometimes struggle to afford back-to-school […]
Posted inBiddeford-Saco-OOB Courier, Southern Maine Weeklies
Library Links: Falling into autumn at Libby Memorial Library in Old Orchard Beach
Right outside the window of the children’s area in Memorial Park in Old Orchard Beach, looking toward the ocean, is the most gorgeous and enormous apple tree that I think I’ve ever seen. I was admiring it from the Children’s Area circulation desk at the Libby Memorial Library the other day and noting the beautiful […]
Posted inBiddeford-Saco-OOB Courier, Southern Maine Weeklies
Ruralist Lament: Ghost dancing toward the edge
The local paper reports that the year has been dry. And 2020 was dry too: “… Maine’s driest year in almost two decades.” Of course we dirt farmers have been trying to deal with the drought for most of the summer season. The water in the irrigation pond is low. You have to decide which […]
Posted inBiddeford-Saco-OOB Courier, Southern Maine Weeklies
From Augusta: Save it for a rainy day
In day-to-day life, the phrase “save it for a rainy day,” can mean many things: Maybe it’s what you do with that big tip that you got waiting tables in Old Orchard Beach. Maybe your teenager is saving up as they collect wages working at the car wash or serving ice cream cones all summer. […]
Posted inBiddeford-Saco-OOB Courier, Kennebunk Post, Southern Maine Weeklies
From Augusta – Celebrating 50 years of Title IX and reflecting on the past
While the Supreme Court and some states across the country are stripping away people’s rights and denying them access to opportunity, this year, our nation celebrates the 50th anniversary of Title IX being signed into law. The landmark action requires everyone, regardless of their gender, to have the same access to education and opportunity. At […]