It’s been some years now since the Casella corporation sold its regional incinerator to our proud city. With the garbage smelter’s exit, Biddeford was now positioned to join the gentrification and suburban sprawl scramble that’s engulfing southern Maine. The Portland Press Herald’s front page regularly enthuses over the hot housing “market” where new in-migrants happily […]
Courier Opinion
Posted inBiddeford-Saco-OOB Courier, Southern Maine Weeklies
Leadership through service
Leadership is so much more than the votes you take at the State House in Augusta. It’s also about the work you put in helping your fellow neighbors right here in our own community. I’ve always believed that elected leaders and those seeking office, should be involved in the communities they are seeking to serve. […]
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Posted inBiddeford-Saco-OOB Courier, Southern Maine Weeklies
Survival of the cutest: Story of a chipmunk
A few years ago, I lived in an apartment over a garage. My deck was high off the ground, so I created a little feeding station for the birds up there. One cold day in January, I noticed a single gray squirrel eating out of a bowl of seed. It was snowing hard, and the […]
Posted inBiddeford-Saco-OOB Courier, Southern Maine Weeklies
Why I like Hallmark movies
Okay, I need to just get this off my chest and be honest about a guilty pleasure I have: I like Hallmark movies. There, I said it. I don’t think there is a “Hallmark Movie Watchers Anonymous” support group or helpline, but if there is, I might have to look into it. By “Hallmark” movies, […]
Posted inBiddeford-Saco-OOB Courier, Southern Maine Weeklies
Library Link: A season of gratitude
Even as we are facing another surge in COVID-19 cases, the winter holidays are sneaking up on us. I imagine that almost all of us are wondering what those (presumably) merry times are going to look like this year. We all know things are going to necessarily be different — but how different and in […]
Posted inBiddeford-Saco-OOB Courier, Southern Maine Weeklies
Beyond the Headlines : Legacy of progress
As I reflect back on my eight years of service in the Maine Legislature, I think about the legacy I leave behind not just for the communities I serve, but for the next group of leaders that come after me. The core of my service centered around the concept of having a government not beholden […]
Posted inBiddeford-Saco-OOB Courier, Southern Maine Weeklies
Op-ed: This Veterans Day, answer call to remember and honor Biddeford’s veterans
On Nov. 11 in the United States, and in nations around the world, we pause to remember our veterans of military service on Veterans Day. Originally named Armistice Day by President Woodrow Wilson in 1919, in honor of the cessation of hostilities that took effect at 11 a.m. on Nov. 11, 1918, the day was […]
Posted inBiddeford-Saco-OOB Courier, Scarborough Leader, Southern Maine Weeklies
Not until we are deprived of it: The value of water
The young man was very personable as he delivered the message. “We are so sorry for the inconvenience,” he said, “but it can’t be helped.” I actually could have listened to him talk for much longer, as he had the most delightful Irish accent. When I commented on it, he said, “Yes, I’m very far […]
Posted inBiddeford-Saco-OOB Courier, Southern Maine Weeklies
Geography is destiny, potentially
You may have heard the phrase “geography is destiny” before. It’s occasionally used in geopolitical discussions, and sometimes archaeologists and anthropologists use it in conjunction with analyses of past civilizations and historical human progress. In its most basic form, the concept implies that a region or country’s geography is paramount in providing resource or proximity […]
Posted inBiddeford-Saco-OOB Courier, Southern Maine Weeklies
Another gardening year comes to an end
As much as I enjoy the cooler days of late summer, I am always sad to see it end, particularly from a gardening viewpoint. My excitement at the sight of the first green shoots and early flowers matures in tandem with them as the days lengthen and the sun reigns. Then, some time in August, […]