In order to most effectively support Brunswick’s students, the School Department’s 2021-22 budget was designed to focus on four primary areas: special education, mental health and wellness, capital projects and technology. Special education, which is one of the most important but least understood aspects of public education, is a significant driver of this budget proposal. […]
Forecaster opinion
Posted inAmerican Journal, Forecaster Opinion, Lakes Region Weekly
Mainewhile: High school sports should be open to all kids
I did not play sports in school. In fact, I hated them. I was the kid who always dropped the ball; I was the one picked last. So it is odd for me to do what I am about to do: advocate passionately for more inclusive school sports teams with opportunities for all to play. […]
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Posted inAmerican Journal, Forecaster Opinion, Lakes Region Weekly
Life Unwound: Quieting the monkey in your mind
On a sunrise walk, I strolled along a path beside a golf course. The sky radiated stripes of pinks and purple before the orb rose huge and round. Billowy clouds in pillowy shapes dotted the pastel expanse above. Birds chatted, echoes of their calls bouncing off the mirror-like water nearby. Squirrels scurried about, chasing each […]
Posted inAmerican Journal, Forecaster Opinion, Lakes Region Weekly
Here’s Something: View virus stats with a raised eyebrow
During coronavirus, Mainers have been inundated with statistics of every kind. We hear them every day, in every way, often with a sense of alarm by newscasters that are quoting the Maine Center for Disease Control & Prevention, which logs the data. We hear the latest death count, confirmed case count, probable case count, hospitalizations […]
Posted inAmerican Journal, Forecaster Opinion, Lakes Region Weekly
Through My Lens: Observing Ramadan during a pandemic is challenging
The countdown has begun for Muslims throughout the world. Ramadan, which is the holiest month in the Islamic calendar, is coming in April. The exact day to begin fasting is decided by the sighting of the crescent moon. Prophet Mohamed was quoted as saying, “Fast after you have seen (the crescent moon) and end the […]
Posted inAmerican Journal, Forecaster Opinion, Lakes Region Weekly
Mainewhile: A healthy state of mind
Before I moved down the coast to this part of the state I was a trifle spoiled. I had Acadia National Park pretty much in my backyard. In fact, in one house I lived in, that was the literal truth. I hiked a lot. Leaving all that behind was the hardest adjustment of the move. […]
Posted inAmerican Journal, Forecaster Opinion, Lakes Region Weekly
Here’s Something: Restore sanity, reject Mills, reopen Maine
At this time last year Mainers were in the middle of a 15-day lockdown that Gov. Janet Mills had ordered to flatten the coronavirus infection curve in hopes of preventing hospitals from being overwhelmed. It’s more than ridiculous, and somewhat Orwellian, that in March 2021 we are still in an emergency state. A recently filed […]
Posted inAmerican Journal, Forecaster Opinion, Lakes Region Weekly
Mainewhile: Giving back for the greater good
As we round the one-year anniversary of the global pandemic and the subsequent lockdown, there is no shortage of news programs recording individual markers of the year. One thing I wish to hear more about is how we can use what we’ve learned to shape a better collective future. Part of that, for me, has […]
Posted inAmerican Journal, Forecaster Opinion, Lakes Region Weekly
Life Unwound: How sweet it is
As I write, I wear a bangle with three intertwined strands that my father’s mother gave me in 1967. They jangle on my wrist and remind me of Memere. What a honey she was, a real sweetie. I visited Memere often. Memere made candy. I’d break off edges of fudge and savor them, big ones, […]
Posted inThe Forecaster
Letter: Forecaster should be ashamed for printing hateful letter
It is a sad day when a letter to the editor delights in death and The Forecaster prints it (“Limbaugh and Trump – one down, one to go,” March 12). The writer of the letter celebrates Rush Limbaugh’s death because s/he dislikes Rush. What a disturbing new standard! Equally disturbing: The writer closes in gleeful […]