Editor, Old Orchard Beach town officials want the general public to clean out snow around fire hyrdrants? When they get done can they clear the sidewalks especially around town hall and clean the storm drains? Maybe the town can sub-contract this out with the numerous other tasks around town.  They seem to find plenty of […]

Editor, It started like any other cold, wintry morning. I cam downstairs at 6:40 ready to brew the first pot of coffee. When turning the tap to fill the pot with water — no water. Having recently replaced the faucet with new parts, I thought it was still faulty. Then I tried a bathroom faucet. […]

Editor, Maine’s original constitution of 1820 called for majority votes in order to elect our leaders. Back in those days of riding horseback to the polls and counting ballots by hand, the goal of achieving a majority was difficult to accomplish. Thus our Constitution was changed to require only a plurality in order to elect […]

Snow was still collecting on the pine trees as I headed back to Augusta last week to represent Biddeford and begin our work in the Legislature for the year. The State of Maine works off a two-year budget, and much of our work in the upcoming session will be budget related. Because of this long […]

Editor, Catholic Eucharist ministers assist the priest giving parishioners Holy Communion during celebration of the Mass. Some ministers visit the sick and homebound giving them comfort and Holy Communion. Eucharistic ministers give of their time to help those in need. I have been blessed. I have a very good minister. I haven’t been well. “When […]

On a nearly daily basis we hear about the newest Bitcoin millionaire or how another company has forgone a traditional debt or equity offering to instead raise money through an “ICO,” or initial coin offering. As the retail public begins to become aware of the previously esoteric cryptocurrency market, I can’t help but think of […]

How many times have I heard said, “The rich need to pay their fair share?”  But they already pay almost all of the federal income taxes while the poor receive government checks.  A quick check with the Congressional Budget Office reveals that the top 20 percent of wage earners pay over 90 percent of all […]

“Go it alone” is becoming the political policy of our times. It can be dangerous and costly. The best known case is the decision of the United Kingdom to quit the EU, a move known as Brexit. A majority of UK referendum voters decided that their country could achieve to its former glory as a […]

My political interests were sparked at age 11, half a century ago, during one of the most interesting campaign seasons in recent American history. In my home we had neither a newspaper nor a news magazine. Our television reception was unreliable. Yet the stories were compelling. The favorite part of my day occurred when my […]