One of the biggest American exports these days is democracy, but it’s a product that isn’t doing very well. Almost as soon as opposition to a dictatorship appears, the U.S. supports “regime change,” supposedly helping rebels to replace the despot with democracy. The list of failures of this effort is depressingly long. It includes Russia, […]

It’s a chilling story: A man who is angered during an interaction with a town employee in Alfred Town Hall threatens to come back with a gun and shoot her. And it’s not a tall tale: it actually happened earlier this month. Although the man was apprehended by police and taken to jail, it’s raised […]

Excerpts from recent editorials in newspapers in the United States and abroad: Wall Street Journal on the Russian threat to NATO: NATO’s promise of collective security rests on the notion that aggression against one member of the Atlantic alliance triggers a response from all. Yet Russia’s swift, stealthy operation to annex Crimea and destabilize eastern […]

Excerpts from recent editorials in newspapers in the United States and abroad: Seattle Times on getting Kenneth Bae out of North Korea: The longest-held American in North Korea since the Korean War is struggling from health problems that have twice put him in a hospital. Kenneth Bae, a former Lynnwood resident, now faces the possibility […]

Saco senior citizens take note: Last November at the polls, I conducted a survey to determine if seniors were interested in joining a senior club in Saco and what activities they would be interested in. The response was overwhelming. Since that survey, some of the activities requested have been put into place at the Saco […]

On behalf of the community arts organization Engine, I want to extend a heartfelt thanks to Roxi Suger and Julian Schlaver of Suger for their amazing generosity in creating and organizing the inaugural Biddeford Ball. We’d also like to thank all the wonderful people who helped ”“ too numerous to name here ”“ and the […]

Eighth grade. Science class. My teacher, one of those delightful educators who’d happily go off-topic at the slightest provocation, was telling us about vanity license plates he’d seen that he considered more clever than most. On the chalkboard, in big loopy letters, he wrote “MDMD” ”“ one of his favorites ”“ and tasked us with […]

Without parking close by, places are unlikely to see much use, whether it’s a retail establishment or a natural site. It’s an issue that crops up for just about any place that wants more visitors, from downtown businesses to the Eastern Trail that cuts through the county. Having vehicles parked alongside the road is a […]