I have been reporting for years on the kinds of executions that led Justice Harry Blackmun to declare in a Feb.22, 1994, dissent (Callins v. Collins) that he would no longer vote for the death penalty: “The problem is that the inevitability of factual, legal and moral error gives us a system that we know […]

The exodus of players from the ranks of the Boston Red Sox this past Thursday was little surprise to anyone who had watched the team for the opening four months of this Major League Baseball season. With a lineup that has largely failed to fire and a pitching staff that has been for the most […]

When Cokie was a freshman at Wellesley College in 1960, she met a boy from Harvard named Marc Roberts at a political event. Two years later, at another meeting, she saw someone who looked a lot like Marc. But when she greeted him, she realized it wasn’t quite Marc. His nametag read “Steve Roberts,” so […]

We all know that Maine children deserve the best future we can provide for them. It is our responsibility to ensure that our children have the tools they need to grow and be successful. Recently, the Maine Children’s Alliance released their annual “Kids Count” report, which provides an in-depth look at where kids in Maine […]

From The Record Journal of Meriden (Conn.), July 10: The imminent depletion of the Highway Trust Fund ”“ a federal account which funnels money to state projects for roads and bridges ”“ is bad timing for Connecticut. The fund is projected to go broke by the end of August. Meanwhile, the condition of Connecticut bridges […]

Thumbs up to all the visitors who braved the threatening skies to attend Open Farm Day in Maine. Despite the downpours later in the afternoon, people turned out early to see the local farms that opened their doors for the day to share offer people a chance to get a glimpse of what farming today […]

At the end of the film “Miss Congeniality,” the FBI agent who has masqueraded as a Miss America contestant admits she agrees with the rote refrain of the others, saying, “I really do want world peace.” Everybody says they “really do want world peace,” while knowing it won’t happen. For a long time, the best […]