When political conservatives met last weekend in Washington, a split in their ranks emerged. Younger activists urged the right wing to focus on economic issues and downplay opposition to same-sex marriage and marijuana legislation. That divide is concrete evidence of a newly reported break between younger and older adults, not limited to conservatives. The widely […]

A lighthouse is a building, tower or other structure that emits light that helps to guide and bring one safely home. For the clients of the Saco Food Pantry, these are the names given their lighthouses: Women’s Educational and Industrial Union, Brooklyn’s Bakery, Shaw’s, Vacationland Bowling, Saco Valley Auto Care, Trinity Episcopal Church, Hannaford, Cornerstone […]

Clean air is a precious commodity, one upon which all of us depend, so keeping our air clean, safe and breathable is an important goal. To that end, the Environmental Protection Agency recently proposed more stringent standards for newly manufactured wood-burning stoves. These New Source Performance Standards were proposed in early January and seek to […]

The Arizona Legislature pulled a dandy recently. They asked their governor to sign a bill allowing any business the freedom to discriminate based on religious beliefs. The governor vetoed the bill. The First Amendment guaranteeing our nation the freedom of religion is not a legal loophole that allows religious people to hurt other people based […]

There was this kid I went to high school with who got a perfect 1600 on his SAT. Everybody hated him for about a week. The brains hated him ’cause he outshone them at their own game, storming his way to the top score en route to becoming King of the Teachers’ Pets. Everyone else […]

Some things catch you by surprise. The fall of the Soviet Union was one. Arab Spring was another ”“ few saw the Middle Eastern revolutions for democratic rule coming. Yet change was at work for years. Today, social changes are sweeping the world. Driving them is a fundamental human demand for equality. We don’t always […]

An emerging group of young, energized professionals is organizing in Sanford, and it sounds like just what the city needs. Synergize Sanford, a network and venue for those with a common bond to get together and discuss their ideas, is set to launch at a party next Friday at Mill 67, a restaurant in the […]

There are some folks who think that the American Legion is just a bunch old guys sitting around bars, telling war stories. Nothing could be further from the truth. As a matter of fact, less than a third of the 175 posts in Maine have lounges, and the organization is run by young and old […]