The Saco River has long been a source of vitality for the cities of Biddeford and Saco, which grew up on the industries the river’s power allowed people here to pursue. The cities, however separate and parochial they try to be, are joined economically and physically by the river’s attributes, though nowadays it is used […]

As a father of eight children, I know firsthand the importance of dental care for children. Seeing kids go without care convinced me to support the creation of a new dental school here in Maine when I was in the Legislature. At the time, we said over and over again, “The dental school is part […]

A 30-year reign as commissioner of the National Basketball Association will come to an end for David Stern on Saturday. It is a three-decade long run filled with controversy, success and even some failures. But the NBA in 30 years has grown exponentially, and much of that can be attributed to the man at the […]

The new mayor of New York, Bill de Blasio, is seen as a prototypical liberal by fans and foes alike, but his most important appointment ”“ making Carmen Farina chancellor of the city’s school system ”“ is beyond such general categories. The 70-year-old Farina, who’d been retired before agreeing to take the job, focuses on […]

There are a select few dependable topics that are guaranteed effective for initiating verbal interaction with strangers. “Isn’t this weather crazy?” always works.  “Boy, can you believe (insert name of notorious celebrity, athlete, or politician here)?” is another. Some are more location-specific: “They call this slop food?” works better at a cafeteria than it does […]

With its iconic paintings created by 75 Italian artisans three-quarters of a century ago, four oceanfront pools, nine restaurants, 10 tennis courts, 11 boutiques, 25 luxury beach bungalows, 36 holes of golf, a half-mile of private beach and 2,000 employees, the Breakers, here on an ocean bluff on Florida’s coast, stands as a robust symbol […]

thumb”¢nail (thum’nail’) …2. anything quite small or brief, as a small drawing or short essay Thumbs up to all of the local municipal officials and residents who spoke out in support of maintaining revenue sharing levels for the state’s cities and towns this year. Biddeford was well represented at last week’s public hearing on LR […]

President Obama intends to make free trade a major goal this year, and few policies would do more to stimulate growth and create jobs at a time when too many Americans are still struggling to find work and support their families. But the president must show much more passion and persistence on this issue than […]