thumb”¢nail (thum´nal´) … 2. anything quite small or brief, as a small drawing or short essay Thumbs up to the opening of the West Brook Skating Rink in Biddeford once again this year, a feat that only occurs thanks to the hard work of a bevy of volunteers who prep the site and maintain it […]

Real-live voters won’t cast ballots in Iowa or New Hampshire for another two years, but another primary campaign is already under way that will have a major impact on the presidential election in 2016. Call it the Media Primary. Bridge-gate or Bridge-nado ”“ or however you label Gov. Chris Christie’s traffic troubles in New Jersey […]

It’s anything but a happy New Year for Christian pastor Saeed Abedini, an American citizen who has spent the last 12 months in an Iranian prison because of his faith. In December 2012, the Idaho minister was visiting his native Iran to help start an orphanage when he was arrested for “undermining the Iranian government,” […]

Two forces affect the lives of many people and are beyond their control: the weather and the government. Businesses accept the inevitability of their influence and try to work around the effects of government action as much as they adjust to changes in the weather. Last month’s unemployment figures show the effect of weather on […]

Revenue sharing plays an important role in municipal budgets, and since 1971, when it was established by the Legislature, the state has pledged to pay municipalities 5 percent of the revenue brought in through sales and income taxes. Like many other promises the state has made, this one has been broken. Since the economic downturn […]

Sometimes I wonder how different my life would be if I legally changed my name to something outlandish, like Jeffrey Garfunkle Tyberius Dimplebottom III. This is the kind of handle that demands a silk bathrobe and an overpriced sports car. At the very least, I could start smoking pipes indoors and nobody could say a […]