In a democracy, a majority of voters make decisions. Shocking! At least it is for Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, who asks, “Do we want a simple majority of 51 to ramrod the minority on every issue?” That’s the way it has been throughout American history. George W. Bush became president with a bare majority […]

America is a nation of voters. Of course, there are millions who aren’t registered and millions more who, for various reasons, don’t vote. Perhaps they’re tired of voting. They’re sick of the unending array of nagging, stressful choices that are thrust upon us every day. Vote, vote, vote, it seems that’s all we ever do. […]

Several people in Biddeford and Saco have spent the past 25 years fighting, hoping and waiting for the Maine Energy waste incinerator to close, but there were no fireworks when the Biddeford City Council made its historic 8-1 vote Tuesday on an agreement to shut it down and purchase the land. Aside from the applause […]

Another element of the Affordable Care Act went into effect this week that will have a positive impact on women’s health. Congresswoman Chellie Pingree announced that starting Aug. 1 all new insurance policies will be required to cover essential women’s health services at no out-of-pocket cost to patients. The new coverage, required by the health […]

“Welcome to Biddeford and Saco.” It’s a nice greeting, but it is not quite strong enough to attract tourists, businesses or new residents to our two cities. A brand or slogan for our twin cities could capture people’s imagination, and help them think about and remember the area. A brand for a city is very […]

The Good Shepherd Sisters are doing some good self-promotion, and we hope their efforts will help bring some new blood into the religious order, formally known as The Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. There has not been a new recruit in Maine or Massachusetts for 20 years. The sisters are also aging: The […]

Saco has a unique aspect to its beaches that few other communities can claim: Dogs are allowed to be off leash and can be on the beach at any time, so long as they are under voice command of their owner. Most beaches ban dogs during peak season or at least during peak beach hours, […]

The mountain pine beetle, an innocuous-looking insect about the size of a grain of rice, is currently killing millions of trees in western North America, from the coast of British Columbia in Canada east to the Dakotas and south to New Mexico in the United States. These tiny pests lay eggs beneath a tree’s bark, […]

Trees are wondrous things, and I often take them for granted. Caught up in my daily preoccupations, I often rush by them without giving them a second glance, focused as I am on matters at hand, most of which, truth be known, I can’t do very much about. I often drive along with my left […]

Hopefully, Kobe Bryant has finally cleared the air and fans can move on with watching the 2012 men’s Olympic basketball team just play basketball. Bryant, a future Hall of Famer, sparked controversy shortly before the 2012 Summer Olympics began last week when he said the 2012 U.S. men’s basketball team could beat the 1992 Dream […]