All of the positive developments underway in York County’s former mill buildings are encouraging signs that this area can respect and remember its history while growing toward a prosperous future. Three proposals have been made recently to reuse these buildings: A museum documenting the textile industry that once filled the Biddeford and Saco mills; a […]

Once again, the spaces of sky between the tangled tree branches are filling in, and soon, they will be solid masses of green on green. As children, we were limited by what our crayon boxes had to offer in the way of green when we were coloring trees. There was, if I recall it correctly, […]

The Labor, Commerce, Research and Economic Development Committee recently killed a bill that would have abolished minimum wage protections for high school students and limited their income to a minimum of $5.25 an hour in the first six months. The bill also would have eliminated any cap on the number of hours a 16-year-old could […]

Those insisting our nation’s greatest problem is the deficit, the environment, national security, exorbitant military spending, or some other oft-discussed issue are overlooking internal societal alterations which have steadily and stealthily taken place over the past several decades. These changes have led to seismic adjustments in the priorities of too many Americans who have unwittingly […]

Thumbs up to the Loranger Middle School students who participated in the “Jump for Japan” event recently. Students in the fourth through six grades jumped ropes, hula-hooped and shot hoops to help raise funds for victims of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. In April, students found sponsors for their athletic efforts and the money […]

Americans erupted with elation earlier this week after President Barack Obama announced the United States killed Osama bin Laden in a raid on his hidden compound in Pakistan. The joy was warranted, as bin Laden was the mastermind behind the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks that killed more than 3,000 people and destroyed the World […]

We would like to applaud Biddeford Mayor Joanne Twomey for her refusal to issue a proclamation on the city’s behalf for the National Day of Prayer this year. Though Twomey personally supports the event, which was recognized locally Thursday by a gathering downtown, she learned from last year’s controversy that it is not the place […]

The news of Osama bin Laden’s death was overshadowed in Maine this week by an act of ignorance when graffiti was discovered on the wall of the Maine Muslim Community Center mosque in Portland. Someone painted graffiti including the words (misspelling included) “Osama today, Islam tomorow” and “Go Home” on the wall of the mosque […]

The maple trees have begun releasing their flowers, which means that their leaves will start opening any day now. The fuzzy, little red blossoms, many of which are self-pollinating, are the site of the tree’s seed production as well, which will be evident some time in June when thousands of winged seeds, also called keys, […]

As the Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Darryl Brown resigned last week, Gov. Paul LePage said he planned to work with legislative leaders to change the law that precludes Brown from serving. LePage said the law is “inflexible,” while Brown called it “silliness.” Both are wrong. State and federal laws have been written to prevent […]