Rep. Megan Rochelo’s bill to increase physical education in elementary schools, LD 1280, is a well-intentioned but misplaced effort that we believe should be rejected. The bill would set up a pilot program to increase physical education in four of Maine’s elementary schools, in an effort to improve students’ health and their academic performance. Our […]

If my maternal grandfather were still alive today and someone asked him what he thought of Donald Trump he’d likely respond, “I’d like to buy him for what I think he’s worth and sell him for what he thinks he’s worth.” Thinking about Mr. Trump reminds me that the older I get the more I […]

Thumbs down to the City of Biddeford for failing to collect the $50,000 annual payment from the University of New England since 2008. This fee was negotiated in 2003 to be paid annually in lieu of taxes, to help cover city services to the school, and it was agreed upon with the expectation that it […]

As members of Congress continue to battle over a long-term budget plan, they need to consider responsible spending cuts while continuing to look at policy that will bolster job creation. Many plans have been presented to fix our “fiscal crisis,” and one proposal of interest is the report from the bipartisan National Commission on Fiscal […]

I had just loaded the groceries into my trunk when he walked by. He was combing the parking lot, looking for shopping carts, when he saw mine. We smiled at each other, I handed him the cart. The entire exchange lasted maybe 10 seconds. It took me back 20 years. What really happened was this: […]

Participating in high school sports is about opportunity. It’s about having an opportunity to compete, to grow as a person, to learn life skills. On Thursday, Maine’s athletic directors extended these opportunities when they overwhelmingly voted, 44-9, to allow more teams into the high school playoffs. While football will remain the same, sports such as […]

A bill under consideration by the legislature, L.D. 1367, would allow billboards along interstates and state highways, reversing the ban on these large signs that has been in place here for 34 years. The goal of the bill, to establish a fund for Maine’s rural roads, is laudable, as anyone who has dodged potholes along […]

Some Washington politicians say the debt default resulting from not raising our nation’s debt limit could lead to economic disaster and another recession. Other experts feel it would not.  Either way, we have a serious fiscal debt problem facing us. Our long-term deficit is growing. A potential debt ceiling increase of $2 trillion is hanging […]

A bill to repeal Maine’s bottle bill, which allows for redemption of a deposit on recyclable containers, has been withdrawn this session, but a handful of bills remain that would chip away at the types and sizes of containers that can be redeemed as well as the amount of the deposit. We see no reason […]

The loons have at last returned. I heard one early one morning a week ago as it flew over, announcing its arrival with its distinctive trilling. Like so many other birds, loons emit several different sounds that generally indicate what they’re up to at any given moment. From the ostentatious in-flight warbling to the gull-like […]