Only a few days remain to help ourselves to an inexpensive native delicacy. The fishing season for northern shrimp will be shut down early ”“ at midnight Monday. Maine’s small, pink shrimp are thriving and abundant but demand has been even more healthy. According to the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, the amount of shrimp […]

One of the many good ideas on hold since money got tight is a plan in Sanford to rehabilitate a vacant mill on Washington Street. The goal, of course, is to restore the dilapidated old factory and put it to productive use. The effort has relied on a developer’s interest and town government’s sponsorship. Now […]

Just as opponents were gearing up to debate the governor’s ambitious package of regulatory reforms last week, some of the worst of them were abruptly taken off the table. Gov. Paul LePage said he harbors no doubts. His broad effort to repeal or revise laws protecting the environment and public health will be preserved in […]

Thumbs up to Old Orchard Beach High School geometry teacher Don Blodgett for his efforts to make math more interesting by showing a real world application ”“ in snow. Blodgett’s honors class created snow sculptures last week using geometric shapes, of which they later calculated the surface area and volume. Math classes can often be […]

Among those who lament the state of American education today, charter schools are regarded as a blessed alternative. They are described by supporters as results-oriented, no-nonsense academies that provide a welcome contrast to our lax public schools. It’s likely that many Catholic parents of a generation ago regarded parochial schools in much the same way. […]

The White House and Republican leadership were caught by surprise last week when concern for civil liberties unexpectedly blocked an extension of key provisions of the Patriot Act. Tea Party Republicans in the House joined liberal Democrats in opposing renewal of surveillance rules, including one authorizing the FBI to secretly demand any library records, medical […]

It took just two days for judges at the Westminster Kennel Club show to sort through nearly 2,600 dogs. They first picked the best of 179 breeds, then the best of seven groups. Late Tuesday night, a tall Scottish deerhound ”“ Hickory ”“ was named Best in Show. The judge, an Italian, praised her enthusiastically. […]

President Obama has sent a $3.7 trillion 2012 budget to Congress. The size of the budget is being challenged by the Republican majority in the House of Representatives, especially the new Tea Party backed members. This budget proposal would expand our debt. How can we do this, at a time like this? Well, the federal […]

The $3.73 trillion budget sent to Congress by President Obama is the starting point for a difficult debate. Republicans in Congress scoffed at the president’s proposal as entirely insufficient. But even Republicans are often reluctant to cut spending, and the president has laid out reductions in many programs that have broad support. Popular areas that […]

While out for a walk the other day, I looked up into the tops of a few maples and noticed the swollen leaf buds, harboring new life that will become part of the new season’s canopy. And twice now I’ve caught the scent of a skunk, which means that they’re already on the move, hunting […]