After a heavy snowfall, I always like to walk down this dirt road to see what other creatures may have passed here before I did. The squirrel’s tracks are among the easiest to identify. They are small, close together, almost symmetrical, and they always end about a foot or so from the base of a […]

Gov. Paul LePage had conciliatory words for the Maine NAACP Monday, and despite his emphatic rejection of an earlier invitation, he made a point of attending a Martin Luther King Jr. event in Waterville. LePage deserves credit for recognizing the need to make such a gesture. Damage control was clearly in order after the governor […]

It’s understandable that thoughtful Americans are still trying to sort out the senseless actions of a gun-wielding maniac which took place ten days ago. There’s much to process. The alleged 22-year old architect of the Jan. 8 massacre in Tucson, Ariz., intended to kill Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, who was appearing outside a local grocery store […]

Thumbs up to Robert Bohlmann, who will be retiring from his position as York County Emergency Management director after 15 years of service. Bohlmann has been helping his community handle emergencies ever since he was a 15-year-old in Connecticut and made his mark locally not only at York County EMA but also in the fire […]

The National Oil Spill Commission has come up with a sound proposal for Congress: Enact legislation for safer operation of offshore oil drilling operations. The commission has completed a comprehensive study of the Deepwater Horizon accident, and the massive spill that followed. The 380-page report begins with a minute-by-minute review of the events leading up […]

A ruling by a Massachusetts court last week has seriously shaken up the banking community. Finding fault with a lax approach at two banks, the court said fairness to home owners demands that all foreclosures strictly follow the rules. Last Friday’s decision seems a reasonable approach to the wrenching process of home foreclosure, but it […]

Security is on our mind, these days, especially the security of human beings lives. We are hearing about too many mass murderers, like the gunman who perpetrated the tragic shooting of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. He killed six innocent victims, including a 9-year old little girl, and wounded 13 others, at an Arizona political meeting last […]

The president cited a drop in the unemployment rate for December as evidence of an improving economy but, unfortunately, many economists don’t see it that way. The Labor Department reported that the economy added 103,000 jobs in December, and the unemployment rate declined from 9.8 percent to 9.4 percent. And for all of 2010, the […]

It’s been six years since prisoners were moved out of the old York County Jail on Route 4 in Alfred. The lock-up has been empty ever since, seemingly unfit for use by civilized society. But now, if you’ll excuse the metaphor, rehabilitation is underway. With hard work and the right attitude, it might have a […]

(The vote, originally scheduled for this week was postponed after the shooting of U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords in Arizona.) Opponents have found much to dislike in The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, but the open discussion provoked by Congress may lead most consumers to the reasonable conclusion that it is likely to both improve […]