Thumbs up to the Sanford-Springvale YMCA and its community of supporters who have made possible an expansion project that will better serve the organization’s clients, from pre-schoolers to senior citizens. The 22,000-square-foot expansion ”“ set to include a community center, fitness center, locker rooms, a group exercise facility, renovations and a new entrance and foyer […]

In the aftermath of a surge of music industry lawsuits over file-sharing, the courts are continuing to revise some of the outlandish damage awards handed out by juries. A federal judge in Boston last week slashed a $675,000 verdict against a college student for downloading and sharing 30 songs online. Reducing the damages to $67,500, […]

In today’s self-serving society, hearing about someone performing a completely selfless act is becoming a rarity. It’s just not that often someone goes out of their way to help a total stranger, just for the simple fact that they can. I’ve recently had the distinct pleasure of crossing paths with a man who is doing […]

In a ruling that included many words that can’t be printed in the newspaper, a Federal appeals court declared the FCC’s campaign against expletives on broadcast TV and radio unconstitutional. The Supreme Court is likely to have the last word on this First Amendment issue. In the meantime, Tuesday’s decision on indecency rescinds the vague […]

The existing bridge may have to be closed within three to four years.

In refusing to extradite Roman Polanski to the U.S., Swiss authorities may have saved the U.S. from a trial (and media spectacle) unlikely to provide the justice many feel is long overdue. The film director allegedly drugged and raped a 13-year-old girl in 1977. The punishment for such a crime should include many years behind […]

Through compromise and pragmatism, Senate leaders believe they have rounded up enough votes to pass financial reform legislation. Arguments over financial reform have not focused closely on the details in the 2,300-page Dodd-Frank bill. It’s easier to debate the causes of the near-collapse of U.S. housing and credit markets. Was it a lack of oversight […]

With no criticism of applicants intended, we take it as evidence of rigorous review that no companies were chosen to operate medical marijuana dispensaries in two of the state’s eight districts ”“ York County and Washington/Hancock County. A panel of the state’s Department of Health and Human Services reviewed 27 applications. Three companies were licensed […]

One of the first things one notices about the Berkshires, like much of New England, is the landscape ”“ how old and tall and green are the wooded areas, how serious and manicured are the man-made ones. Inn after inn has the distinctively cropped lawn, rounded hedges, and lush gardens that suggest a level of […]