The importance of Maine’s Right-to-Know law was recently defended strongly by Gary Sinden, a York County Commissioner from Eliot. His argument that the York County Budget Committee violated this law was a clear explanation of why public officials should live up to their responsibility to keep the public informed. Maine law requires that deliberation of […]

“And in the naked light I saw ten thousand people, maybe more. People talking without speaking. People hearing without listening. People writing songs that voices never share. And no one dared disturb the sounds of silence. ”˜Fools’ said I, ”˜you do not know silence like a cancer grows. Hear my words that I might teach […]

Thumbs up to the area athletes who earned individual state titles in track and field, wrestling and swimming. In Class A indoor track, these athletes include Thornton Academy’s Hannah Wiley (400m dash, 55m hurdles), Biddeford’s Maria Curit (long jump, a record, 200m dash) and Massabesic’s Hannah Pierce (1-mile). In wrestling, these athletes for Class A […]

The initial step in my training for home dialysis ”“ peritoneal dialysis ”“ was to check my catheter to see if it was if it was working and once the test showed it was operational, my nurse/instructor , Connie, told me I was scheduled to start training the next Monday, Feb. 15. I arrived at […]

It’s tempting to blame health insurance companies for recent double-digit rate hike proposals, but the rising prices point out a more basic problem: The health care marketplace needs reform more than ever. Anthem Blue Cross has stoked outrage by seeking a 39 percent rate hike on some individual policyholders in California. In Maine, the company […]

Last week we noted the generosity of students in Regional School Unit 23, who emptied their piggy banks to help victims of the earthquake in Haiti. The scope of the tragedy in that poverty-stricken nation is inescapable, and schoolchildren here and around the country have been touched by the many stories and images after the […]

Almost no one likes our public welfare programs, not even the people who get welfare support. Take the case of Louisa (name changed), a single mother with two young children. Louisa worked in a local area business for 30 hours a week, at $11 per hour, after coming off welfare. The business did not provide […]

The Goodwins Mills Fire Department, an independent non-profit organization serving Dayton and Lyman, has had a good run of luck on federal grants recently, receiving nearly $880,000 to improve the station and $129,000 for new air packs. We hope this is a good omen for a plan with even larger public safety and financial implications: […]

A tax increase of $1 per pack of cigarettes, would raise an estimated $26 million in state revenue, but we hope this figure isn’t the only thing on legislators’ minds as they consider the tax proposal. It’s not enough to make a big dent in the state’s $438 million revenue shortfall, but for many this […]

Thumbs down to the impending loss of the Garden Street Market in Kennebunk, which is due to be purchased and closed down by Hannaford as it prepares to open a supermarket at the former Stop & Shop site. While Hannaford should be commended for agreeing to retain the market’s employees, it is still unfortunate to […]