Many Maine cities and towns are considering what authority they have to regulate marijuana dispensaries. It seems prudent to look into it, since state-licensed shops offering cigarette papers, pipes, and bags of marijuana will soon open. A panel will soon make recommendations to the governor on the Medical Marijuana Act, passed by referendum last November. […]

The chiefs of some of the nation’s biggest banks last week apologized for their risky behavior. The apologies came as the bankers appeared before a special commission investigating the financial crisis. But the apologies did not deter President Obama from proposing a new 10-year tax on the biggest banks. “We want the taxpayers’ money back, […]

It’s been an all-too-typical month in the world of play-for-pay athletics. The only person benefiting from the most recent spate of narcissism, greed, arrogance, and bad decisions on the part of high-visibility sports figures is the individual who’s most likely earned more money through professional sports than anyone else in the industry. Thanks to a […]

Gov. John Baldacci faces a tough assignment Thursday in delivering this year’s State of the State address: Convincing the people of Maine that state government has a good plan to meet its basic responsibilities in the face of a severe budget crisis. Maine is in better shape than some other states. Faced with a $20 […]

Thumbs up to Saco Patrol officer Ashley Griffin for her achievement in breaking the women’s sit-up record at the Criminal Justice Academy. Her drive to do more than just meet the status quo should serve Saco well as she begins her career there. Thumbs up to York County for initially setting aside 1 percent of […]

Two ongoing projects in Biddeford and Saco are good examples of how the communities are finding effective ways to take advantage of valuable assets. In Saco, work on the RiverWalk Trail is providing more scenic views and safer access to the banks of the Saco River. A Saco Spirit subcommittee has pursued this effort since […]

Most part-time jobs do not provide health insurance benefits, so it may surprise some to hear that York County commissioners, who set policy for county government, are provided with coverage at taxpayer expense. Everyone in the U.S. needs access to affordable medical care, so we are reluctant to argue that county commissioners should give up […]

What penalty should Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid pay for his insensitive remarks on race and the 2008 candidacy of Barack Obama? Here’s the likely sentence: Reid’s comment praising the “light-skinned” candidate “with no Negro dialect” will linger in the news for a week and he will be flogged on all the political talk shows. […]

The right of same-sex couples to marry has been contested in legislatures, referendums and state courts, but the argument moves to a new sphere this week ”“ a federal court in California. The case raises the likelihood that judges may eventually consider whether denying gays and lesbians the right to marry their chosen partners is […]

Thumbs up to the Town of Sanford and other municipalities that are using their snow removal budget wisely by delaying some work until regular business hours. Especially during the New Year’s weekend, the continuous storm could have cost an incredible amount of money if crews had been kept on full bore, clearing sidewalks and side […]