It was a proud moment for Sanford last week when the Maine Town and City Management Association named its town manager Municipal Manager of the Year. Mark Green received the award on Aug. 19. According to one of his colleagues, the selection committee respected Green’s leadership, professionalism and ability to accomplish municipal goals. “He gets […]

Thumbs up to the Libby Memorial Library in Old Orchard Beach for looking to the future with plans for expansion. As the town’s only public library, Libby is charged with providing not only books but Internet access, children’s programming and audio visual offerings. The current small space is not adequate for either these growing expectations […]

Maine voters won’t confront any gambling initiatives on the ballot this fall, but there is every reason to believe that the gaming industry still believes Maine residents and visitors are an under-exploited resource. Eventually Mainers will again be asked to support a gambling initiative. And proponents are likely to again argue that more gambling would […]

Earlier this month in Sanford, a talk on Franco-American heritage and culture drew a crowd of more than 50 people to Goodall Memorial Library. The language and traditions that came to this area from French Canada may be slipping away, but many are determined to hold on to the words and memories they got from […]

This week, the White House will be watching a key political test of its long-term battle against worldwide terrorism ”“ the election in Afghanistan. It will be the first contested election in Afghanistan’s history, but many voters may be too disillusioned or frightened to go to the polls. A low turnout would be a setback […]

The popularity of Bentley’s Saloon in Arundel seems to be well-deserved, but some neighbors and town officials would be happy if Bentley Warren’s success at his Route 1 business was not quite so ”¦ booming. It’s an enterprise that apparently succeeds by knowing the preferences of its clientele and providing good food, drink and entertainment. […]

Thumbs down to the circumstances that led Metrocast, the cable television provider for Sanford, some rural York County communities and some New Hampshire towns, to no longer offer CKSH-TV, the French language television channel out of Sherbrooke, Quebec. Metrocast’s provider, Yankee Microwave apparently discontinued the service because of the expense. We urge Metrocast to investigate […]

President Obama was apparently ready to challenge opponents of health care reform in Portsmouth, N.H., this week, but we were surprised to hear of the relative lack of hecklers. We happen to know that Portsmouth has more than its share of hotheads willing to label any progressive plan as socialism. Not so long ago, in […]

From state to state, the legal landscape is generally quite uniform, but different laws and attitudes occasionally provoke skirmishes. Maine and New Hampshire, for instance, have a history of border incidents due to different approaches to fireworks and liquor taxes. But larger political differences, on a national scale, could lead to more troublesome consequences than […]

The 27th La Kermesse festival will be remembered for the wet weather that forced postponement of the opening ceremonies, kept attendance down and resulted to significant damage to Biddeford’s St. Louis Field. How to pay for the  necessary repairs has not yet been decided. The best outcome for the City of Biddeford and the organizers […]