I stood up and participated in a walk-in at Sen. Susan Collins’ Portland office July 3. Many brought their small children and spoke about the anguish over the separation of families at the border. We chanted “Close the camps!” We asked what the senator would do to improve conditions and ensure that money designated for […]

We had front-row seats to the left of the stage. There, we could see the tap dancing up close. Curt Clark’s actors and actresses at the Maine State Music Theatre put their whole hearts into their performances. And the musicians, well, they were superb; Three or four of them were in their 20s and the […]

Over the past weeks, I have attended eight different medical appointments with my friend. At each, we were handed the infamous clipboard, seven pages of questions, asking about the same medical history. It takes time and emotional energy, causing angst, frustration, fear and anxiety. To ask the same questions, print the same forms, hire someone […]

Maine is an aging state in need of young blood and skilled workers. With this in mind, I would suggest the following actions to help the refugees and the people of Maine. First, screen out all the health care workers, doctors, nurses, pharmacists, etc. Send them to one of the universities in Maine that gives […]

Re: “Our View: Build a better child welfare system – finally” (June 30): You make a great suggestion, but it is easier said than done. In October 2016, in a report titled “Within Our Reach A National Strategy to Eliminate Child Abuse and Neglect Fatalities,” the federal Commission to Eliminate Child Abuse and Neglect Fatalities […]

Your article on the front page of this morning’s paper was by turns searing, horrifying, heartbreaking and essential (“Asylum seekers defy death for a better life in Portland,” June 30). Thank you for documenting our new neighbors’ stories. And thanks to the hundreds of volunteers who have pitched in to help. Here’s hoping that the […]

The Associated Press article published in the June 30 Maine Sunday Telegram on the below-average numbers of baby lobsters off the coast mentions in passing that “some scientists have said the shellfish appear to be moving north as waters warm.” At least as important as the changes intended to protect whales and the availability of […]

It was heartbreaking to read in the June 30 Maine Sunday Telegram of the misery and prospect of death sustained by so many of the Congolese refugees seeking a new life in the United States and, specifically, Portland. It was heart-affirming to read in the same edition of the enormous outpouring of help and goodwill […]