President Trump’s executive order defining gender as binary — male or female — is a blunt instrument based in ignorance, hate and political calculation. I am livid about this absolute abuse of power. Transgender persons are no less equal, acceptable and valuable members of our communities. Trump can say what he wants, but diversity in […]

I am deeply concerned by the recent Maine House vote authorizing an ethics investigation into Rep. Lucas Lanigan. While I support holding officials accountable, the strict party-line divide — of Democrats voting in favor and Republicans voting against — raises troubling questions about the ethical priorities of the entire Legislature. Ethics investigations should transcend politics. […]

The Jan. 12 article “How the pandemic ‘sugar high’ led to Maine’s budget crunch” has worldwide implications. During the 2020-2022 pandemic period, the USA put an unencumbered $6.7 trillion into the hands of individuals, corporations, businesses and government programs. No reciprocal taxes were collected. If you want to see prices skyrocket, this is the recipe. […]

Last week marked the 15th anniversary of the infamous Supreme Court decision, Citizens United. The Court ruled that corporations, unions and other artificial entities can spend unlimited sums of money to influence elections. Political spending has since skyrocketed, further silencing the voices of the electorate. Citizens United was one of the most disastrous Supreme Court […]

Reading the editor’s note on Page 2 of the Food & Dining section in the Jan. 5 paper indicating there would be changes to the section in 2025, brought me hope that you would begin featuring more gardening articles or bring back a full gardening section. But, to my dismay, that was not the case. […]