A recent letter contrasting the hope of Hanukkah to the wars in the Middle East (“War casting a pall over Hanukkah,” Jan. 4) was filled with half-truths. In 1948, Israel accepted partition by the U.N.; the Palestinians and the Arab world did not and immediately attacked in the first of many wars. The 191 U.N. […]

As Jan. 20, 2025, nears, with some still feeling bitter and the nation’s flags flying at half-mast, I bemusedly recalled this old story attributed to one Dr. Thaddeus Pratt from Hancock County. While suturing a cut on the weathered paw of a 75-year-old Maine dairy farmer, whose hand was caught in a gate while bringing […]

Between the 13th and 15th of February 1945, bombers from the United States and Britain carpet-bombed the city of Dresden, Germany, killing over 25,000 people over those three days. The city was demolished. The attack was justified by the Allies hoping to bring the war to a close. It was later determined that Dresden had […]

I read, with great interest, the Jan. 5 article on solar power (“Solar power is cutting daytime electricity demand on New England’s grid“). Up and down the East Coast, we face the same needs to meet a rising demand for electricity, and are filling part of that need with solar, along with offshore wind. It […]

Praise is in order for Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum’s response to President-elect Trump’s claim that the Gulf of Mexico needs to be renamed the “Gulf of America.” Her wit, humor and poise were a master-class in how to respond to Mr. Trump’s signature arrogance and trash-talk. Further, her willingness to work with Mr. Trump on […]

While it was gratifying to see President Biden sign the Social Security Fairness Act, bringing an end to the Windfall Elimination Provision, an unfair provision still remains — the limitation on earned income subject to Social Security withholding ($176,100 as of 2025). The “logic” is that Social Security is geared to assist lower-income persons and […]

I implore our representatives in Augusta to place a greater focus and effort on helping people who are trapped in the system, due to being in a low-income situation. The state is failing these individuals by not reasonably funding the departments that can assist them, such as the Department of Health and Human Services, MaineCare […]