My grandparents fled dictatorial countries, so the importance of voting is ingrained in me. Unfortunately, I had also become resigned to voting for the least bad candidate – until I met Jake Viola, at-large candidate for Portland City Council. A Mainer with immigrant roots like me, Jake grew up in a family of commercial fishermen […]

I am writing in response to Victoria Hugo-Vidal’s Oct. 13 column, “We need more options for treating chronic pain.” I appreciate her addressing this issue. I have had difficulty finding effective options since 2016. Our current health care model is designed to treat symptoms rather than looking for underlying causes. If blood tests and imaging […]

“What we have here is failure to communicate.” This quote, from the Strother Martin “Captain” character in the movie “Cool Hand Luke,” applies perfectly to the Maine Department of Transportation’s (MDOT) approach to developing Sears Island instead of Mack Point as an offshore wind manufacturing facility. As a member of the Offshore Wind Port Advisory […]

I was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s in 2014 (readers may recall my story from a Jan. 22 Press Herald article). I made the decision to enroll in a clinical trial, and as it turned out, I was being given one of the new FDA-approved treatments that slowed progression of the disease in the earliest stages. […]

As the Trump campaign heats up in northern New England, perhaps voters should give some attention to its tactics and dubious premises. The constant reference to the vice president by her first name is demeaning and is obviously intended to emphasize that she is a woman, and of foreign ancestry. Neither is relevant to her […]

Why does hazing still exist on any school campus? Hazing happens when a small group wants to dominate other members. It is enabled by group members burying their conscience to participate or stay silent. According to one source, www.stophazing.org, there are three components to hazing. It involves humiliating, degrading or endangering behavior; it happens regardless […]