In considering abortion, conservatives have skewed the focus. They have ignored the kind of life a woman would have to live if she were forced to give birth, especially if she is unwilling or unable to raise a child into adulthood. And, more importantly, children born into such chaos would start life with the cards […]

Last week, the Press Herald published an article highlighting the fact that home heating oil has neared yet another unprecedented high in cost, nearing $6 per gallon. Mainers across the state have felt the squeeze of energy costs this winter, as over 60 percent of Maine homes are still reliant on heating oil, the highest […]

Are Scarborough voters considered idiots? Apparently we are, according to the actions of the officials working at Town Hall. “The voters approved funding (in November 2021) to replace the field and the track, not to exceed $1.9 million.” So says Superintendent Geoffrey Bruno in a Scarborough Public Schools letter dated May 5. But now town […]

As a wildlife biologist, I’ve spent my career working to protect vulnerable species, including migratory birds. Now retired, I’ve found Maine the perfect place to enjoy a variety of species that I care so much about personally and professionally. Common loons, rusty blackbirds and bald eagles frequent our property on Moosehead Lake, which my wife […]

I’m on Social Security Disability Insurance and can maybe work part time in a foggy entrance-level job, to my shame and others’ judgment (American bootstrap thinking, here). I feel like I’m hanging on financially by my fingernails, but I want to do my best to stay. Here we have social services like public transportation, and access […]

Portland residents now have an opportunity to purchase discounted heat pumps, heat pump water heaters and solar energy. The “bulk buy” program, Electrify Everything, is on the city’s website at portlandmaine.gov/2763/Electrify. Yesterday, I talked with the city’s vendor about a second heat pump for my house. Seven years ago, we bought the first heat pump. […]

There are many circumstances that can result in a pregnancy – some joyous, some tragic, some careless. Perhaps a woman has simply made a mistake. She did not intend for this to happen, but she finds herself pregnant. She could have an abortion, or she could turn this unwanted pregnancy into something beautiful. She could […]

President Biden deserves our thanks for recently reinstating an important environmental safeguard that requires actions undertaken by the federal government to be assessed for climate impact. The news gave me something to truly celebrate on Earth Day. The National Environmental Policy Act, introduced in 1970, originally required federal actions to be assessed for climate impact. […]

I’m supporting Jackie Sartoris because I believe she will create policies that reflect our community’s values and implement them with care. I will be voting for Jackie Sartoris in the Democratic primary for Cumberland County district attorney on June 14, and I encourage you to do the same. Jill Duson former mayor and at-large city […]