In 1980, I bought a house in Portland, where I was hired as a teacher. My mortgage rate was 14.8 percent. “Unheard-of,” you youngsters say? Oh, not so. Guess who was president? Jimmy Carter, a Democrat (Jan. 20, 1977, to Jan. 20, 1981). He’s a nice man, but the economy was not his strong point! […]

Last Sunday’s crossword puzzle (“Calculating Characters,” Frank Longo, Page H4) drew my attention at first because of the title and riddle, which intrigued me as a degreed mathematician and puzzle enthusiast. But in the end what I learned from the puzzle was not the solving of the riddle, but its two most distinctive clues: Clue […]

Those who counted themselves among Tom Brokaw’s Greatest Generation fought and died in a struggle against fascism. They thought they had won that battle. Unfortunately, they had not. The fascist ideology, born of greed and a craving for power, simply went to ground until Donald Trump, who has made it clear that battlefield must be […]

On Jan. 30, one of the worst snowstorms hit our area here in South Portland with blizzard conditions. In the early evening, as I took my dog out onto our upper deck, I saw a city snowplow driver walking from my garage on Lee Avenue back to his plow truck. I waved at him, but […]

Recently, the Freeport Town Council began Zooming its meetings over multiple platforms. It’s not (yet) perfect: Citizens calling in are identified by name, but their video doesn’t appear. Still, while council meetings have been broadcast over local TV for some time, the addition of Zoom should encourage increased citizen participation in town affairs – particularly […]

I applaud Gov. Mills for her bipartisan leadership. In her State of the State address, Mills proposed giving back half of Maine’s budgetary surplus to everyday Mainers. She intends to issue checks for $500 to about 800,000 taxpayers. Mills’ excellent plan originated with Maine Republican leadership and demonstrates that she listens to helpful ideas from […]

I am amused by the Press Herald editorial board’s assertion (Our View, Feb. 17) that Gov.Mills has handed the Legislature a “good problem” in the form of a substantial budget surplus that the Legislature must now figure out how to spend. I recall decades ago when California’s governor, Ronald Reagan, delivered on his promise to […]

As a lifelong Maine commercial fisherman, I want to correct the record and clarify misinformation provided by a recent letter writer (“Fighting whale-safe gear rules won’t ‘save Maine lobstermen,’ ” Feb. 6). In 2021, the federal government released a 10-year plan requiring Maine’s lobster industry to reduce its already-minimal risk to endangered right whales by […]