Kudos to Megan Gray and the paper for the article on Gov Mills judge appointments. I appreciated learning of the difference between Maine District and Superior Courts, and was interested to learn of the proportion of women on the bench in Maine. Valerie Blais Portland

In Maine, the legal needs of low-income Mainers who face criminal charges, or are involved in child protective proceedings, are handled by court-appointed lawyers and overseen by the Maine Commission on Indigent Legal Services. A different group of nonprofit organizations handles civil legal needs, including common problems such as divorce, eviction, protection from abuse, debt […]

I appreciated Trevor J. Hustus’ Dec. 4 commentary regarding a change of name for the University of Southern Maine (“Student-trustee: Change from ‘USM’ to ‘UMaine Portland’ will help our state grow, prosper”). It brought to my mind my deep, loving wish that South Portland would have a name of its own. This new year, 2020, […]

I was at a local market recently buying a bottle of wine for dinner. The clerk said I needed to produce an ID, as the legal age for purchase of alcohol in Maine is 21. I refused, telling the store manager that 50 years ago, when I was 18 – under the draft for probable […]

I have carefully listened to most of the congressional hearings, statements from both Republican and Democratic politicians, and many of what I believe are the least biased news reports regarding the behavior of our president. I am a former Republican, who has struggled to maintain some degree of objectivity in the last few years. I […]

Thank you for the story Dec. 5 on Page B1, announcing the Public Utilities Commission hearing on the proposed Unitil natural gas rate increase, at the University of Southern Maine’s Abromson Community Education Center. There was one other person from the public there besides myself. There were two people from the company and the consumer […]

It appears to me, after watching the culture wars for the last three decades, that the enemy of the Republican Party is not the political left or the mainstream press, but rather their own right-wing media. Our Republican public officials are hamstrung by the lies fostered by talk radio, Fox “News” and their ilk. Time […]

This is a “buyer beware” story. The Maine State Ballet “Nutcracker” performance at Merrill Auditorium was delightful; the ripoff I experienced in purchasing tickets for the show was disgusting. A $35 ticket cost me $91.34. Why? Because I purchased my ticket online from what, unbeknownst to me, was what is called a third-party reseller. This […]