As a breast cancer survivor, October can be a challenge. Everywhere I look I am bombarded with pretty pink reminders of my disease. Before I was diagnosed, I had a completely different view of breast cancer awareness month. I never thought about the fact that people would sell pink products while donating little to no […]

The Maine coast is famous for its fog as it rolls off the ocean like an earthbound cloud, gray and misty and cool. The San Francisco Bay area is also known for its fog, especially when it envelops the Golden Gate Bridge in its ghostly embrace. But I read recently that the ocean fog of […]

Part one of two As the new school year unfolds, the administrators of RSU 21 are working hard to ensure that all students have the tools they need to have a productive and successful year. Dr. Terri Cooper, superintendent of RSU 21, highlights some of the new and enhanced systems and services the district provides […]

I suppose we all play at least a small role, knowingly or not, in our own ultimate demise. In my case I know what it is. When I’m standing early morning in the shower, and reaching my hand up to massage the shampoo into my hair and scalp, my mind forgets that there’s a thumb […]

Writing unsolicited, uncompensated newspaper columns for more than a decade has brought me to the conclusion that I am less of a “writer” than a “content provider,” a term I find demoralizing. Not that I’m complaining, exactly; I enjoy writing and being read, especially when a “fan” stops you in the grocery store to tell […]

I don’t know what year it was, because I was only five or six at the time and at that age you don’t live from year to year, but just from day to day and each day is filled with a year’s worth of time. Mother took me to meet the man in his office […]

Like many of you, I watched “The U.S. and the Holocaust,” the newest Ken Burns’ documentary on PBS. The storyline is familiar, but the film series illuminates some lesser-known facts about antisemitism, immigration and race in America. The first episode was painful to watch, knowing how the saga will end. And it only got worse […]

Although most people are normal, or “average out” to as normal, my sense is that some have one or more native born weaknesses. Sometimes, a person, on becoming aware of a weakness in himself, will put extra effort into overcoming that weakness, through trial, attention, hard work and formal training. Such people usually succeed in […]

When I was first elected to represent you in Augusta, I definitely felt some uncertainty. Things like “Will I be able to do what I set out to do?” to “Where do I even park my truck at the State House?” would cross my mind. However, what I was certain of was that I wanted […]