At a recent council meeting there was a citizen discussion about the high school field refurbishment positioned as a simple question of “turf or grass” question. As a city resident and coach of a city soccer team I would like to offer that the question is unfortunately not that simple. The core issue is we […]
Sentry Letters
Posted inSouth Portland Sentry
Letter: South Portland City Council spending our money, not much to show
I was taken aback by watching the South Portland City Council meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 6. It started with the city-hired consultant from Frontline Construction Services who brought very little to the table for recommendations on what to do with Mahoney Middle School, quite literally. The one-and-a-half-page recommendation offered nothing more than support for the […]
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Posted inAmerican Journal, Lakes Region Weekly, Northern Forecaster, Portland Forecaster, Scarborough Leader, South Portland Sentry, The Forecaster
Letter: We must do better to address poverty and homelessness
Last week, the Supreme Court ruled 6-3 to uphold an ordinance banning people from sleeping or camping in public spaces. Over the past few years, poverty has become increasingly visible in Portland. A walk through downtown Portland reveals many homeless people living on our streets. Poverty is often invisible, which is part of why homeless […]
Posted inAmerican Journal, Lakes Region Weekly, Northern Forecaster, Portland Forecaster, Scarborough Leader, South Portland Sentry, The Forecaster
Letter: Popular vote compact would disregard Mainers
Yarmouth state Rep. Art Bell’s Legislative Update stated that rural communities would have “equal sway” in in the outcome of elections if his national popular vote compact were enacted by enough states. That assertion is ludicrous. Maine, with a population of 1.385 million, would be ignored in favor of populous states such as New York […]
Posted inAmerican Journal, Lakes Region Weekly, Northern Forecaster, Portland Forecaster, Scarborough Leader, South Portland Sentry, The Forecaster
Letter: 2024 Drive Fore Kids had big impact
We are judged by the company we keep. Drive Fore Kids, one of Maine’s largest multi-day events to benefit the MaineHealth Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital and Dempsey Center, took place June 20-23 at Falmouth Country Club. The second annual Drive Fore Kids celebrity golf tournament and new “Down on the Range” concert featuring 12 O/C, […]
Posted inSouth Portland Sentry
Letter: July date unacceptable for Mahoney report
I just received my weekly Sentry and there on the front page was the headline: “City Council hires outside expert to assist with Mahoney decision.” I quickly started to read and then was stunned. “Carl Cooke, of Frontline Construction Services … is scheduled to present his findings and recommendation to the City Council on July […]
Posted inAmerican Journal, Lakes Region Weekly, Northern Forecaster, Portland Forecaster, Scarborough Leader, South Portland Sentry, The Forecaster
Letter: Medicare should cover anti-obesity medication
Rural communities across Maine are grappling with growing disparities in accessing health care services. We are the nation’s oldest and most rural state, meaning issues related to health care impact Maine disproportionately. Having lived in both rural Maine and Cumberland County, I can attest to how these gaps are accelerating. Among the issues in closing […]
Posted inSouth Portland Sentry
Letter: South Portland ARPA funds should have been used for housing
In 2021, the city of South Portland received $10,498,362 in ARPA funds “to build an equitable economic recovery from the devastating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic” (U.S. Department of the Treasury statement). The city has spent all but $1,510,722, an amount that must be committed by the end of 2024 and spent by 2026. This […]
Posted inAmerican Journal, Lakes Region Weekly, Northern Forecaster, Portland Forecaster, Scarborough Leader, South Portland Sentry, The Forecaster
Letter: Writer’s savaging of poignant Iftin column just a parroting of Trump
It’s a real shame that Nancy Chesley in her May 5 word salad of xenophobia and vitriol, “Legal immigrants have no reason to fear deportation,” feels the need to parrot the same litany of demeaning tropes and malarkey about immigrants the former president, now criminal defendant, spewed on Day 18 of his election interference trial […]
Posted inAmerican Journal, Lakes Region Weekly, Northern Forecaster, Portland Forecaster, Scarborough Leader, South Portland Sentry, The Forecaster
Letter: Praising college protests is myopic view of Israel-Hamas war
The lens through which Abdi Nor Iftin sees the college protests in his Forecaster column the week of May 9 (“College protests in U.S. a ray of hope for Gazans“) provides him quite a myopic view. He sees the protests as very positive and a morale booster for the people of Gaza and sees very little […]