I am a lifelong independent voter, and moving from Massachusetts, a heavily democratic state, up to Maine was refreshing. I felt like I could support the elected officials who I most felt benefited the country rather than the party to which they belonged. For decades I respected Susan Collins, and believed that she had the […]

Our current situation may not include all the elements of a Greek tragedy, but there are times when it certainly feels like it. We’re experiencing abnormal stress, constant change in our surroundings, isolation from family and friends, economic disruption, and growing uncertainty about the future. How can we find hope that we and fellow community […]

Earlier this week, the Senate opened a session with a foul blast of partisanship. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell discussed the day’s schedule and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer responded. Next came a short break when no senator may speak. Sen. Susan Collins asked for agreement of all senators present, called “unanimous consent,” so that she could […]

The young woman lay in the coffin, having succumbed to a long battle with brain cancer. Her parents stood on one side of the coffin. Her husband David and her four year old son Jared stood on the other side. The visitors passed slowly by to pay their respects. This was not the way life […]

The dirty rotten crooks. While the rest of the world is doing its best to sacrifice to beat an unseen biological virus, cyber scammers are trying to attack us with a variety of digital viruses. Before the start of 2020, I warned about the rapid increase in cyber attacks. The more we live our lives online, the […]

The COVID-19 pandemic has spread to almost every country on Earth. And yet, severalAmerican officials refer to it as the “Wuhan virus” or even the “Chinese virus.” U.S.-Chinese antagonism in this vein is not new. But, while this deliberate move to associate Wuhan, and more generally China, with the COVID pandemic serves a political purposefor […]

People of Maine want ranked-choice voting Mainers have voted twice in favor of ranked-choice voting (RCV). They don’t want to vote again. The Maine Ethics Commission reports that the Maine Republican Party recently laundered at least $250,000 in dark money to gather paid signatures on their Peoples’ Veto Referendum. If enough signatures are gathered, this […]

While most of us are hunkered down at home right now, fishermen are still out there fishing. The weather has been good this spring, which is a welcome bright spot for Maine’s fleet. Although, it has been a bit of a blessing and a curse given that the demand for fresh fish has been severely […]

The Conversation is running a series of dispatches from clinicians and researchers operating on the frontlines of the coronavirus pandemic. Inside, as usual, patient beds are near capacity, and the emergency department is filled with not only the usual mix of patients with trauma, stroke, chest pain and other concerns, but also dozens of people […]