Last month at the Republican National Convention, former President Donald Trump revived the long-standing myth that immigrants are taking American jobs, claiming that of jobs created under President Joe Biden, “107% of those jobs are taken by illegal aliens.” This statement is false, as U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data shows that both U.S.-born and […]
Ben Bragdon
Staff Writer
Ben Bragdon is managing editor of the Sun Journal. Prior to that, he was deputy managing editor for news at the Kennebec Journal and Morning Sentinel. Ben was previously editorial page editor for those newspapers and Central Maine Sunday for more than 10 years. Before that, he was managing editor for weekly newspapers at Current Publishing in Westbrook. He began his career as a reporter at the Piscataquis Observer in Dover-Foxcroft and editor at the Moosehead Messenger in Greenville. He has a bachelor’s degree in history from Boston University.
Posted inOp-Eds, Opinion
Commentary: Trump’s allies are creating more election chaos in Georgia
The Georgia Board of Elections — which is dominated by election deniers — approved a rule change Monday that will sow chaos into the state’s election process and guarantee that if the November vote is close, we may not know the results of the presidential race for weeks. They’re playing with fire. By tipping the […]
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Posted inOp-Eds, Opinion
Commentary: Teaching civil discourse — A classroom blueprint for all America
First-time teachers and first-time voters gearing up for the 2024 election may have only ever been exposed to toxic polarization — it’s their norm. But for those of us who’ve been in the classroom for decades, the landscape of teaching civics has changed dramatically. In the early 2000s, America was polarized, but teaching during a […]
Posted inEditorials, Opinion
View from Away: Yes, more schools should ban student cellphones
This year’s hottest back-to-school trend is one most students won’t like: cellphone bans. A growing number of districts across the country have enacted, or plan to enact, prohibitions on students using their mobile phones during school hours starting this academic year. That includes some of the biggest districts, including Los Angeles Unified and New York […]
Posted inEditorials, Opinion
View from Away: Harris needs to fill in the blanks for undecided voters
Since President Joe Biden ducked out of the presidential race last month, Vice President Kamala Harris has made steady gains against Donald Trump in most polls. If she wants that lead to endure past a honeymoon phase, she’ll need to articulate an agenda that appeals to persuadable but as-yet-undecided voters. The positions that will work […]
Posted inOp-Eds, Opinion
Commentary: Bizarre raw milk trend is putting kids at risk
If there’s one thing that wasn’t on my bingo card for 2024, it was this: that amid a national outbreak of bird flu among dairy cows, sales of raw milk would surge. But new data shows that’s exactly what’s happening. It’s a baffling trend that puts people at risk of getting seriously ill — especially […]
Posted inEditorials, Opinion
Our View: New police rules a great step for accountability
An officer does not have to act criminally to be undeserving of a badge.
Posted inEditorials, Opinion
Our View: Cooperation in the North Atlantic would help lobster industry on both sides of border
It may not sound like much, but when it comes to lobster, 1/16th of an inch can make a big difference. That’s the increase in minimum harvestable lobster size that is set to go into effect next year, mandated by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission with the aim of protecting lobster populations off our […]
Posted inColumns, J.P. Devine
On the Edge: Waiting …
The love of his life gone, he holds the last paragraph of their love story in his heart, J.P. Devine writes.