Scorching temperatures have put millions of Americans in danger this summer, with heat extremes stretching across the Southern U.S. Phoenix hit 110 degrees or higher every day for three weeks in July. Other major cities, from Las Vegas to Miami, experienced relentless high temperatures, which residents described as “hell on earth.” While we see photos […]
Op-Eds
Opinion columns from the Kennebec Journal and Morning Sentinel.
Posted inLife & Culture, On Music Lucky Clark, Op-Eds
K.Flay talks about new music, hearing loss
I recently received an email concerning an impending concert at the State Theatre in Portland that caught my interest. The performer, who is a two-time Grammy nominee, goes by the name K.Flay (born Kristine Flaherty) and is touring to support the release of her soon-to-be-released album (“Mono” comes out on Sept. 15); it also should […]
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Posted inOp-Eds, Opinion
Carl P. Leubsdorf: Political border battle rages on
In the past two months, President Joe Biden’s revised procedures for stemming the influx of asylum seekers across the Southern border have seemed to be working, substantially slowing the flow. But the difficulty in dealing administratively with the immigration situation was underscored when a federal judge in California ruled the procedures violate a federal law […]
Posted inOp-Eds, Opinion
Commentary: Yes, the Supreme Court has taken away rights and resources. But it’s so much worse
Just a year after the U.S. Supreme Court terminated women’s constitutional right to an abortion, it dealt a triple blow to our collective social fabric in one broad sweep with rulings that undid affirmative action in college admissions, weakened LGBTQ+ Americans’ protections against discrimination and struck down the Biden administration’s college debt forgiveness. Considered together, […]
Posted inOp-Eds, Opinion
Maine Voices: Government-owned electrical systems not as perfect as Pine Tree Power’s supporters want us to believe
We all know the saying ‘the squeaky wheel gets the grease.’ I worked at an electric utility owned and operated by municipal government in the Pacific Northwest, and in my experience, the squeaky wheels were the people with political connections.
Posted inOp-Eds, Opinion
The Maine Millennial: ‘Hot Labor Summer’ continues its valiant move forward
The major worker actions going on across the U.S. shine light on the fact that some workers – farmworkers, actors, even teachers – are considered less deserving of union protections.
Posted inOp-Eds, Opinion
Hilary Koch: I am Batman
Knowledge is power. And this week I was schooled … I was about to pull into my garage, but my eldest son gestured to me to stay in the driveway. He was holding our small dog. He climbed into my car and started to relay the excitement. He didn’t get far. My husband emerged from […]
Posted inOp-Eds, Opinion
Commentary: Tragedy of capsized migrants barely noticed amid loss of Titan and its billionaire passengers
I know what it’s like to wait for someone lost at sea. When I was 20 years old, working at a music cafe in Charleston, South Carolina, I got the call that my mother’s boat was lost in a massive storm during a sailing race to Bermuda. I was assured that the powers that be […]
Posted inJ.P. Devine, Op-Eds, Uncategorized
J.P. Devine: These days it’s worth asking that old Johnny Carson refrain, ‘How hot was it?’
The longtime ‘Tonight Show’ host would use the bit in his opening monologue, and these days, with blistering heat descending on many parts of the world, there are plenty of ways to respond, writes J.P. Devine.
Posted inOp-Eds, Opinion
Community Compass: Sturgeon’s return show power of river restoration work
The city of Gardiner witnessed a river restoration miracle this summer. Atlantic sturgeon, once rare in the Kennebec, showed up in force at the mouth of Cobbosseecontee Stream to spawn just a few weeks ago. These giant fish, which have inhabited our planet since the time of the dinosaurs, are spectacular to see. People who […]