For about a decade, around Thanksgiving, what is now the Maine Trust for Local News has published the Mainers To Be Thankful For issue. This year, readers submitted over 50 people to consider for the annual feature. I’m sure many, if not all, deserve the nomination. But as I read the profiles of the 10 […]
Op-Eds
Opinion columns from the Kennebec Journal and Morning Sentinel.
Posted inOp-Eds, Opinion
Commentary: Plant a seed, change the world
In my role as an ecology professor for the past 20 years, I’ve thought a lot about climate change and ecosystem collapse, which naturally makes me a fun person to be around. I’ve also voted in every election since I turned 18. My experience and education give me faith in the power of small acts. […]
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Commentary: How super glue saved my childhood Thanksgivings
For most kids, Grandma and Grandpa’s house is their favorite place to visit. Filled with toys and endless affection, treats and hugs. For ordinary people, Thanksgiving is a particularly special time to spend with family. That wasn’t my childhood. Don’t worry — this isn’t a sob story. My grandparents were an intense breed of Irish […]
Posted inOp-Eds, Opinion
Commentary: If Trump deports farm workers, who will be left to pick California’s crops?
Do you enjoy fruits and vegetables? Assuming the answer is yes, come next year who do you think will harvest the oranges, almonds, lettuce, strawberries, tomatoes and the other 300-plus crops grown in California? Who will work in the state’s dairies, meat plants, and food processing factories, most located in the Central Valley? Republican President-elect […]
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Opinion: Repair Maine’s criminal justice system, starting with parole
Our existing system churns the same people back into its prisons, year after year, costing hundreds of millions of dollars that would be better spent elsewhere.
Posted inOp-Eds, Opinion
Commentary: Biden still has time to nudge the federal budget closer to sanity
The U.S. fiscal outlook has dramatically deteriorated since the last time we ran a surplus in 2001, and President Joe Biden — like Democratic and Republican presidents before him — shares some responsibility for our high and rising debt. But it’s not too late to start turning things around. During his time in office, Biden […]
Posted inOp-Eds, Opinion
Nature Connects: On the hunt for conservation success
While the two activities may seem contradictory, hunters play a critical role in the support and protection of our natural world.
Posted inOp-Eds, Opinion
The Maine Millennial: GOP trifecta leads to an early wedding date
With the future now uncertain for LGBTQ rights, my partner and I weren’t taking any chances.
Posted inOp-Eds, Opinion
Opinion: Trying to quantify everything is hurting our decisions
Researchers call it the “quantification fixation” … and it can warp human judgment.
Posted inOp-Eds, Opinion
Opinion: Climate change is threatening Nordic skiing in Maine
In addition to being a moral issue, it’s an economic one; winter recreation contributed $68 million to the state’s economy in 2022.