The disconnect between federal law and state law when it comes to marijuana was on display again last week in a lawsuit filed by a Pittsfield woman who says she lost her job for receiving medical care.

The creeping acceptance of a mercenary scheme to name winter storms is not among the most important things in the news, or even the weather. But like an ill wind, it carries an unmistakable whiff of chaos and dissipation.

Americans who are concerned about pollution and climate change have traditionally stood with science, in particular the consensus that greenhouse-gas emissions from human activity are warming the earth and changing the climate.

Indeed, the mileage claims made by automakers play a key role in a multibillion-dollar industry that deserves close government scrutiny. But what happens when the regulators fall down on the job?

American teenagers are awash in temptation, particularly the kind that involves pleasures of the flesh.

With many Mainers opting to vote early each election, it may come as a surprise to hear that Maine does not have early voting.

Maine has resisted tax reform, clinging to a system that taxes wages, some sales and residential property too much, while letting revenue from part-time residents and tourists slip away.

Sometimes it’s bad to be too good. After decades of honest government peopled with principled members of both parties, Maine finds itself ranked near the bottom when it comes to tough ethics rules.

“The natural-gas boom has led to cleaner power and greater energy independence,” President Barack Obama declared in his State of the Union address Tuesday night. “That’s why my administration will keep cutting red tape and speeding up new oil and gas permits.”

Observers were disappointed if they were looking for a clear winner in the state’s case against a Falmouth couple accused of letting teens drink at a party on their property.