I was appalled to read about the death of Baxter, the Maine Department of Public Safety’s “official comfort dog” after he was left in a closed-up vehicle. The news announcement made it sound like the department was blaming the vehicle rather than Baxter’s handler. Every responsible dog owner knows, or should know, never to leave […]

Rachel Ohm’s June 1 article, “Legacy of Margaret Chase Smith’s ‘Declaration of Conscience’ speech lives on 75 years later,” offered such an on-point message in today’s political world. Would that today’s Republicans demonstrated Sen. Smith’s courage. There was an editorial cartoon years ago in which a lemming questions aloud the group’s leadership as he rushes […]

In the pages of this newspaper, I read with dismay of school budgets rejected and of schools closed — budget after budget, school after school. What is this madness, that sweeps our state with the scythe of destruction? Our schools are: • Support systems and safety nets for parents, families and future heads of families. […]

Mental health. Two words that have been brushed aside in the athletic community. Two words with which almost every athlete struggles. Two words that need to be acknowledged in a community that’s supposed to be tough. The athlete who’s winning is supposed to be tough, the athlete who’s losing is supposed to be tough. But […]

I get that there are many people in our country who feel strongly that the U.S. has changed for the worse in the last generation. I understand how they might feel left behind, ignored, even victimized, while at the same time it seems we have bent over backward to help others, especially immigrants, people of […]

I am a fourth-generation Mainer. My parents are from the heavily forested regions of Maine: Rumford and East Millinocket. As a nurse practitioner, I’ve spent decades caring for human beings with health issues. I believe, as Robin Wall Kimmerer writes, “all flourishing is mutual.” Unfortunately, the “Fix Our Forests Act” does the opposite. It will […]

In President Trump’s efforts to put aside the Constitution of the United States, he has targeted transgender people, with a particular focus on trans athletes. Our state legislators are now caught up in this argument. Let’s put this debate to rest with the following facts: • Trans athletes, especially trans women, have been playing in women’s […]

I’ve been visiting Popham Beach for summer vacation on and off since 1973. As a result, I have many fond memories of this bucolic spot at the mouth of the Kennebec River. Of course, it was hard when we lost Percy’s a few years back. Visitors have since had to find another place to shop […]