Posted inOpinion

JOSEPH REISERT: We’re all at fault for breakdown of political institutions

I argued in my last column that our government is becoming dangerously dysfunctional. The showdown over the debt ceiling is only the latest in a series of unnecessary and artificial crises caused by our political leaders, who have irresponsibly turned the ordinary disagreements that constitute democratic politics into occasions for total war. Instead of legislative debates and regular legislative processes that produce outcomes that all sides can live with, we have scorched earth campaigns that result in temporary victories, but inflict lasting damage on our institutions and undermine the public’s trust in government.

Posted inNews

South Berwick man guilty in hit-and-run death

BANGOR — A 23-year-old man faces up to 30 years in prison after being convicted in the hit-and-run death of a University of Maine student. A Penobscot County Superior Court jury today found Garrett Cheney of South Berwick guilty of manslaughter, aggravated criminal operating under the influence and other charges in the Jan. 30, 2010, […]

Posted inNews

Swan indicted in Chelsea corruption probe

AUGUSTA — A Kennebec County grand jury on Thursday indicted former Chelsea Board of Selectmen Chairman Carole Swan on four criminal charges alleging she solicited kickbacks from a snowplow contractor. A prosecutor says her actions remain under scrutiny. The indictment is the formal start of a criminal case against Swan, 53, and she will be […]