Here is my response to Canadians who are threatening to no longer visit Maine: Don’t. I’ve noticed that our beaches are cleaner and more free of cigarette butts since fewer Canadians are visiting Maine beaches. The few dollars they spend here will not break any business in Maine. Joseph J. Valecko, Jr.Lewiston

 Recently, I saw the headline “Democratic lawmaker from Blue Hill charged with election interference” (Sept. 5). Before I opened the article, my mind conjured all of the instances of election interference we’ve seen across the country in recent years. Piqued, I opened the article. I was astonished to read that, with scant evidence, the representative […]

Robert F. Kennedy Jr’s leadership as health secretary has elevated debate on public health. Many disagree with his approach, me included. Still, I see value in this debate for what may come next.  Traditional public health initiatives seek to reduce disease burden in the population through individual education, encouragement, resources and mandates (like childhood vaccinations). […]

Over Labor Day weekend, I had a medical emergency that led me to be taken from the Thayer Center ER in Waterville to MaineGeneral Medical Center in Augusta for emergency surgery and a week of recovery. I am writing to say how impressed I was by the caring and professionalism of everyone at MGMC: the doctors, […]

A mean-spirited Sept. 10 letter (“Gender ideology does not belong in Maine schools”) suggests the writer has been breathing the rarefied air of Trumpism for too long. The writer appears to have little empathy with or understanding of her fellow human beings in the LGBTQ community. If she did have a friend or relative, a […]

Charlie Kirk was shot and killed. Much of the left celebrated. Much of the right mourned. The exercise of a right that Kirk fought for ultimately took his life. I urge the party that has rallied for gun control to use this death as an opportunity for conversation, not for “I told you so.” Let […]

Both suicidal and violent impulses are far more likely to become lethal with firearms. As a psychiatrist, I know that suicidal acts are often impulsive and can be prevented when intervention is possible. Both suicides and homicides by firearms can occur in response to crises. Often there are escalating warning signs, the “red flags” that […]

A number of Holocaust survivors have raised their voices about Gaza, insisting that “never again” must mean never again for anyone. Their plea carries a moral weight that cannot be ignored. The International Association of Genocide Scholars has formally concluded that Israel’s actions in Gaza meet the definition of genocide. Professor William Schabas, one of […]