This is in response to an article that appeared in the Aug. 28 edition, headlined “Erratic driving led to Skowhegan traffic stop, detaining of 14 Romanians.” Were laws broken? Yes, traffic laws, safety laws, but rather than given citations, they were arrested. Local police watched as they loaded their groceries, then proceeded to follow them […]
letter to the editor
Foster children hit hard by ‘big, beautiful bill’ | Letter
My husband and I recently adopted two children from Maine’s foster care system. They’re kind, smart, beautiful, funny, athletic and empathetic — like millions of other kids. I’m a teacher and my husband works in affordable housing. Our older child, a rising senior, insists on working 50 hours a week during summer. Our younger child […]
Story of lovesick moose brought me joy | Letter
I’m laughing out loud at Ron Joseph’s Sept. 2 “In the Field” column titled “Lovesick moose sparks sex education lesson,” about an amorous male moose falling for an indifferent milking cow named Ginger. Joseph painted a hilarious snapshot of rural living in Maine in the 1960s. It reminded me of the hysterically funny books and […]
An America-first agenda is good for business | Letter
For all the headlines criticizing the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, what’s missing is the good news: this bill is a win for American jobs, workers and the small businesses that keep our communities running. Many of the small businesses shut down during the COVID pandemic and we need to bring them back. The United […]
Letter writers should get help treating their TDS | Letter
This letter could set a record for brevity. On Sept. 2, this paper published two letters — one critical of the administration’s attitude toward immigrants (“We’ve seen this unsettling story before“) and the other (“Voter ID referendum includes dangerous changes“) alleging that requiring a picture ID to vote is burdensome. In the case of the […]
Why aren’t we all ashamed? | Letter
Reading Rhiannon Hamdi’s Aug. 28 op-ed, “Our neighbors to the south need to look in the mirror,” and the letters to the editor collectively titled “Canadians enraged by invitation of Maine State Sen. Joseph Martin” (Aug. 20), I had what has become a familiar reaction: shame. Though underestimated in degree, incompetence, ignorance, corruption and cruelty […]
Canadians shouldn’t make generalizations about Americans | Letter
I took great offense at Rhiannon Hamdi’s Aug. 28 op-ed (“Our neighbors to the south need to look in the mirror“), which attempted to lump all proud American citizens into her one narrow box. Yes, we have some major problems and our current political nightmare is heartbreaking to the majority of citizens — but to […]
Portland could turn things around by easing permitting | Letter
Where’s the vision?
Schoolwork needs to come before football | Letter
Travis Lazarczyk’s Sept. 2 column about Thursday night high school football makes a good case for same, with one very important consideration left unaddressed: Thursday night is, or at least used to be, a school night. Athletes and fans should be home on Thursday night doing homework and otherwise preparing for school the next day. […]
Don’t let beach access opponents turn us against each other | Letter
Maybe it’s the winters. A minus-5-degree morning has a way of keeping people real. Whatever the reason, Mainers have always had a knack for spotting nonsense a mile away. The Aug. 24 op-ed from attorneys Gilliard and Kieser (“Maine beach access case carries huge implications for private property“) was yet another attempt to tell us […]