Peaks Island is a unique ecosystem. As such, it functions best when its remarkable residents’ achievements and community actions are acknowledged by the wider Portland community, as well as when its residents speak openly about concerns and oversights that affect this beautiful slip of land. A recent short article in your paper gave a cursory […]

With trillions in tax breaks promised by the feds, and every conceivable benefit being cut, Mainers are going to have to come up with interesting ways to fund what the feds cancel. One way is for the state to increase taxes to whatever group receives fed tax cuts. It is what the feds want: each […]

My wife has Alzheimer’s. I’m 70 and she is 78. I am her 24/7 caregiver. I get a break when she goes to a high-quality day program three days a week ($1,700 a month out of pocket). My wife is the best thing that ever happened to me and I love her. I’m not bitter […]

I recently had the good fortune to attend the 2025 Masters Golf Tournament at Augusta, Georgia. Attended by about 40,000 people each day, plus an estimated 90,000 spectators over the five-day tournament, this event required strict adherence to rules and protocol by every attendee. Cellphones, cameras and electronic devices are not allowed inside the tournament, […]

In the 2024 presidential election, did people vote for actions like demolishing the Department of Education and degrading the lives of American children? Did they vote to end the federal government’s involvement in public education? The mission statement of the U.S. Department of Education: To promote student achievement and preparation for global competitiveness by fostering […]

Thanks to David Washburn for his wonderful documentary “Three Chaplains” (“Public media funding cuts will hurt Maine and America,” May 6). I saw it on Maine Public (PBS and NPR in Maine) and was deeply impressed with his in-depth portraits of military chaplains and their dedicated support for our service members. In addition to supporting […]

An onslaught of anti-trans bills has barreled toward the Maine Legislature. Anti-trans rhetoric is couched in the language of “protecting women and girls” and ensuring “fairness” in sports. The reality is that we protect Maine kids by protecting all Maine kids: cisgender and trans, athletic and artistic, tall and short, and coordinated and chaotic. I […]

Shame on Maine for its treatment of young adults. I moved my 17-year-old daughter here from Washington to get her away from gangs, drugs and trauma. At 18, she got an apartment and a summons. Four 18-21 year-olds had a four-pack of hard lemonade. Video footage shows police entering her apartment without permission. The court […]

How will we explain to our grandchildren that for 19 months we watched the world’s first livestreamed genocide? We saw the causalities mount, hospitals bombed, homes and apartments leveled, children’s limbs torn apart, entire families massacred, journalists gunned down and doctors abducted and tortured. Atrocity after atrocity and we did nothing. While some took to […]