I write to alert firefighters, teachers, state workers and other public employees about legislation that is presently hung up in the U.S. Senate and how it would help these workers and retirees. The Social Security Fairness Act (S.597) would eliminate unfair penalties on public workers: the Windfall Elimination Provision and the Government Pension Offset. These laws […]

Some thoughts on Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, and my beloved city of Portland. From Longfellow’s journal: “March 29: At night, as I lie in bed, a poem comes into my mind – a memory of Portland – my native town, the city by the sea.” Our city is the city of Longfellow, whose statue, enthroned, sits […]

In 2017, I came down with a serious illness. It took weeks for the doctors to find a correct diagnosis. I was in and out of three different hospitals. Finally, I had surgery and slowly recovered. During this difficult time, the doctors and nurses who treated me were – to put it simply – kind. […]