‘Tis the season. For Top 10 lists.
We’re all too familiar with them: Stories that news organizations pull together at the end of the year because a) there’s little real news happening around the Christmas and New Year holidays, b) half the staff is on vacation and listicles can take up copious amounts of news hole, or c) it’s always been done, so why stop now?
Like them or loathe them, they return every year at this time, like Aunt Millie’s fruitcake. (You can probably tell where I stand on lists and on fruitcake.)
At The Forecaster, we don’t participate in the Top 10 tradition. We don’t presume to tell you which stories we covered this year were most important to you or your neighbors, and we won’t try to tell you Story No. 1 was more significant than Story No. 10., or for that matter, Story No. 910. That’s up to you to decide.
But as the year comes to a close, I do want to recognize some of what’s been done by the people who do a lot of the heavy lifting at The Forecaster: our writers.
They work long, irregular days (and nights), attend countless hours of municipal meetings, and do it for much less than their colleagues and competitors at Maine’s “big-city dailies.” But they produce stories that the dailies often miss, ignore, or don’t have time to pursue – and that the dailies often end up chasing, after they’ve read them in The Forecaster.
Here’s just a sample of what our staff has made me thankful for this year:
• David Harry’s thorough, balanced, and ahead-of-the-pack coverage of the tar sands debate in South Portland.
• The way Ben McCanna’s stories captured the emotion and humanity after a devastating explosion and fire in Yarmouth. And his fabulous photography.
• Brendan Twist’s continuing coverage of Freeport’s decision to leave Regional School Unit 5.
• Alex Lear being on top of the School Administrative District 51 security cost overrun.
• William Hall’s engaging update on Portland’s own “Walter White,” the drug smuggler-turned-lawyer Harvey Prager.
• The light that Dylan Martin helped shine on practices at Brunswick Development Corp. (Not to mention how fired up he gets about a good arcade story.)
• And of course, the extraordinary work of Michael Hoffer, the hardest working sports editor in Maine, who seems to always be in more than one place at a time.
Like I said, it’s only a sample of what we did this year, but it makes me proud to be part of the team.
Another source of pride is the continuing support we receive from you, our readers, in the form of letters to the editor.
It’s been a tradition of mine for the past several years to express my gratitude for your contributions by running the names of everyone who has had a letter published by The Forecaster in the past year. This year is no different.
As always, the time you take to respond to what we do, and your willingness to publicly share your opinions, praise, and even your criticism, is greatly appreciated.
Here’s my Top 296 of 2013:
John Adelman, Falmouth
Caroline Ahonen, Scarborough
Gary Anderson, Bath
Russ Anderson, Falmouth
Cushman D. Anthony, Falmouth
Jerry Antl, Freeport
Richard F. van Antwerp, Yarmouth
Stephen August, Bath
Paul Austin, Scarborough
Paul S. Bachorik, Falmouth
Judith Bailow, Yarmouth
Josh & Wendy Barrett, Falmouth
Debbie A. Barry, Lisbon Falls
Shelly Bartlett, Yarmouth
Michael Beaudoin, Cape Elizabeth
Maxine Beecher, South Portland
Art Bell, Yarmouth
Jeff Bennett, Portland
Lisa M. Bergeron, Yarmouth
Jonathan R. Berry, Falmouth
Bill Beyer, Falmouth
Caryn Bickerstaff, Falmouth
Bo Bigelow, Falmouth
Peter K. Bingham, Cumberland
Patrick Binns, Boston
Sally Sandler Bitan, Falmouth
Phillip Bixby, Falmouth
Bradbury Blake, Cape Elizabeth
Scott & Kate Boak, Bath
Lori & Art Boulay, Brunswick
William & Kay Boyd, Falmouth
Cathy Breen, Falmouth
Tom Brennan, Yarmouth
Michael Brenner, Brooklyn, N.Y.
Cameron Bright, Freeport
Steve Brinn, Falmouth
Dolores & Merle Broberg, South Portland
Abby Brown, South Portland
Marie Brown, Falmouth
Justin S. Brownwell, Portland
Jill & Shane Bryant, Falmouth
Michael T. Bucci, Damariscotta
Dave Canarie, South Portland
Melissa Carifio, Scarborough
Jeff Carlisle, Falmouth
Lalla Carothers, Cumberland
Gerald Caruso, Falmouth
Jean-Marie Caterina, Scarborough
Emily Chaleff, Portland
Susan Chamberlain, Falmouth
Pat Cheney, Yarmouth
Susan K. Christian, Portland
William L. Ciciotte, Topsham
Amy L. Clark, Jamaica Plain, Mass.
Christopher Claudio, Portland
David A. Cobb, Portland
Ted Cohen, South Portland
G. Baer Connard Jr., Falmouth
Dee Conroy-Vella, Falmouth
Cathy Cook, Casco
Janice Cooper, Yarmouth
Kerry Corthell, Scarborough
J.D. Cowie, Portland
Triss Critchfield, South Portland
C.M. Cunningham, Yarmouth
Janet Daigle, Portland
Karen A. D’Andrea, Scarborough
Arthur S. Davis Jr., Woolwich
Justin Davis, Portland
Jennifer DeChant, Bath
Jeff & Tracey Deletetsky, Topsham
Kristen Deily, South Portland
Bryan Dench, Falmouth
C. Forbes Dewey Jr., Cambridge, Mass.
Albert A. DiMillo Jr., South Portland
Thomas W. Dobbins, Portland
Kristen Dorsey, Freeport
Tim Doughty, Freeport
Adrian Dowling, South Portland
Douglas H. Doyle, Falmouth
Marianne Doyle, Freeport
Gordon Draper, Bowdoin
Irene Dubreuil, Topsham
Mark Durgin, Phippsburg
Jessica Dyer, North Yarmouth
Jane Eberle, South Portland
Sam Eddy, Yarmouth
Mary Edwards, San Antonio, Texas
John Egan, Freeport
Carol Eisenberg, Peaks Island
Walter J. Eno, Scarborough
Chuck Fagone, Portland
Karen Farber, Falmouth
Katie Fellows, Scarborough
Lisa Fernandes, Cape Elizabeth
Scott Flanders, South Portland
George A. Fogg, North Yarmouth
Nancy A. Foss, Portland
Adrian Fox, Falmouth
Beth Franklin, Falmouth
Christopher Franklin, Cumberland
Joanne T. Fryer, Yarmouth
Bill Gardiner, Yarmouth
Karen Gerrish, Lebanon
Heather Giandrea, North Yarmouth
Jim Gibbons, Keene, N.H.
Marshall L. Gibson, South Portland
Sara Gideon, Freeport
Lynn Gierie, Scarborough
Susan Gilpin, Falmouth
David Goldberg, Falmouth
Betts J. Gorsky, Cumberland Foreside
Sandra Gorsuch-Plummer, Cumberland
Jennifer Gregg, Falmouth
Jean & John Gulliver, Falmouth
Matt Halpern, South Portland
Valerie Hamilton, Yarmouth
Tim Harkins, Bath
Kathie Harper, Cumberland
Clare Harrington, Falmouth
Alison Harris, Brunswick
James Harrod, Portland
David Herring, Freeport
Tara M. Hill, Cumberland
Helen Hoffses, Scarborough
Mark Holbrook, Brunswick
Amory Houghton, Yarmouth
M. Roberts Hunt, Falmouth
Leslie Hyde, Yarmouth
Madison Hynes, Yarmouth
Dr. Richard K. Jennings, Brunswick
Eric Jensen, Cape Elizabeth
Nancy Orr Johnson Jensen, Orr’s Island
Greg Jordan, Cape Elizabeth
Bob Kahn, Brunswick
Susan Karnes, Durham
Debora Keller, Bath
Cindy Kimball, Raymond
Don Kimball, South Portland
Michael Kinley, Falmouth
Hannah Klepinger, Yarmouth
Margo Knight, Brunswick
Claudia Knox, Brunswick
Alise Koocher, Portland
Emily Kopans, Falmouth
Beth Kubik & Tom Hanson, Cumberland
Phillip N. Kupelian, Falmouth
Mary Lalumiere, Falmouth
Michelle Lamb, Falmouth
John Lambert, Cumberland
Michelle A. Lambert, Bath
Marie Lausier, North Yarmouth
Bruce LeClaire, Windham
Andrea Levinsky, Portland
Sara F. Levite, Portland
Joan Levy, Falmouth
Samantha Levy, Falmouth
Dave Libby, Falmouth
Audrey Lones, North Yarmouth
JoAnn Longo, Cumberland
Susan Lubner, Bath
Daniel Lycan, Falmouth
Julie MacDonald, Falmouth
Ronald MacDougall, Scarborough
Paul Machlin, Falmouth
Bruce & Rosemary MacKay, Yarmouth
Loretta MacKinnon, Yarmouth
Karen Macmaster, Falmouth
Mandana MacPherson, Freeport
Sean Mahoney, Falmouth
Heather Maines, Gray
Ted Markow, Brunswick
Anne “Vicky” Marr, Brunswick
Deborah Marston, Scarborough
Dave Masse, Yarmouth
Kelsey Matheson, Freeport
Jack Matheson, Freeport
Kiley Matthews, South Portland
Carla McDonnell, Portland
Elena McMahan, South Portland
Lincoln Merrill Jr., North Yarmouth
Adrian Michalski, Yarmouth
Hannah Milhill, Portland
Sen. Rebecca Millett, Cape Elizabeth
Stephen W. Moriarty, Cumberland
Michael E. Morrill, Yarmouth
John Mullin, Cumberland Foreside
Ken Murphy, Yarmouth
David Murray, Falmouth
Kim Murray, Freeport
Christopher Murry Jr., Falmouth
Leanne Barschdorf Nichols, Freeport
Patrick Norton, Freeport
Kimberly O’Connell, North Yarmouth
Nancy O’Hagan, Portland
Margaret & James O’Keefe, Cumberland
August A. Oliveira, Scarborough
Richard Olson, Falmouth
Chris Orestis, Falmouth
Fred Palmer, Freeport
Kathleen Parr, Falmouth
Janice Paul, Scarborough
Greg Payeur, Falmouth
Tony Payne, Falmouth
Anne Payson, Falmouth
Rob Peabody, Brunswick
Michelle Peck, Bath
Michael Perfetti, Cumberland
James Perley, Windham
Anne Perry, Harpswell
Jacquelyn A. Perry, Scarborough
Don Petrin, Scarborough
Benet Pols, Brunswick
Joyce A. Polyniak, Damariscotta
Malcolm Poole, South Portland
Nick Popovich, Portland
Gene Proctor, West Bath
Molly Quaid, Portland
Ray Ramage, Freeport
Sara Randall, Freeport
Jason Raven, North Yarmouth
Bonnie Raymond, Woolwich
Norman S. Reef, Portland
Marilyn Reilly, South Portland
Krista Riccione, Falmouth
John Rich, South Portland
Douglas Richmond, Brunswick
William Rixon, Freeport
Diane Robinson, Wiscasset
Michael Robitaille, Yarmouth
Bonny Rodden, Falmouth
Kenneth Rosen, Portland
Julie & Dan Rosenthal, Cumberland
Duncan Routh, North Yarmouth
Ellin Ruffner, Yarmouth
Sarah Russell, Cumberland
Jeremy Saxton, Harpswell
Pem Schaeffer, Brunswick
Bill Schmidt, Pownal
Rob Schreiber, South Portland
Jaimie Schwartz, South Portland
Larry Scott, Bath
Kenneth Scribner, Durham
Barbara Seelen, Falmouth
J. Gregory Shea, Topsham
Jean Sheridan, Yarmouth
Dr. James Sidel, Phippsburg
William H. Slavick, Portland
Helen Slocum, South Portland
Gary Small, Freeport
Michelle Small, Brunswick
Kristen Smith, Portland
Patti Smith, South Portland
David Snow, Falmouth
Joshua Snyder, Portland
James L. Solley, Falmouth
Jon Spinner, Scarborough
David Stahelski, Scarborough
Cynthia Stancioff, Chesterville
Richard Stenberg, South Portland
Barry Stephens, Buxton
Jon Stinson, Portland
Steve Strand, Yarmouth
Isaac Stroe, Portland
L.M. Tate, South Portland
Creighton Taylor, Falmouth
Anne Theriault, Falmouth
Ronald G. Thurston, Falmouth
Kevin Tierney, Falmouth
Melinda Timpf, South Portland
Francie Tolan, Bath
Lucy Tucker, Falmouth
Mariana S. Tupper, Yarmouth
Tawni Turcotte, Portland
Eric Uhl, Yarmouth
Faith Varney, Falmouth
Nancy Wallerstein, South Portland
Joe & Patty Walsh, Falmouth
Sally Ward, Brunswick
Michael J. Waxman, Yarmouth
David Webster, Freeport
Dennis Welch, South Portland
Kate Werner, Freeport
Natalie West, South Portland
Dave White, North Yarmouth
Gary, Ryder & Ansley White, North Yarmouth
Harry White, Scarborough
Lin White, Pownal
Peter Williams, Falmouth
Amy Winton, Falmouth
Bruce Wood, Portland
Steve Woods, Yarmouth
Gary York, Hopkinton, N.H.
Tanya Zivkovic, Portland
Deborah S. Zorach, Brunswick
Roberta Zuckerman, South Portland
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Mo Mehlsak is editor of The Forecaster. He can be reached at 781-3661 ext. 107 or mmehlsak@theforecaster.net. You can also follow Mo on Twitter: @mmehlsak.
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