The story of the Island Rover should be a “feel good” story, but instead it is a feel terrible story thanks to the pettiness of the Shore Drive Neighbors Road Association, and also failures of the town of Freeport. The Island Rover is very close to the historic neighborhood boat launch. My understanding is that […]

Edgar Allen Beem writes: “Moody is not his own man. He has no ideas and no idea what he thinks” (“Primary post-mortem: Trouble ahead”). I witnessed evidence of this. Sitting with friends in a local bagel shop, I saw Moody with a few people, one of them a popular local right-wing radio pundit with close ties […]

I do not share Edgar Beem’s low opinion of ranked-choice voting (“Primary post-mortem: Trouble ahead”). It is not a cure-all, but it allows popular minority candidates a better hearing, and, by offering candidates a chance to enlarge their voter base, it encourages them to reflect a broader spectrum of the electorate in their policies. A […]

The worst legislative session in recent memory refuses to come to an end. And as the logjam drags on, it will take a new election to put it out of its misery. The governor and his Republican allies thwart the laws, including election laws already on the books and other measures, like Medicaid expansion, passed […]

It is a strong feeling that I have about the future of Falmouth if we allow the (Falmouth Center) monstrosity that is proposed for Route 1. The Falmouth we have now has all we need as a lovely suburb, nestled up to a major city that seems to be building at a rate that doesn’t […]

A great deal can happen between now and Nov. 6, but I have a sick feeling that the gubernatorial election may have been determined at the June 12 primary. Republicans handed Shawn Moody a landslide, while Democrats gave Janet Mills a narrow victory after a tortuous week of wading through the new ranked-choice voting system. […]

Allow me to end the suspense. U.S. Sen. Susan Collins is going to vote to confirm President Donald Trump’s latest U.S. Supreme Court nominee. Unless Brett Kavanaugh turns out to be concealing a side career as a serial killer; an agent of the North Korean government; or a molester of women, children and farm animals […]

In conversation I sometimes notice how much I talk, and evidence exists of this verbal tendency. My brother Mike once told me at a meeting, “Shh, you’ll learn more from listening than by talking.” Then there’s the guideline from ancient Greek philosopher Epictetus, which I don’t always follow. “We have two ears and one mouth […]

One of the Portland Public Schools’ goals is to teach the “Whole Student.” That means that beyond teaching academics, we help students develop other skills and habits needed for success in life. We look out for students’ physical and mental well being too, with the aid of school nurses and social workers – and by […]

Ed Beem’s column, “Let a woman do it” (The Universal Notebook, July 11),was spot on. Women have the innate capacity to effect positive change in ways that men don’t. Whether it’s in the area of political leadership or business or sports, women have an innate ability to work collaboratively with others to get positive things […]