Something unusual happened at Falmouth’s Town Council meeting on Monday, Jan. 24. The council voted 4-3 to approve an amendment to our land use ordinances which reduces the open space percentage significantly in all of Falmouth’s conservation subdivisions. This vote was in spite of the following facts: • No one spoke in support of the […]

I don’t always see eye-to-eye with Edgar Allen Beem, but two of his recent articles have clearly addressed what has been on my mind. “Enough with whining about taxes” and “The embarrassment in the Blaine House” have been home runs. Why are people bowing down to a governor who barely got a plurality, not even […]

Your article on composer Elliot Schwartz was very informative, but I noticed you did not critique “Diamond Jubilee.” I will. It was hard to tell which was worse – the slide show or the “music.” It was supposed to be music, wasn’t it? Isn’t music supposed to have some kind of theme, something that a […]

During Edgar Allen Beem’s “crazy talk” rant aimed at the right, not once did he mention any ” crazy talk” from the left or Democrats, such as one of the most vitriolic statements uttered by the No. 1 Democrat/leftist, President Obama, when he said during a speech, “If they bring a knife to the fight, […]

Edgar Allen Beem tell us it’s “Time to stop the crazy talk.” Does this mean someone else will be writing his column? Porter D. LeightonFalmouth

President Obama has called for a time of healing – a suggestion that will fall on deaf ears of the apologists on the extreme right. What we do hear from these people is that the Democrats are trying to take advantage of this tragedy. They have made no attempt to join with the president in the […]

Gov. Paul LePage’s administration is off to an inauspicious beginning. He made news prior to his inauguration by promising to tell the president of the United States to “go to hell” and by threatening to punch a reporter. Since taking office, LePage has made news by hiring his own daughter, failing to invite the state […]

Recently, I reluctantly purchased something with accordion pleats, reinforced gussets, and elastic closures. No it was not, as one friend suggested, a corset. I bought folders. Legal-sized folders. If you are over the age of 21 and own anything beyond a toothbrush, tickets to a Lady Gaga concert and perhaps a winter jacket, you know […]

I’m writing this on the 50th anniversary of President John F. Kennedy’s inaugural address. This is also the day after the Portland City Council unanimously voted against supporting the mere “consideration” of hosting the USS JFK aircraft carrier to serve as a floating museum in Casco Bay. And, it’s the day that I’m resigning my […]

I’ve learned over the years that life doesn’t always turn out the way we expect or hope. But sometimes, failure leads to success. We fall short in achieving a big goal, but an even better opportunity awaits us around the corner. That is the case with a $200,000 grant recently awarded by the Nellie Mae […]