Congratulations to The Forecaster for doing a fantastic job at highlighting the graduating classes of 2020. They deserve our praise for a job well done during these most challenging of times. In addition to their academic, artistic, community, dramatic, musical and sports achievements, they were exposed to the most difficult of life’s lessons, disappointment and […]
Forecaster Opinion
Posted inForecaster Opinion
Superintendent’s Notebook: For equity, be the change we wish to see
Extreme challenges often drive difficult yet productive change. That thought gives me some hope as we all grapple with the outpouring of grief and outrage spurred by the brutal murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police. I joined city and school officials in standing and kneeling with protesters at a recent peaceful demonstration to decry […]
advertisement
Posted inAmerican Journal, Forecaster Opinion, Lakes Region Weekly
Here’s Something: BLM should demand less government, not more
Everyone reading this newspaper agrees that black lives matter. (I’d be surprised if our readership included racists, which are already few and far between in our tolerant state and probably not diligent newspaper readers.) But I’d venture another guess that fewer readers would as enthusiastically support the group known as Black Lives Matter after visiting […]
Posted inForecaster Opinion
Letter: Collins’ Kavanaugh vote set stage for polarized Supreme Court
Lost in the reporting on protests related to police brutality was an ominous sign from the Supreme Court set into motion by Susan Collins’ flawed judgment in voting to confirm Bret Kavanaugh to the court. Collins went out of her way to lecture Americans on jurisprudence before voting for Kavanaugh, convinced of his exemplary qualifications. […]
Posted inAmerican Journal, Forecaster Opinion, Lakes Region Weekly
The Universal Notebook: Losing track of time
Woke up from a nap Tuesday afternoon and was convinced it was Sunday. At 71, either I have begun to fail or I have found the secret to happiness. I am constantly losing track of time and I no longer give a damn. The pandemic and Carolyn’s retirement have conspired to destroy my temporal orientation. […]
Posted inForecaster Opinion
Life Unwound: Now what?
Your teenage daughter says, “I’m pregnant.” Your summer cabin floods. Your son gets jailed for OUI. And then stronger stressors. A virus starts; the world stops. The planet shuts down until public killings and passionate protests open it up. How do we manage? One friend who leans toward worst-case scenarios has nightmares. A yogi pal […]
Posted inForecaster Opinion
Forum: Watch out world, here comes the class of 2020
Dear Class of 2020, We are your parents and we have watched over three months as rituals and rites of passage have slipped away on you. We are so sorry this happened and also sorry there was nothing we could do to fix it. It is hard on a parent to watch a child confront […]
Posted inForecaster Opinion
Forum: White members of the media can’t take a pass on covering racist police behavior
In the last week, America and Maine experienced seismic changes, from Trump calling out the military to crack down on peaceful protesters to demonstrators demanding a change in the centuries-old practice of how black and brown individuals are policed. I turned to the June 5, 2020, issue of the Southern Forecaster eager to see how the profound […]
Posted inForecaster Opinion
Forum: Changes in the COVID-19 response
June is here. In Maine, that usually means days at camp, visits to the beach, hikes, bonfires and lobster dinners. This year, June also means a new stage in the state’s reopening plan. With a pandemic going on around us, it’s hard to know exactly how to act or how to spend our time, but […]
Posted inForecaster Opinion
Letter: President proves he is ‘Beloved Leader Trump’
I’m tired of Edgar Allen Beem attacking Donald Trump. Recent events, particularly the president’s heroically bursting from the bunker to show us his Good Book and subsequently warn us of the existential threat antifa, have left no doubt that Donald Trump is indeed our Beloved Leader: Beloved Leader Trump, or as we fondly refer to […]