The letter from a citizen of Cumberland in the Nov.19 Forecaster demanding that Tony Payne be forbidden column space is odd, even a little weird. The writer’s objection boils down to this, that Mr. Payne, as an elected official “… should be responsible enough to know that publishing his political point of view on a […]

A government study has suggested routine mammograms should be started at age 50 instead of age 40. The evidence-based analysis seems clear – we’re spending billions of dollars to screen for cancer, only to find no evidence of the disease in the vast majority of women under the age of 50. That’s good news – unless, of […]

Rudy, a handsome black mutt from Kentucky masquerading as a flat-coated retriever, knows as soon as we turn onto Hillside Street that we are going to Twin Brooks. Yearning to be free, he first expresses his impatient excitement in whines that seem the farthest thing from an expression of pleasure. The closer we get, the […]

Depending on your point of view, the appointment of Jerald McQueeney to the South Portland School Board was probably either a routine municipal decision or a successful hijacking of the Board of Education. McQueeney is one of several city residents who expressed interest in filling the board vacancy created in District 3 by the death […]

“Mainers vote down gay-marriage law” screamed the banner headline on the Portland Press Herald. The cover photograph, however, was of Frank Schubert, the California carpetbagger who led the Yes on 1 campaign, exulting in victory. How very fitting. Like the majority of voters here in greater Portland, I was greatly disappointed in the outcome of […]

Budget season comes around just like hunting season, except it begins in January, lasts through May and the game being hunted is numbers, not deer. You can prepare for hunting season by going to L.L. Bean or Cabela’s and purchasing the latest all-weather gear, hand warmers or flame-orange vest. Preparing for budget season requires research, […]

I find Tony Payne’s essays in The Forecaster to be both eloquent and thoughtful, and even on those occasions when I don’t agree fully with his message. It’s clear that he’s a skillful writer. That said, I believe that it is unethical of Mr. Payne to be writing an opinion column for a community newspaper. […]

If Mainers believe that the recent vote to revoke the equal right of all citizens to form civil unions without discrimination safeguards our societal foundations, we are resting on hypocritical and illusory laurels. What about the widespread, documented deleterious effects on community posed by the unquestioned legality of divorce? Are our children exposed to divorce […]

I recently opened my mailbox to find yet another mailing from the Alliance for Maine’s Future with a misleading and unfair criticism of Rep. Melissa Walsh Innes. This group bandies the “Change for Maine” slogan, but its use of this kind of scurrilous and negative campaign tactic makes one wonder just exactly what kind of […]

It’s certainly good news that a motorcycle dealer is offering free “pipe down” signs to the city of Portland. I hope that these are effective in quieting down the many loud bikers that plague the city. Many folks assume that motorcycles are naturally loud, but they aren’t loud unless a number of laws are violated […]