As a Maine playwright, having read with professional interest the feature on Ogunquit Playhouse in the Oct. 20 Sunday Telegram, I was buoyed and encouraged by the quote from artistic director Brad Kenney: “How can we help writers or artists who are new or have a new story? How can we help them move their […]

I read with interest Rev. Marvin Ellison’s Oct. 20 commentary, “Christian values should not be used to punish difference, dissent.” In it, he talks about the outspoken goals of the Christian right, which trend toward racism and authoritarianism. To counter this movement, he concludes we must promote justice and inclusiveness. He is correct. “Religion” has […]

Portland City Council has scheduled a public hearing and vote on a proposal to rezone the entire city of Portland on Nov. 4, the eve of a historically consequential national election on Nov. 5. The presidential election has dominated news for most of the last year, and very few who live in Portland know what […]

Rabbi Herzfeld’s Oct. 2 Press Herald op-ed on the Portland City Council’s Israel divestment resolution (“Searching for connection at Rosh Hashanah“) is a perfect example of why the Jewish-Israel equation must end. From its origins, modern Zionism has never been a universally held belief among Jews. Plenty of Jews, myself included, think that we were […]

On Oct. 18, you printed a story (“A Maine law could have forced the Lewiston mass shooter into psychiatric treatment. Why wasn’t it used?“) on the report of the committee tasked by the governor to review the shootings of last year. The report has become contentious because of its silence on the subject of the […]

When my father had a heart attack in 1966 (from which he recovered), the midnight siren of the approaching ambulance along empty rural roads was surprisingly comforting. The ambulance crew explained, in passing, that our experience was shared by others although the siren often served no immediate traffic safety purpose. Today, in Portland, the overhead […]

I worked with Mark Dion 45 years ago when I was an assistant district attorney and he was with Portland law enforcement. From day one he earned my respect and admiration as a thoughtful and dedicated officer. I supported his run for mayor of Portland. When he was part of this unanimous City Council vote […]