Deaths by gun violence continue to ravage this country and now the epidemic has hit close to home. We mourn lost lives and ache for the victims’ friends and families. But we have lacked any real resolve to find ways to reduce the number of deaths. Why can’t we agree to set aside politics and […]

My “no” vote on the $160 million consolidated school bond in Scarborough does not mean that I do not support the town’s schools. It simply means I believe we can do better. The school board came up with a premium proposal, as one would expect. It was the Town Council’s job to review that proposal […]

Why have three sections of Article X of the Maine Constitution been omitted from the printed version since 1876? Some believe it was an effort to “clean up” the document. Others believe it was an effort to hide the state’s obligations to Wabanaki nations. To me, the reason for the omission is irrelevant. If it […]

The cruel and unwarranted deaths of at least 18 Maine citizens prompted Portland Public Schools to close for the day “out of an abundance of caution.” Mass shootings are no longer so far away; they are almost normalized because they occur so frequently. Eighteen innocent people are dead because our national senators are refusing to […]

I am the person quoted in last week’s column (“Commentary: In debate over Pine Tree Power, utilities should speak for themselves,” Oct. 26) which attempted to denigrate my comments and suggested that CMP or Versant should themselves appear in opposition to this risky gamble. The vote on Pine Tree Power should not be viewed as […]

Ben Bragdon’s recent admonition made an important point in a country where more and more young kids are found to be afraid of their surroundings and unsure of their place in the world (“For their sake, we’ve got to let kids be kids,” Oct. 26). The high levels of U.S. kids with anxiety and lack […]

A Falmouth writer recently questioned the commitment of Portland’s leaders to solving our city’s homelessness crisis, suggesting summer’s malaise has given way to election-season posturing (“Are city officials really focused on solving homelessness?” Oct. 25). Portland, its residents – both housed and unhoused – its workers, business owners, and leaders are all deeply focused on […]

On the current trajectory, we will all experience the horrors of gun violence. How many people have to die before the American people say that the right to live is more important than the right to own a gun? This is about money and power: gun manufacturers making lots of money and the NRA keeping […]