The year we’ve had in Maine brings to mind “The Simpsons’” version of “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.” We’ve gone from drought to saturated soil; moisture content is in the top 95-98% of measurements for this time of year. On my bike ride up to the Common Ground Fair, it looked more like spring […]

In his regular weekly column in The Times Record, “From the Chamber,” my dear friend and colleague Cory King recently wrote about a serious health scare that thankfully was mitigated through early intervention and access to the exceptional health care providers and facilities in our community and state. Cory is the executive director of the […]

Let me tell you about my nephew Toucalit (Touc), one of my favorite people in the whole world. Yes, his name (bestowed on him by his oldest sister) is unusual, but quirky names were the norm in that family. HIs siblings were Maggie, Christmas, Mardi Gras, Doubie (for marijuana), Valentine and Frisco. Touc was the […]

Just over a year ago, I received a call from the head of the Georgetown Transfer Station with a plea for help. The owner of the Brunswick redemption center who had been picking up bottles from the transfer station was losing the lease on his building, and he couldn’t afford to pay his workers. Unlike […]

As Washington careens toward yet another budget-induced shutdown, the usual suspects are being rounded up. According to Jared Golden, Maine’s maverick Democratic Congressman, the solution is clear: “The only way to avert a shutdown is to come to the table to negotiate a bipartisan agreement.” He’s wrong of course, but perhaps can be forgiven – […]

Electric vehicle sales are growing faster than expected around the world, and sales of gas- and diesel-powered vehicles have been falling. Yet, the U.S. government still forecasts an increasing demand for oil, and the oil industry is doubling down on production plans. Why is that, and what happens if the U.S. projections for growing oil […]

The easiest way to write about the House Republicans’ purported impeachment probe of President Biden, a theatrical stunt launched with zero actual evidence of high crimes and misdemeanors, is to simply focus on MAGA mascot Kevin McCarthy – the hapless Speaker best described by the late sane conservative pundit Michael Gerson as a “simpering paragon […]

Too bad Donald Trump won’t attend the second Republican presidential primary debate next week at the Ronald Reagan Library. His friends and enemies in the media will miss him and the high ratings he automatically generates, but he’s leading by a huge margin in the polls and he doesn’t need the TV time or media […]

THE CONVERSATION — When Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with President Joe Biden, on Sept. 21, 2023, the topic of weapons supply was on the agenda. That same issue almost certainly came up between Russia’s Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un when the pair met earlier in September. The fact is, with the conflict in Ukraine having now dragged […]