I have just come to live in Portland from another state, and, unfortunately, what struck me first was the sheer number of cigarette butts on the streets and sidewalks and in the gutters. They are everywhere! Don’t smokers realize that this is litter? I often pick up trash when I am out on a walk […]

All honest and patriotic Republicans must ask themselves if Donald Trump can be trusted. Those who continue to believe anything Trump has to say, after listening to him lie virtually every time he opened his mouth for four long years, will not likely be persuaded by anything anyone else has to say. But the rest […]

The Press Herald’s June 22 editorial, lauding Maine’s voting laws, was well written and accurate to a point. However, the story is just a bit more complex and nuanced than you imply. The four voting laws cited were, as you note, all sponsored by Democrats. Two more-restrictive voter ID laws, both killed in committee, were […]

The license plates of residents of Washington, D.C., now read “End Taxation Without Representation.” This is because the 700,000-plus residents of D.C. pay federal and local taxes and yet have no voting representatives in the U.S. Congress, where all local legislation, including the annual budget, must be submitted for approval. Washington, D.C., has more residents […]

If there is just one characteristic that defines Mainers, it’s probably a love of the outdoors. Whether hunting, fishing or just sitting outside, spending time in and near nature is an honored Pine Tree State tradition. Between agriculture, fishing and tourism, it’s also a critical element of our state’s economy. Maine’s already seen evidence of […]

Davis Hartwell’s June 16 Maine Voices column is a shining example of white racism and dog-whistle politics. Rather than engage with real issues facing people of color in Maine, he cries “critical race theory!” and blames Black people for speaking in their own defense. Mr. Hartwell indicates that he is ending his career as a […]

The recent response by industry and business groups to the legislation reducing packaging is backward. There is a dire need for industry to take leadership to reduce and remove unnecessary plastics and packaging. It has been proven that recycling plastics is largely a farce. Plastic particles are now present in every ecosystem and in every […]

Where to begin with Davis Hartwell’s misguided opinion piece (Maine Voices, June 16)? The fact that he makes academia a bogeyman, rather than a system to enlighten? That he reappropriates the term “critical race theory” as slang against white people, thereby naming as victims a group that constitutes 94 percent of the Maine population? That […]