I am writing to express my anger with Portland’s establishment politicians regarding their targeting of recently elected Charter Commissioner Nasreen Sheikh-Yousef. Mayor Kate Snyder and Councilor Spencer Thibodeau, both of whom purportedly believe Black Lives Matter, have used their positions to attack a working-class Somali-American activist for unapologetically opposing white supremacy and continuing to fight […]

I wish Gov. Mills would take a positive position on the Pine Tree Power initiative. Yes, there are things in the bill that need to be ironed out. For example, demand that the board of trustees be experienced in energy distribution. She could be a leader in helping to iron these issues out. As for […]

On June 8, I had the privilege of acting as a nonpartisan election observer in Portland at the District 2, Precinct 2 location (Portland Expo). While the number of voters was sparse during my three hours there, the integrity of the process was clearly visible. Poll workers observed regulations and answered questions with knowledge, integrity […]

The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines reducing the need for masks and distancing for those who are vaccinated are good news. They confirm the vaccines’ effectiveness and nudge us toward normalcy. But without an enforcement mechanism, they’re insufficient. The problem is that a large segment of the population has demonstrated disdain for […]

According to a recent Wall Street Journal commentary, scientific evidence suggests that the COVID-19 virus came from a lab. “The presence of the double CGG sequence is strong evidence of gene splicing, and the absence of diversity in the public outbreak suggests gain-of-function acceleration,” Dr. Stephen Quay and physicist Richard Muller wrote. According to an […]

For more than 25 years, Bridges Home Services, a division of Spectrum Generations, has provided in-home care and community support to older and disabled residents in central Maine. Our staff of 200 spends roughly 180,000 hours each year caring for our patients, who include your parents, grandparents, family members and neighbors. As Maine’s population ages, […]

My husband, Karl, and I have worked in business for many years; Karl was also a Maine state senator for eight years. We are very concerned about the proposed acquisition of Central Maine Power and Versant by the state. Way beyond the likely $13 billion purchase price, our electric grid and transmission lines need great […]

A consumer-owned power utility is like a public school, library or park. Local elected officials make sure that the needs of the utility’s owners – you and me, citizens and consumers – are met. This close connection between community and utility is what makes publicly owned power companies so much more generous than their investor-owned […]