On we go, fumbling our way through this brave new world, figuring life out a day at a time. A consensus has emerged on some things. Wash your hands for 20 seconds every time you go out, come in, cook, eat, sneeze or use the toilet. Got it. Cover your coughs and sneezes. Check. Stay …
Just as Vacationland was thinking about painting signs and washing sidewalks, disaster struck. COVID-19 has reached Maine and turned our lives upside down. The first concern must be for the health of both residents and travelers. Just how that health is best protected is debatable. It must be utterly devastating to be the owner of …
What’s the lineup for Hancock County in the upcoming primaries? We had a large freshman class elected in the 2018 election. Reps. Dick Campbell (R-Orrington), Brian Hubbell (D-Bar Harbor) and Larry Lockman (R-Bradley) are termed out this year, but five other local legislators are freshmen and all five are seeking re-election. Three are Democrats, two …
The March 3 election is a wrap, and it’s on to June. In the first Maine presidential primary (as opposed to caucuses) in 20 years, turnout was hot. Early estimates put it at 45 percent. Headlines calling 45 percent turnout “massive” are an American phenomenon. In most other countries that have elections turnout is in …
“An Act to Lower Health Care Costs” seems like it would be a sure winner in Augusta, but not so fast. It was accepted as an emergency bill by the Legislative Council on Oct. 23 by a 6-4 vote split on party lines. Then came the process of writing a large, complex policy bill resulting …
Ken Paigen was hired to head The Jackson Laboratory in 1989. At the Bangor airport on his way back home to California to prepare for his move east, the news broke that the Lab was on fire. Paigen abandoned his flight and headed back to Bar Harbor. What is a nationally recognized mammalian genetics research …
Augusta had a moment last week when a Maine senator nearly flipped the outcome of a sports betting bill—by mistake. The bill, passed by the Legislature in 2019, would have legalized online sports betting with a hefty tax to beef up Maine coffers. Governor Janet Mills vetoed the bill. In her veto letter she expressed …
Already, we have the headache. Can we support the odious Donald Trump if we favor Republican control of government? Or are we in the “anybody but” camp, ready to support whoever wins the Democratic primary just to see him ousted? Will we choose our next U.S. senator based on which party will control the U.S. …
Truth in advertising? Not hardly. Signs have popped up around Hancock County and beyond that say: “Yes on 1. Reject Big Pharma.” The trouble is, Question 1 has little to do with “Big Pharma.” That’s just a pithy way to put an earworm into the background music in a Maine voter’s head. Question 1, coming …
Governor Janet Mills’ State of the State Address on Jan. 21 covered the usual range of gubernatorial concerns. Health care, education, the business environment, child welfare and other hot-button issues were all featured in her address. One item she mentioned gave some listeners pause. “Pass the Equal Rights Amendment to the Maine Constitution.” Wait, what? …
Not every citizen who wants to serve the state is destined to be elected. Some of them do not have the right stuff. Whether it is the charisma to be elected — or the money — or the ability to compete with better known or better loved candidates, not all who are called are chosen. …
The second regular session of the 129th Legislature convened on Jan. 8. It is two months shorter than the first regular session, with statutory adjournment due on April 15. There is a lot to be done by then. More than a little work was left over from the previous year. Over 400 bills were carried …
