By Dale Hamilton Less than three weeks ago, Maine had its first confirmed case of COVID-19. The speed at which this event has disrupted our lives is somewhat overwhelming. We are concerned for the people who have lost jobs, the businesses that have closed and the challenges that people are facing in meeting their basic …
By Reps. Nicole Grohoski and Sarah Pebworth Since Maine’s first case of COVID-19 was announced on March 12, people across our state have sprung into action. We’ve quickly adapted to protect public health, from temporarily closing schools and businesses to working remotely, practicing physical distancing and more. We are both grateful and proud of our …
In a recent op-ed on a likely U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, Marvin Ott remarks that the origins of our war there go back to the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Actually, this date is a bit misleading. U.S. intervention in Afghanistan goes back a lot further, to the summer of 1979. In July of that …
By Hugh Curran When I was a youth in Ireland, St. Patrick’s Day was considered a Holy Day of Obligation in which religious services were held to commemorate him. St. Patrick’s “Confessions” told a story of being captured by pirates raiding Roman Britain and being sold into slavery, where he spent six years as a …
By Sen. Angus King Friends, the challenges created by the coronavirus epidemic are unlike anything that we’ve seen in the last 100 years. The situation is changing rapidly, but this much is clear: we all need to change our behaviors and adopt new approaches to protect ourselves and our loved ones. As I push for …
By Roger W. Bowen His supporters find his name-calling humorous, but his critics regard the unflattering, purposely mean-spirited use of derogatory language to describe political opponents as unbecoming and beneath the dignity of the White House. But such criticism does little, if anything, to cause Mr. Trump pause, let alone regret. West Virginia Sen. Joe …
By Sen. Kimberley Rosen Anyone who has served in the state legislature since automobiles became, as young people say today, “a thing,” has been asked more times than they can remember when the state is going to fix this road or that one. Well, as it turns out, the Maine Department of Transportation not only …
By Sen. Susan M. Collins Lobster is Maine’s largest export, generating $1.5 billion in economic activity each year and supporting thousands of jobs and many coastal communities throughout our state. When China imposed retaliatory tariffs on American products in mid-2018, one of its first targets was Maine lobster, causing great harm to this iconic and …
By Michael Hall One-time-use plastic grocery bags only harm sea turtles if we humans allow them to escape into the environment. Plastic straws never get stuck in a whale’s throat unless we humans allow them to escape into the environment. Polystyrene take-out containers never become microplastic ocean pollution unless we put them in the ocean. …
By Todd R. Nelson I grew up outside of Boston and was a political observer from an early age. Perhaps it was having a journalist father, and dinner table conversations that made current events seem vital and engaging. From middle school on I was encouraged to be involved — intellectually and through volunteerism. And I …
By Sen. Kimberley Rosen According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, from 2001 through 2011, Hancock and Penobscot counties combined to lose 2,300 jobs. But starting in 2012, when voters gave Republicans control of state government, that situation reversed course, and over the next seven years the two counties added more than 3,100 new …
By Meryl Nass, MD A single referendum question is coming up for a vote March 3, which is also the date of the Democratic Party’s primary election. The question asks Maine citizens if they want to retain religious and personal belief exemptions for vaccines (in that case, vote “yes” on No. 1) or instead agree …
