In Dixfield, Operation Sunshine is bringing a little light into people’s lives.

Police there have begun a new program to routinely check on people who live alone and may need help, which includes calling some people twice a week and visiting them once each month.

Welfare checks are a regular part of any police department’s duties, but usually the checks are conducted when someone reports a concern. They are not always part of the regular, scheduled patrol beat.

In Dixfield, the checks will be frequent and friendly.

Chief Richard Pickett said he wants people to feel they can contact police to report crimes or scams, and these nonconfrontational contacts with his officers are designed to build rapport between the law and the community.

This is a terrific idea.

In Dixfield, the duty to serve and protect is more than a motto. It’s a mission.

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On Tuesday, voters in Wiscasset decided to cling to “Redskins” as the high school and sports teams’ name.

It was a nonbinding vote sought by selectmen after the Maine Indian Tribal State Commission asked the school to drop the offensive nickname. The decision of whether to keep the name rests with the regional school board.

We would never suggest ignoring voters’ wishes without cause and careful thought, but in this case the school board really needs to drop “Redskins.”

The slang term has long been offensive to native Americans, but it’s also terribly dated and just plain tired.

The word is believed to have originated to describe the Beothuks of Newfoundland, who used red ochre to tint their skin.

The Beothuks are extinct. Is this really what Wiscasset teams want to claim? Extinction?

We’re not suggesting Wiscasset should abandon its connection to its native heritage, especially given that the very name of this mid-coast town is Abenaki. But really, wouldn’t it be more fitting to infuse the schools, sports teams and community pride with a nickname that says this town is moving forward? Not fossilized?

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Lewiston councilors did the right thing Tuesday by voting to proceed with work on the Lake Auburn water treatment facility, sharing the cost of construction with Auburn.

The Lewiston Finance Committee has twice halted the project out of concern about how the sole bid on the project was handled. The committee wants to send the project out for a third round of bids.

The UV treatment facility is not a small project, and it’s something that’s been in the works for years. Putting a stop to it now, mid-process, just doesn’t make sense.

To be fair, the Finance Committee’s hesitation to date has successfully trimmed $230,000 from the project cost as the bidder’s proposal was examined, but this project must now proceed.

Construction started in 2009, using $7.7 million in federal stimulus to install an ultraviolet-light disinfectant system to treat drinking water piped out of Lake Auburn to homes in the Twin Cities. The second phase of the project will add a water-testing lab and chemical-treatment building to the facility.

We understand and support the need to be cautious about spending, but the bid has been trimmed and it’s time for the project to proceed. The Finance Committee’s continued objection is now more obstacle than caution.

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The opinions expressed in this column reflect the views of the ownership and ecitorial board.