Alex Lear
Staff Writer
Alex Lear is a lifelong Mainer who has spent 25 years in journalism -- the first 20 as a reporter for newspapers in Damariscotta and Falmouth, then as Opinions section editor for the Sun Journal and now a digital producer with the Maine Trust for Local News. His long-running “Learics” column won first place in the Maine Press Association’s 2023 Better Newspaper Contest. He and his wife Lauren are kept young by their 9-year-old daughter Alaina. Send feedback and suggestions to Alex.
Posted inLetters, Opinion
Craig Stickney: Weighing whether former Ingalls School is a money pit
Regional School Unit 9 sold the former Ingalls School in Farmington for $1, as it was useless. Now RSU 9 wants to buy it back for $1.6 million. I have some questions that need to be answered, hopefully in print. The answers are just yes or no; no explanations needed. Has this building been certified […]
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Posted inLetters, Opinion
Charles Tobie: Discarding democracy
Patricia Fogg’s excellent letter (“Democracy or autocracy: Only one can win,” Feb. 26) ends with the question, “is democracy lost?” If someone is taking a picture and they drop the camera off a cliff, they have lost it. If they throw it off, they have discarded it. If our democracy falters or fails, by our […]
Posted inLetters, Opinion
Bob Pelletier: Lewiston can find cuts to fund senior property tax relief
Lewiston’s senior citizen property tax relief program is squashed again. What is wrong with our City Council? Its members allow Lewiston Public Works to purchase $1.5 million every budget year for vehicles and equipment it doesn’t need. Take away two years of LPW squandering of our tax dollars, and the city can afford the program. […]
Posted inLetters, Opinion
Pamela Chenea: ‘Trump is not king’
Are Sen. Susan Collins and the other Republicans going to sit on their hands and let President Trump destroy the positive relationship that this country has with the rest of the free world? He has pulled back from Ukraine, and withdrawn support. He blames an argument that he set up intentionally so that he could […]
Posted inLetters, Opinion
Ben Lounsbury: Fear of doing the right thing
I am heartened by the local and vocal responses to the emergencies presented by President Trump and his administration. But I am still tremendously disturbed by his success in destroying our government’s checks and balances. The checks and balances were put there by our constitutional framers for good reason: to keep any branch of government […]
Posted inLetters, Opinion
Emily Ingwersen: Maine’s Paid Family and Medical Leave program benefits everyone
I own Ginger Hill Design + Build, a small construction company in Arundel, and as both an employer and a self-employed individual, I strongly support Maine’s Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML) program. While my company has fewer than 15 employees and isn’t required to contribute, we’ve chosen to cover our employees’ premiums because it’s […]
Posted inLetters, Opinion
Carlene Hill Byron: Our single issue must be democracy
I was among the first to cheer when Maine’s governor stood up to the bully-in-chief at the White House. I did that while entirely disagreeing with her on the specific issue where she took her stand. Like Gov. Janet Mills, I’m for democracy and against autocratic tyrants. I’m for a government in which I can […]
Posted inLetters, Opinion
Reese Perkins: Travelers should keep an open mind
We are a nation of people with mixed backgrounds, faiths and beliefs. In a recent letter here (“We’re vacationing in South Carolina instead of Maine,” March 6), a traveler to Maine expressed disgust with our governor and thus decided to cancel their summer vacation here. Similarly, my wife and I, Mainers born and bred, plan […]
Posted inLetters, Opinion
Betty Marchesseault: Democrats display poor adult leadership
The proof is in the pudding: Democrats don’t really care about women’s rights … because if they did, they would not be supporting biological males in female sports. The Democrats, who can be quoted as saying “trust the science” during the pandemic, will not admit that real science (that which can be tested and proved) […]