Another day, another dead New York City police officer, another grieving widow.
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.
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Posted inOp-Eds, Opinion
Clarence Page: Deriding DEI is the right’s attempt at a polite way to attack civil rights
DEI is short for diversity, equity and inclusion, virtues that have become a vice in today’s discourse on the political right, just like the earlier label “affirmative action,” which the right casts as “reverse discrimination.”
Posted inOp-Eds, Opinion
Rep. Kristen Cloutier and Joe Samaha: We must invest in the long-term health of mass violence survivors
In approving the creation of the Maine Mass Violence Care Fund, the Legislature would demonstrate its unequivocal commitment to supporting the long-term health, well-being and longevity of Mainers whose lives have been shattered by the epidemic of mass gun violence.
Posted inLetters, Opinion
Caldie and Diane Jackson: Austin would prioritize Maine in U.S. Congress
We are pleased to support state Rep. Austin Theriault for U.S. Congress. As longtime farmers in Oxford, as well as our time in public service, we have come to appreciate Mainers who are willing to step up and serve. We need Austin’s sincerity and strong commitment to our Maine values. Austin is part of Maine’s […]
Posted inLetters, Opinion
Sarah Gibson: More funding needed for treating those with brain disorders
I write again as the mother of an adult son with schizophrenia. I first wrote (“Schizophrenics need proper treatment,” Jan. 19) when he was about to become homeless and hurt himself or someone else in his unmedicated psychotic state. Through heroic police intervention he was finally hospitalized and, after three long years, admitted to a […]
Posted inOp-Eds, Opinion
Bob Neal: The Countryman: The search for meaning and membership
Reams of research show that we have become more isolated and, thus, more alienated from our culture. Out here in the boondocks, our basic culture may even be one of alienation.
Posted inOp-Eds, Opinion
Malory Shaughnessy and Betsy Sweet: Maine must fund mental health care: An urgent call for action
The need for investment in Maine’s mental health care system is clear and urgent. We urge the governor and the Legislature to act now by funding the Maine Resiliency package of bills and prioritizing the mental health and well-being of all Mainers.
Posted inLetters, Opinion
Jon St. Laurent: Food, not bombs, Mr. President
President Biden can’t have it both ways; milquetoast calls for a ceasefire in Netanyahu’s Gazan genocide and imminent mass slaughter of refugee civilians taking refuge in the overcrowded city of Rafah, all the while spiriting weapons of mass destruction off to Israel in an act of overt hypocrisy. The Biden administration’s latest arms package includes […]