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
Philip Blampied: Amend state law to help ease Maine’s housing woes
A change in state law could open up hundreds, perhaps thousands of desperately needed new housing units in Maine. These units are the empty bedrooms in single family homes, particularly numerous in a state like Maine with an aging population and “empty nests.” These bedrooms could be rented out, but state law makes it unwise […]
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Posted inLetters, Opinion
Marc Gosselin: The 19th victim
Many don’t understand depression — hearing voices, paranoia, psychosis, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, or the fringes of extreme trauma. I do. And I know the agony and craziness that it entails. Thank goodness for me, the Veterans Administration was able to help. Apparently, the military faltered for the Lewiston shooter, Robert Card. I am in no […]
Posted inOp-Eds, Opinion
Jason Judd: Apprenticeships yield results and make the case for more growth and investments
Today’s apprenticeship programs are not my father’s apprenticeships. They involve learning new technologies and skills, are in very high-demand fields and are no longer only for high school students. In fact, the average age of a Maine apprentice is 29.
Posted inOp-Eds, Opinion
Froma Harrop: What do we really mean by affordable housing?
Let’s not level neighborhoods in the interests of massive projects.
Posted inOp-Eds, Opinion
Austin Bay: Enemy proxies will target America’s coasts
U.S. coasts are vulnerable to proxy attack using 21st-century unmanned air and sea vehicles launched a hundred miles offshore. The U.S. has 12,480 miles of coastline — equivalent to about half the Earth’s circumference at the Equator.
Posted inLetters, Opinion
Mimi Marstaller: Weighing America’s ideals against a violent century
As a high school teacher I am struck by how often I have to decide whether to add “Discuss the shooting” to the class agenda. Of course we talked about the local tragedy of Oct. 25. When we were back in class after the shelter-in-place days, a student asked how it could be that two […]