I’ve remained silent about the ongoing budget dispute between the Lisbon Educational Association and the Lisbon School Committee and superintendent. However, the recent termination of Rick Beaulé, who was not only a teacher, but also the LEA president, compelled me to write this letter. While the facts of Rick’s dismissal are being kept under wraps, […]
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
Jim Lysen: State needs more compassionate drug policies
Maine needs compassionate drug policies. We have allowed unjust and discriminatory drug policies to harm people for generations. We must remove criminal penalties for low-level drug use and possession and adopt a public health approach to substance use disorder. This in turn would help people who use drugs — and their families — obtain and […]
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Posted inOp-Eds, Opinion
Clarence Page: Mayor Brandon Johnson’s ‘holistic’ ideas got him elected. Can they be enacted?
Johnson’s victory marks a big win against what he calls the “false choice” of “lock ’em up” versus a “holistic” approach to crime-fighting. For him, the holistic approach has won. Now we’ll see how he does in the minefields of the City Council to get his reforms funded.
Posted inOp-Eds, Opinion
Froma Harrop: Donald Trump is not our type, believe me
The Trump rally promoted by CNN (but paraded as a “town hall”) included the inevitable references to the former president’s piggish remarks about women.
Posted inOp-Eds, Opinion
Veronica Raussin: Veterans struggling with addiction need our support
Many veterans struggle with substance use disorders. According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, over 3.9 million veterans have a substance use disorder or mental illness. Substance use disorders significantly increase suicidality among veterans ages 18 and older. Suicidal thoughts and behaviors are common among veterans ages 18 to 49.
Posted inLetters, Opinion
Barbara Hersom: Stand up to landlords, stand up for Mainers
I am really concerned that there isn’t enough housing available. More and more people are being left homeless. The lists for housing are way too long, and people come to believe that it won’t ever be their turn to have affordable housing. One reason I am worried is that I have a friend who has […]
Posted inLetters, Opinion
Kim Bosse: ‘Aborting a viable baby is infanticide’
I testified against LD 1619 on May 1. I got to the Maine State House at 9 a.m. and did not testify until 11 p.m. Here is my testimony: “I am the grandmother of identical twin girls who were born alive and well at 28 weeks old, and they are still alive and well 11 […]
Posted inOp-Eds, Opinion
Rich Lowry: New industrial policy, same as the old industrial policy
President Biden is spending a massive amount on infrastructure and green initiatives in an economy where green regulation has made it increasingly difficult to build anything, certainly not in a cost-effective or timely manner. What the new industrial policy gives with one hand, the old industrial policy — and its attendant red tape — takes away with the other.
Posted inLetters, Opinion
Roxy Kai: Paid medical leave program would reduce stress on families
This legislative session, I hope Maine creates a strong paid family and medical leave program. I have multiple chronic health conditions. One, called diastasis recti, makes me prone to hernias. I currently have two unfixed hernias, and one that was fixed in April 2022. It would have been a game changer if my family had […]