The American summer of 2020 was marked by riots, many of which — night after night all season — took place in Seattle, Washington, and Portland, Oregon. Film of the many riots shows that many of the participants were not wearing the masks —which were de rigueur that summer — unless, of course, they were […]
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
John Wade: Is GOP more cult than political party?
I wonder, does the Republican National Committee’s censure of their members show the GOP is a cult? Who could have guessed? The definition of a cult, according to Wikipedia, a cult is: “a social group that is defined by its unusual . . . philosophical beliefs, or its common interest in a particular personality.” Wow. […]
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Posted inLetters, Opinion
Denis Bergeron: Bill ‘an insult’ to Auburn ag zone architects
It was sad for me to see the article about state Rep. Bruce Bickford’s bill, LD 1884, which would have the Legislature strip away the income requirement in Auburn’s agricultural zone. It’s sad because the zone was established so long ago (1964) with the idea that it would protect farmers from encroaching residential development, and […]
Posted inOp-Eds, Opinion
Cal Thomas: The power to ignore
The power to ignore is still the greatest power major media has, and few issues demonstrate that more than the trouble at our southern border.
Posted inLetters, Opinion
Cathy Alexander: Auburn school bus situation is unacceptable
This is as unacceptable as it gets. COVID is already wreaking havoc in our everyday lives even now, two years into it, and now we have bus drivers quitting due to poor management, being berated and problems not being addressed, let alone solved? We also have a manager who is licensed to drive a bus, […]
Posted inOp-Eds, Opinion
Joe Hall: Wabanakis and the state can work together
Maine says it wants better relationships with its Wabanaki neighbors. For that to happen, the state needs to recognize that Wabanakis have rights parallel to those of all other Native American peoples in the U.S.
Posted inOp-Eds, Opinion
Froma Harrop: Democrats should seize the good news
Fabulous jobs numbers, a fading pandemic and a president doing his job with quiet competence should embolden Democrats to drop their funk and campaign furiously for the midterms. Ignore President Joe Biden’s weak poll numbers. The good news should eventually wash over the gloom.
Posted inOp-Eds, Opinion
Leonard Pitts Jr.: LGBTQ kids, raise your voices and make haters hear you!
I can only imagine how isolating and lonely it must feel, in the awkwardness of your adolescent years, to have a governor declare your sexual identity so abnormal it can’t be discussed in school — just when you may need to talk about it the most. If there’s some teacher you trust, he or she would now be breaking the law if you confide in them.
Posted inLetters, Opinion
Sharon Bergeron: Bill would allow ‘land grab for developers’
When does a housing crisis become a land grab for developers? Answer: When LD 1884 allows a statewide housing shortage to make null and void decades of Auburn residents’ due process in determining Auburn land use. Auburn residents have chosen multiple times to protect the 18,000 acres (down from 35,000) of farmland since 1964 from […]