Just when I thought Auburn couldn’t come up with an idea as brilliant as the “Chinese hospital on the banks of Minot Avenue,” Mayor Jason Levesque presents the citizens with another winner. Any owner of a house lot of 12,000 square feet (a house lot is typically 100 x 100 or 10,000 square feet) will […]
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.
Leonard Pitts Jr.: Small wonder the church is shrinking
Faith can shape politics, yes. But when politics start shaping faith, maybe you’ve lost your way. When you find yourself preaching exclusion and rejection in the name of Him who said, “Come unto me,” maybe it’s time to recalibrate. Or even repent. Maybe that’s what the people who used to fill those pews are waiting for. Because, yes, the church is shrinking.
Rich Lowry: The dollar sign president
The Joe Biden who portrayed himself as a moderate, old school, bipartisan dealmaker during the presidential campaign is now a distant memory. He’s been replaced by the Joe Biden who is dazzling progressives with his willingness to “go big” – in other words, spend jaw-dropping amounts that would have been unimaginable prior to the pandemic and are still shocking even now.
Zachary Maher: On inspiration and volunteerism in America
There are many paths to volunteerism. For some it is an opportunity to try new things and meet new people while for others it is, as Wilfred Grenfell calls it, a service we render others as the rent we pay for our room on Earth.
Heather Turner: Sexual assault prevention can start with you
As a parent, caregiver, or an important adult to a child, one of the first things we think about is that child’s safety. In the same way you may have taught a child in your life to hold your hand in the parking lot, or to look both ways before crossing the street, you can also help them keep their bodies and personal space safe.
Cal Thomas: Jim Crow and the Georgia voting law
Most people are willing to accept the defeat of candidates for whom they voted if they believe the system was fair and the tabulations accurate. Achieving that end is the purpose of the new Georgia law. It’s not about Jim Crow, or for that matter, “Jim Eagle.”
In rebuttal: Gregory D’Augustine: Pull together, avoid extremes
Opinions expressed in April 2’s Sun Journal regarding Republicans call for rebuttal. Remarks such as “Republicans…are a people lacking integrity…” (Leonard Pitts), and they are “the…most pathetic crop of needy nincompoops…” (David Griffiths’ quotation of Kathleen Parker) don’t move us in a productive direction. Divisive comments separate us into “We and They.” Instead, let’s acknowledge […]
Rich Lowry: The voter suppression lie
President Joe Biden is so committed to bipartisan cooperation and fact-based governance that he’s launched an ignorant and incendiary attack on the new Georgia voting law.