Alex Lear
A Maine native and Colby College graduate, Alex has been covering coastal communities since 2001. He lives in the Portland area with his wife Lauren, 4-year-old daughter Alaina, and 7-year-old bulldog Walter. He has released four CDs of original music and does occasional research work for Marvel Comics' collected editions.
Posted inOp-Eds, Opinion
Paul Cain: Milfoil removal at Thompson Lake has been a great success
Milfoil is a densely growing plant that crowds out native plant species and adversely affects the aesthetic and recreational aspects of a lake. In Thompson Lake, most of the milfoil has been removed.
advertisement
Posted inOp-Eds, Opinion
Froma Harrop: The minimum wage can be tricky
There are studies – oh, there are studies – on how hiking the minimum wage affects employment. And good studies contradict other good studies. The problem is that the mechanics linking wages to jobs have a lot of moving parts. The details matter.
Posted inLetters, Opinion
Rebecca Myers: Persistence of ‘indefensible lie’ is a ‘sad truth’
Anyone still needing proof that there was no “stolen election” need look no further than former President Trump’s impeachment “defense” team’s legal arguments. They are not even mentioning “The Steal,” despite it being the entire basis for the events of Jan. 6, because it was an indefensible lie from the start and it still is. […]
Posted inOp-Eds, Opinion
Rich Lowry: Biden is too timid on school reopening
Biden’s goal should be to exert every ounce of influence that he has to get kids back in the classroom – for their own good and that of the country’s parents.
Posted inConnections
Lenten imposition of ashes to be modified due to COVID-19
PORTLAND — To mark the beginning of the Lenten season, Bishop Robert Deeley will celebrate Ash Wednesday Mass at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception at 12:15 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 17. The Mass will also be available via livestream at portlanddiocese.org/online-mass. Listings of Ash Wednesday Masses scheduled for Catholic churches in Maine are available on […]
Posted inOp-Eds, Opinion
Bob Neal: The Countryman: Wanted: A coalition of the decent
It seems pretty clear that the moral high ground is too steep a climb for the Republican Party. So, instead, they will continue to follow a political loser — remember, Trump ran behind almost all other Republicans in almost every state — and do the wrong thing.
Posted inLetters, Opinion
Ben Lounsbury: The ‘smoking is good for you’ message
Tobacco companies have never wanted people to know the truth. They use every trick in the book to hide the truth. Fortunately, social media did not exist during the late 20th century or the tobacco companies might still be fooling the public. Social media use powerful techniques to lure unsuspecting users down a train of […]
Posted inLetters, Opinion
Andrew Tasker: Republicans don’t hold themselves accountable
The Republican Party has been working very hard to convince us that it is the party of reason and responsibility, that the citizens of this country and their reunification are its main, driving force. We have seen how nearly half the population is willing to ignore verifiable evidence and swallow daily platefuls of falsehoods thanks […]