I write in response to Mark Laflamme’s Jan. 7 assessment of the “mixed” reaction to the violence unleashed on Capitol Hill, in an attempt to preempt the certification of Joe Biden as the next United States president. While Laflamme acknowledged that many local people found it “unsettling,” he gave pride of place to the view […]
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.
Laura Fralich: White grievance is racism: Why New Gloucester Selectman George Colby needs to be recalled
The racial grievance mentality of Colby’s comments are deeply harmful in that they disregard the centuries of racial violence and racist policies as well as the realities of the current racial inequities in wealth, housing, education, criminal justice, and health.
Anne Williams: Let us reject Trumpery
Trumpery. The first Merriam-Webster dictionary definition of trumpery is “worthless nonsense.” What an apt characterization of the rhetoric of our current president since November, when the people of the United States elected Joe Biden to replace him. Similarly, the dictionary defines the verb “trump up” as “to concoct especially with intent to deceive,” and also […]
Auburn library to host two-part workshop on nutrition, budget
AUBURN — The Auburn Public Library will hold a “Ten Tips Nutrition Workshop: Eating Better on a Budget,” presented by Missy North-Drain of Healthy Androscoggin via Zoom, from 3 to 4 p.m. Wednesdays, Jan. 20 and 27. The free classes, presented by Healthy Androscoggin, will provide the skills to shop, cook and eat healthier foods […]
In rebuttal: Steve Bien: Trump’s words were what incited riot
Judith Meyer, in her Jan. 7 editorial, misses the vital truths we must learn if we are to survive as a democracy. Blaming harsh political discourse for Jan. 6’s insurrection on the Capitol might seem fair minded and kind, but it totally misses the point and meaning of this historical moment. One man and one […]
In rebuttal: Joe Hall: Media should challenge Leonard’s claims
Thank you to Judith Meyer for her Jan. 6 condemnation of the violent attacks against our democracy. Thanks, too, for the Sun Journal’s consistent reporting on the election, including stories that show how former Attorney General Barr, the Supreme Court, and many other state and federal judges have dismissed Trump’s unfounded claims of massive voter […]
Bob Neal: The Countryman: Even when he’s right …
Donald Trump is undoubtedly the most damaged person ever to be president. Not to mention the most damaging. To our health. To our state of mind. To our very democracy.
Cal Thomas: The conservative’s bad bargain
We can do better than the mob violence that occurred in Washington. We can do better when it comes to the way we speak to fellow Americans. And as much as it pains me to say so, because I have flirted at times with making this bargain with the political devils, we can do better than Donald J. Trump.
Community briefs for Saturday, Jan. 9
Livermore rabies clinic canceled LIVERMORE — The rabies clinic scheduled for 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, Jan. 9, at the Livermore Fire Station has been canceled due to a potential exposure to COVID-19. VFW post to plan Buddy Poppy event LEWISTON — The James B. Longley-Normand Dionne Post 9150, VFW, will meet at 6:30 […]