George Simonson’s March 8 letter involves a justified concern about potential abridgment of our constitutional rights. He urges that Maine pass a Universal Civil Rights Act (UCRA), similar to laws in Minnesota and Colorado. But the Minnesota and Colorado laws are anti-discrimination laws, and at least the Minnesota law was passed with bipartisan support many […]

The article “USPS expecting to run out of cash in a year without help from Congress” (March 6) described serious problems the postal service faces: imminent threat of cash running out and long-standing barriers to needed reforms.  The problems are national, but they are having real impacts on our service in southern Maine. During a […]

As the Trump administration embarked on a senseless, illegal and unpopular attack on the nation of Iran, this publication’s online comments section was temporarily down. I have read reports that the the U.S. public is opposed to these unprovoked attacks on Iran, four to one. Negotiations were ongoing and Iran was interested in a diplomatic […]

I would like to ask everyone to stop for a moment and consider the term “pharmacy desert.” It’s when an individual needs to drive 10 miles or more to get to the closest pharmacy to them. Maine is currently the state with the highest population of older adults. For those who are not able to […]

Western Kennebec County Indivisible is a local group aligned with a nationwide grassroots progressive movement in the U.S., founded in 2016. The purpose of this movement is to resist the extremist agenda now so prevalent in our U.S. government, using local advocacy, community building and political action. Our focus is defending our communities, democracy, the […]

I read, with sadness, that the portrait of former U.S. Sen. George Mitchell has been banished from the Maine State House by House and Senate members. Like Mitchell, many older Mainers were the children or grandchildren of poor immigrants who barely graduated from high school. But also, like Mitchell, these Mainers were intelligent and blessed […]

The Maine State Legislature is currently considering whether or not to fund LD 814, the Older Mainers Act. This act would provide needed funding for Area Agency on Aging (AAA) services that help older Mainers age safely at home. We are asking all Mainers to support this legislation. Maine’s AAAs provide programs and services that […]

Mainers should take note of how our congressional delegation voted on the recent War Powers Resolution. Though this bill was never expected to clear the House of Representatives or the Senate, it marks on the record how our delegation views our country’s latest incursion to the Middle East. Sen. Collins and Rep. Golden both opposed, […]

A March 10 letter said that voters were in an “absolute rush to ‘dump’ Janet Mills” as the Democratic Senate nominee. Many of us are grateful for Mills’ long service, while recognizing that a generational change in Washington, D.C., is overdue and necessary if our republic is to survive. I greatly respect Mills, and am […]