Cheers and jeers from around the news:• Jeers to communication breakdowns. Just because relations are strained between Lewiston and Auburn,this shouldn’t mean all talks should cease. The Lewiston City Council’s reaction to discussions about a joint, two-city police chief was unfortunate and predictable.All avenues for savings must be considered. Jim Bennett, the city’s administrator, was […]

And you thought the nuclear power in Maine ended when Maine Yankee closed in 1997.On Tuesday, the Legislature passed a resolution sponsored by Sen. Deb Simpson, D-Auburn, that calls for ceasing payments into a federal fund for spent nuclear waste disposal, unless Congress and the Obama administration accelerate fading-into-legend plans for a facility at Yucca […]

In the Art of War, Sun Tzu made the following observation: “Security against defeat implies defensive tactics; ability to defeat the enemy means taking the offensive.” The Chinese general’s simple wisdom about conflicts has influenced generations of leaders.Maine’s Legislature should be next, for in its battles with its regular adversary – the Maine Heritage Policy […]

A new study on passenger service at Auburn-Lewiston Municipal Airport is an inch-deep assessment that city leaders on both riverbanks should view with skepticism. Despite lofty market numbers, not much about passenger flights at A-L makes sense. The problem is not potential for passengers. A-L could draw from a total “true market” of about a […]

From a secular perspective, Lewiston’s Catholic churches are part of its soul, their towering spires and ornate facades comprising one part of the city’s holy architectural trinity, along with massive mills and bunched-up triple-deckers.Their greater value, though, is in their social and community significance. Churches are centers of Lewiston life; if they disappear, the loss […]

Arguing to restrict welfare eligibility in Maine is a non-starter, especially in tough economic times when more people would need benefits most.Even more, when legislation to do so, like what was heard in Augusta last week from Reps. L. Gary Knight of Livermore and Rich Cebra of Naples, offers constitutionally and factually shaky ideas – […]

Please join Editorial Page Editor Anthony Ronzio and the Sun Journal’s “Political Animals,” Will Fessenden and Scott Lansley, for a live, online chat at noon today at sunjournal.com. Will and Scott will talk about their latest columns about labor unions and take questions on any topic.Everything is on the table and, as always, no registration, […]

There’s nothing stunning about the allegations of misconduct at the former DeCoster egg farm, now Quality Eggs of New England, in Turner. The farm was suspect long before the U.S. Department of Labor hit it with a $3.8 million fine for labor conditions over a decade ago.What is stunning is the shrug of state officials, […]

Please join Editorial Page Editor Anthony Ronzio and the Sun Journal’s “Political Animals,” Will Fessenden and Scott Lansley, for a live, online chat at noon Monday, April 6, at sunjournal.com. Will and Scott will talk about their latest columns about labor unions and take questions on any topic.Everything is on the table and, as always, […]

Cheers and jeers from around the news:• Jeers to disputes between well-heeled sports networks and conglomerate cable companies, because the public loses. The Boston Celtics are being held hostage from many households in Maine because of just such a case.Comcast Sports Net, which owns the Celtics rights, wants a big premium increase from Time Warner, […]