Cheers and jeers from around the news:• Cheers to the 44 Maine fire departments that responded to Paris this week to combat the inferno at the NEPW Logistics warehouse. The massive blaze redefined the phrase “mutual response.”The fire’s size and location made for – pardon the pun – a logistical nightmare, but partnerships among the […]

News that Gov. John Baldacci will ask the Obama administration for a Medicaid waiver for Dirigo Health is not exactly news; the waiver, which would match federal funds to Dirigo premium payments, was part of Dirigo 1.0.If granted – a significant “if,” given it’s been denied before – the waiver would deliver two-for-one matches on […]

Rep. Janet Mills of Farmington is a landmark choice for attorney general, but not because she’s the first woman to hold the prestigious office. She is the latest in a long tradition of women holding powerful political positions in Maine.Rather, it is Mills’ 15 years as district attorney for Androscoggin, Franklin and Oxford counties that […]

For Lewiston’s strategic planning to bear fruit, it must not repeat prior work. It must embrace fresher approaches toward the city’s future prosperity. This means turning the city inside out.This means looking away from downtown, an inevitable focal point of planning discussions. Downtown Lewiston doesn’t need more planning efforts. (Been there. Done that. Got the […]

It’s called chumming the water. Marine biologists drop bloody, ragged fish meat into shark-infested waters. Then, on cue, the sleek beasts emerge from the shadowy sea and enter a tail-whipping, teeth-baring feeding frenzy.Land sharks, like us, have something similar. It is called “Black Friday.”The tongue-in-cheek name of the post-Thanksgiving shopping day, which traditionally marks when […]

‘Twas the day after Thanksgiving, and along Vista Drive, not a light was flashing, chasing or dancing, not even to the Bee Gee’s disco anthem, “Stayin’ Alive.”Or any other song, for that matter. For the bombastic lights display in Auburn, courtesy of the Loggins family, appears dead for 2008, after causing two years of holiday […]

President-elect Barack Obama has an economic plan for an industrial energy future, manufacturing windmills, turbines, solar panels and other energy technologies, for example.Yet the government’s treatment of industry – namely the Big 3 automakers over a $25 billion bailout – shows skepticism in its restorative ability. Some actually suggest punishing automakers by withholding government help.This […]

Cheers and jeers from around the news:• An otherwise peaceful Thanksgiving in the U.S. was shattered by news of terrorist attacks in Mumbai, India. The scenes of sorrow from the metropolitan capital were sadly, and shockingly, reminiscent of the 9/11 attacks in New York City. Offering a simple “jeers” would be understatement.As India grapples with […]

There’s concern in Augusta that zealous lawmakers will introduce another landslide of legislation for the upcoming session, at a cost of between $325 and $370 each, according to the Portland Press Herald.From the number of bills introduced in the last session, it is expected the first act of lawmaking could again cost between $700,000 and […]

In these uncertain times, we should be thankful for Thanksgiving. It’s the holiday we Americans need today – a celebration of bounty, amid an uncertain future. We’re all Pilgrims now, as it were.Current attitudes are being shaped by losses: jobs, wages, credit scores, Dow Jones industrials average, or in some cases, homes in foreclosure. Of […]