Last June, it was suggested the Lewiston Planning Board devise an “entertainment district” in downtown, stemming from the board’s review of Park Street and its nightlife.It was a wise idea; smart municipal planning means saying where certain businesses should locate, not just where they should not. But nothing happened.The board demurred after citing eight standing […]

As legend goes, the Inuit people have 100 different words for “snow.” By now, so should Mainers, though 99 of them are probably unsuitable for publication.The Inuit legend isn’t quite accurate, though. Inuits have about the same amount of snow words as English-speakers, according to language scholars, who attribute the lexicographical myth to academic fascination […]

About this time last year, we asked readers to nominate their “gems” of Lewiston-Auburn. Our area’s natural beauty and the places that celebrate our environmental splendor stood out as popular nominees.Apple Sass Hill, for example, and Thorncrag Bird Sanctuary. The Androscoggin River and Great Falls, too. About the only thing missing was a state park, […]

Legislation to ban incandescent bulbs in Maine by 2010 mirrors what it seeks to prohibit: a vehicle that generates too much heat instead of light.High-efficiency bulbs, like compact fluorescents, now occupy 20 percent of the light bulb market, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Their market share doubled in 2007, indicating consumers are adopting the […]

• On Jan. 30, a residence being demolished at 382 Central Ave. in Lewiston had copper pipe stolen from inside;• On several occasions during the week of Jan. 7, a vacant home on Old Webster Road in Lewiston was burglarized and stripped of copper pipe from the basement;• On Jan. 24, hospital staff caught a […]

Unless a remarkable upset occurs, a U.S. senator will become president in 2008, for the first time since 1960.But if presidential candidates are being judged by the company they keep, having a few senators as friends and endorsers leads, by recent example, to unfavorable outcomes.Take Maine. Republican front-runner Sen. John McCain, despite support from Sen. […]

While on the topic of caucuses, it appears today’s outcome in Lewiston-Auburn should inspire great debate about the changing identity of the community.As a potent industrial center, Lewiston-Auburn will likely back the bedrock Democratic candidate, Clinton, who has enjoyed strong support from working-class Democratic voters. Given the presence and influence of a prestigious college, however, […]

Maine’s Board of Environmental Protection deserves plaudits for its patience and scrutiny during the many months of hearings regarding the Androscoggin River. It delved into a Herculean task and arrived at a consensus for a course of action.Unfortunately, the board must prepare to do it again in 2010.That’s when discharge permits the BEP approved Thursday […]

“We all know the car drives the American culture, but it doesn’t have to drive us where we don’t want to go.”Jim Carignan, the former Bates dean and Lewiston city councilor, turned this phrase about eight years ago, about the then-proposed “flyover” between the Twin Cities.He could dust off the same sentiments for Center Street […]

In a recent letter, Rep. Terry Hayes, D-Buckfield, cited an apparent editorial contradiction:Though we’ve said cuts are needed for Maine’s budget woes, we oppose bills like her LD 1878, which shrinks government notices published in newspapers, and move full versions into a new state online database.Shorter notices could save some $200,000, Hayes said, insinuating we […]