The case of Will Walcott, the former state representative from Lewiston accused of misusing thousands of dollars of Maine Clean Election funds, is an example for other beneficiaries of public campaign financing.Revelation of misappropriated and missing $4,874 came via a regular campaign audit by the Maine Commission on Governmental Ethics and Election Practices, which was […]

In the “dating game” between Lewiston and Auburn, the matchmaker was having a dalliance: Steve Eldridge, halfway through his 18-month posting as joint services coordinator, will become Lisbon’s town manager on Jan 7.We cannot begrudge Eldridge for this decision; the new job comes with a sizable salary increase and employment security past 2008. Before leaving, […]

Maybe the wisdom of Solomon can resolve the Verizon-FairPoint merger. Cut Maine in half, with a section for each company. Whichever company protests the most shall receive the entire state.We bet Verizon won’t pipe up, while FairPoint bellows about inequity. It’s the difference between the company that wants to be here, and one that doesn’t. […]

Kurt Adams, chairman of the Maine Public Utilities Commission, spoke carefully. His agency had just released a study about options for the state’s electricity future, given uncertainties with ISO-New England, and he was asked – point-blank – which the agency favored.If the MPUC is asked to make a recommendation, Adams said, it will. Well, let’s […]

At some point, we’re going to reach our peak oil supply; will you be ready? It cost more than $40 to fill up my Honda Accord last week. That’s a pain, but not one I have to suffer often. Not only does the Honda get good gas mileage, I live close to my downtown job, […]

It was a lengthy and bureaucratic start, but a start nonetheless in Rumford.After nine executive sessions on Thursday, the town’s Board of Selectmen showed some overdue and needed leadership by censuring two of its members for overstepping their authority. These are the now-noted lumberjacks, Frank DiConzo and Arthur Boivin, who felled two town trees last […]

Citizens can air grievances about legislators through letters to editors, posts on favored blogs or even skywriting (if they wish). They can call, write or e-mail that sorry excuse for a representative and give them an ultra-personal piece of their mind.About the only place citizens cannot call is the Maine Commission on Governmental Ethics and […]

In reacting to the crippling price of diesel fuel, Gov. John Baldacci has drafted an economic development blueprint that should become a model for Maine policymaking. Late last Friday, the governor declared a “civil emergency” and announced a multi-pronged plan for alleviating the cost of diesel:• expediting fuel tax refunds, while easing the “administrative burden” […]

What we don’t know is killing American soldiers. This isn’t a statement regarding military strategies, circumspect intelligence, or Washington’s unpredictable political winds about war funding.It’s about what happens inside the mind of a returning soldier, after the revelry of joyous homecomings evolve into the relative monotony of civilian life. Some adapt well, while others never […]

Skiing is about balance, speed and agility. So is ski management.Maine’s first serious snowfall on Monday ushered in, officially, its most interesting ski season in years. Sunday River and Sugarloaf/USA now belong to Boyne USA, which paid $77 million to acquire them from a foundering American Skiing Company.ASC and Les Otten made Maine into a […]