Readers of this newspaper have probably seen the advertisement. It’s the one with a life-size red “Pull In Case Of Fire” alarm on a faded yellow background, accompanied by the phrase “Legislation to ban flame retardants is full of holes – and political hypocrisy.”The Bromine Science and Environmental Forum paid for the ad. The organization […]

Blackbeard and Captain Kidd were pirates. A handful of Bates College students, guilty of allegedly facilitating the illegal sharing of copyrighted materials, not so much.In the opinion of the Recording Industry Association of America, however, they seem equal. Five student scalawags from the Lewiston college are under RIAA scrutiny for sharing pirated material, and were […]

“Simplicity is key,” says Peter Fessenden, in remarking about lending documents, such as those indecipherable credit card agreements. “If they don’t do that, you wonder whether they have something to hide.”Fessenden should know. As the bankruptcy trustee for Maine, Fessenden’s job is to counsel Mainers whose debt has overcome their lives. Thankfully, our state’s small […]

To those who may decry Maine legislators as out-of-touch, please stop, and think about Abby Holman.The freshman legislator from Fayette – a wholly underwhelming way to describe her – Holman was killed tragically this past weekend while skiing at Sugarloaf, USA. The accident silenced a rising voice in Maine government, one which commanded deep respect […]

Protecting the public trust means keeping your hand out of the till, but to paraphrase the great Oscar Wilde, the only thing some elected and appointed officials cannot resist is temptation.The latest to face scrutiny is Ronald Snow, a former Norway selectman, who was charged Monday with theft, accused of taking funds from the town’s […]

Drive as I say, not as I do.For 10 hours, this is the job of driving instructors, tasked with introducing teenagers to the rules of operating a motor vehicle on Maine roads. The short period means lessons are hurried, and nominal, as instructors cannot re-create every possible roadway scenario for young drivers to experience.Like passing […]

It’s amazing what the Legislature can achieve when it puts its collective mind together.Witness its approval April 14 of a $295 million bond package, to be put before voters in three referendums – June 2007, November 2007 and June 2008 – to support a gamut of transportation, economic development, environmental and recreational demands in the […]

“I guess the boy just snapped.”This was one way to describe the carnage wreaked by James Michael Peters along Minot Avenue in Auburn on March 30. The 42-year-old, who reputedly suffered from mental illness, executed his mother and shot at police, until meeting his own violent end after a 17-hour standoff.The above quote was spoken […]

The photograph of shooting victim Margaret Peters, published on the front page March 31, was a raw and disturbing image of a tense standoff between police and Mrs. Peters’ youngest son, Michael.The decision by the Sun Journal to publish the photo was made after serious and prolonged consideration, by editors and management, of its content […]

Forget tulips and mud season. The nicest sign, in our mind, of this spring’s arrival is the creaking of garbage trucks scurrying around the city of Auburn, collecting bulky waste.This year, the city’s traditional spring cleanup – after a two-year hiatus – is back.City trucks will collect waste, such as yard debris, appliances, tires, etc., […]