The newspaper says SAT scores take the biggest drop in 31 years. Why?a. the high school class of 2006 is dimmer than its predecessors.b. there’s something dumb about using a test like this to screen students for college.While you won’t see that question on the next edition of the SAT, the evidence increasingly points to […]

How many neckties does Chandler Woodcock own? Why does the governor wear long pants when running the Beach to Beacon? What programs can we cut to reduce taxes? Do you favor TABOR? What should be Maine’s top priority?Want to ask candidates for the Legislature or Blaine House a different question? Please, do.We invite you – […]

“Please be respectful!”That advice, which appears on the forum page of the town of Rumford’s Web site, is virtually ignored. Accusations and insinuation are rampant on the forum. The disrespect, blatant. The targets? Town Manager Steve Eldridge and Selectmen Jolene Lovejoy and Jim Rinaldo.We can hardly blame the accusers for the nasty attitude.Eldridge hired an […]

We’d like to see a Cabela’s retail store in Maine, but the firm’s demand – that Maine exempt it from paying sales tax on catalog sales that originate from within the state – is high-handed and unacceptable.Cabela’s is the Nebraska outdoor retailer known for its telephone-book sized catalogs selling everything from boat batteries to beef […]

Dot Treadwell is a remarkable woman. She may not think so, but she is.A woman of extremely limited means, Treadwell works to ensure that children in the Twin Cities who need school supplies get them. Regardless of their ability to pay.School starts this week, and thousands of Maine children will board buses wearing the latest […]

It’s always pleasantly surprising how much good the right amount of well-applied paint will do for a place.Put that paint in the hands of talented artists and the results can be downright delightful. More than a spruce up job on the trim, a well-done mural evokes emotions by not only beautifying a spot but also […]

Pity Pluto, so cold, so distant and unappreciated and now rudely demoted from full planetary status.Mainers, we think, have a special place in their hearts for the little guy, the rebel, the neglected, even when it comes to planets.We are, after all, rather in the same position in the planetary system of U.S. states. Most […]

Economists use the term “opportunity costs” to measure the expense of alternatives foregone.School Superintendent Quenten Clark didn’t use the term earlier this week, but he did provide a colorful example of the concept: paying for this year’s jump in fuel costs is like throwing three teachers into the furnace, he said.“Just a few years ago […]

Elementary pupils start school in Auburn next Wednesday, including those attending the new, as-yet-unnamed Park Street School.We urge motorists to use more than the usual amount of caution until the new traffic pattern there – with buses and parents dropping off and picking up – is well established.Because of retail development along Mt. Auburn Avenue, […]

In more than five decades of operation, the Maine Turnpike Authority has never had an ethical code of conduct, but it’s apparently about to get one.A subcommittee of the Turnpike Authority Board met Monday and, according to Public Affairs Manager Dan Paradee, will recommend that the authority adopt the same code of conduct that applies […]