If you wonder why Maine can’t shake its high-tax reputation, look no further than the recently ended legislative session.The Legislature, with Democrats in control, took on two new financial obligations that seem certain to grow.On Tuesday, Gov. John Baldacci conducted a ceremonial signing of a bill guaranteeing that the state will subsidize health care coverage […]

Candidate: State Sen. Chandler Woodcock, candidate in the June 13 Republican primary. He faces former U.S. Rep. Dave Emery and state Sen. Peter Mills.TV ad: “Issues”Length: 30 secondsProducer: Dan Osgood ProductionsMarket: Statewide beginning Wednesday.Announcer: Narrated by Chandler WoodcockVisuals: Woodcock’s picture is interspersed among images of Mainers at work and play. There’s a scenic river, a […]

A bill that would limit citizens’ ability to stop development in their communities sits on Gov. Baldacci’s desk awaiting his signature.It’s bad law, and we urge the governor to veto it.The measure, formally named “An Act to Amend the Laws Governing the Enactment Procedures for Ordinances,” sounds innocuous. It isn’t.It’s backed by a coalition of […]

It was a beautiful weekend, and motorcyclists were out in force.We’ve long since given up on two things:First, that police will enforce noise ordinances on deafeningly loud aftermarket motorcycle mufflers and, second, that Maine will ever reinstitute a mandatory helmet law.The first problem is simply a nuisance – noise pollution inflicted upon grumbling citizens trying […]

Lewiston School officials were ready for complaints from parents last week over the first-time use of a piece of alcohol detection equipment at Saturday’s prom.None materialized, and we’re not surprised.Most responsible parents live in dread of a teenage son or daughter being killed in a car accident.Statistics clearly show that young drivers are far more […]

If we had any doubts about the wisdom of Tina’s Law, enacted in April, they were erased last week when we learned that a Bath man who caused a fatal accident on I-295 was driving without a valid license and had six previous license suspensions.The Portland Press Herald reported Friday that John P. Allen had […]

Today is Memorial Day.A symbol of what that means stands in Raymond Park, just opposite American Legion Post 153 on South Main Street in Auburn. It’s a monument to veterans set there by local Scouts, boys who raised money and got the necessary permission from the city to erect this testament.The 1,000-pound monument includes a […]

For the past nine months we have followed 15 local freshmen in this newspaper, joining them for their journey through the college experience and sharing that journey with you. In doing so, we hoped to excite high school students about college and reassure parents that a college degree for their children was attainable.Of the 15 […]

Knight Ridder/Tribune News ServiceThe following editorial appeared last week in The Philadelphia Inquirer. As government plans for a possible global flu pandemic, it’s ducking one of the hardest questions: Who gets vaccinated first?The federal plan, released in November and updated earlier this month, painted a worst-case scenario of 2 million deaths, 90 million sick and […]

A lot of people talk about energy independence these days but, in SAD 58, people are actually doing something about it.Under the leadership of Superintendent Quenten Clark, this school district in Maine’s western mountains has decided to take a bold step toward using renewable resources to heat its schools. What a concept.Clark calls it a […]