By Judy L. Thomas,The Kansas City Star KANSAS CITY, Mo. – AK-47s. SKS sniper rifles. Armor-piercing bullets. Machine gun displays.It’s just another weekend at a Kansas City gun show, where there is so much firepower at your fingertips that even some gun enthusiasts shake their heads in wonder.But the shows – which gained popularity in […]

Huh? Retire to Maine?Has an odd ring to it, yet it’s happening. For decades, people from away have vacationed here, and people from here have retired to Florida or Arizona.But healthy, active, wealthy seniors increasingly are retiring to small towns, according to a recent story in the New York Times. And several states are spending […]

Wednesday’s Problem and Solution dealt with the immigration issue before Congress. We said the proposal passed early this week by the U.S. Senate would do little to solve the problem, and we proposed that a national ID card and enforcement of existing laws would be a better approach.We invited you to express your views and […]

Sun Journal editors met for their normal weekly planning meeting Monday and the conversation turned to Earth Day. After 30 years, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to come up with fresh story ideas.Global warming is hot right now, pun intended. So we discussed several possible stories on that subject.Another editor suggested we make a list of […]

It’s ironic that airline passengers must produce passports, visas and picture IDs, have their luggage checked and clothing sniffed for explosives before entering the United States. Meanwhile, in Texas border towns, swarms of illegal aliens simply jump a fence or run through border crossing stations before blending into the U.S. population.Estimates vary, but there are […]

By last week, authorities were estimating that about $50,000 had been stolen from Norway’s economic development fund over a period of years.And, perhaps, when Economic Development Director Deb Wyman finishes her vacation and returns to the U.S., she can explain where the money went.This seems be a perennial problem in our corner of Maine. About […]

Lewiston’s leaders made a mistake when they booked revenue from a deal before it was a sure thing. They should have known better.Last year, the city tried to privatize its landfill by turning over day-to-day operations to Casella Waste Management. The deal was blocked by the attorney general because state law prohibits the creation of […]

Let’s say you use your computer to pay your bills.But your hard drive freezes, your motherboard blows up and your monitor issues a puff of smelly smoke.So, what happens now? You just stop paying your bills for a couple of months, right?Hey, why not?You’re a good person, of course, so you call up your credit […]

We tried something new last week: We presented a problem (escalating property taxes for people on fixed incomes) followed by a solution (a program to defer tax increases until the home was sold).Then we asked you for reactions, either by e-mail or on our Web site. If you’d like to read all of the responses, […]

Education is an expensive process, and it’s a process without guaranteed outcome.There is no doubt that most teachers work hard and that most children eventually learn enough to enjoy productive careers.Joel Biron of Auburn, Katie Fuller of Dixfield, Carolyn Curtis of Hebron and Hillary Easter of Jay are among dozens of local students named to […]