On June 5 last year, the Oxford Casino opened its doors and welcomed eager customers. Six months later, it reported $30 million in net revenues from slot machines and table games. Three months after that — yesterday — Churchill Downs announced it will purchase the Oxford gaming operation for $160 million in cash. So much […]
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Feuding families need road to civil settlement
The two families involved in a high-profile property dispute in Sumner should take note of a case now making its way through Superior Court in Bangor. There Peter Robinson, 49, is accused of murdering another man in a right-of-way dispute. Robinson says he acted in self-defense when he used a large crowbar to beat David […]
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Lewiston mayor setting example with welfare funds
Maine people are remarkably generous. We are willing to raise money for a family with a sick child, contribute toward putting a steeple on an old church or build a playground in a local park. But we are not fools, and we have no patience with people who lie to receive government benefits. So we […]
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Lax enforcement at grow farm sets a poor precedent
Owners of a large, indoor marijuana-growing operation in Auburn have escaped largely unscathed from a state investigation that uncovered 20 infractions, including the use of pesticides on marijuana they were selling for human consumption. State law expressly forbids the use of pesticides in growing medical marijuana, yet the company admitted using seven such products while […]
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Role reversal in Maine over taking on debt
For a governor who started out as a cash-and-carry kind of guy, Gov. Paul LePage is now weirdly willing to rack up some big-time debt. The governor started his first term firmly opposed to bonding, even insisting that the bonding by colleges and hospitals be approved by voters. The Maine Health and Higher Education Facilities […]
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Step in to stop hoarding; Bunyan-sized
In Wilton last week, animal welfare agents and local police seized 75 dogs and puppies, 21 birds and three chickens from a mobile home on Route 2. The dooryard of the home is well tended, but the animals living inside were most definitely not. Many were infected with fleas, covered with feces and suffering ear […]
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U.S. disability program needs reform, and now
Several years ago, a man riding a motorcycle saw a house on fire. He parked, ran into the home and helped carry out a disabled woman. And what did he do for a living? Well, he was disabled, he said, which made him no less a hero. But it did make us wonder how someone […]
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Even the cops have gun mishaps
When a Maine State Police lieutenant’s gun accidentally discharged during a computer training session, we wondered how often that happens to police officers. And what we learned surprised us. The recent incident in Augusta occurred as the officer was adjusting his holster. “He had an ache or a pain,” explained Col. Robert Williams, chief of […]
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How our good governor saved St. Patrick’s Day
(A fable in several parts) Ah, our governor was in fine fettle Thursday afternoon, putting pen to paper while offering — symbolically, of course — a pint of Guinness to his antagonists in the Legislature. At last, Mainers could begin their pub crawls at 6 a.m. on Sundays, but only on days when, like today, […]
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Maine can’t turn back clock on fireworks sales
We were opposed to allowing fireworks when the idea was refloated in 2011. We called the measure “seriously misguided.” But now that it has been approved and stores are up and running, it will be difficult to put the genie back in the bottle rocket. Yet Rep. Mike Lajoie, D-Lewiston, is proposing to do just […]