The big decision facing the Lewiston City Council in January will be whether it is willing to separate the image of Casella Waste Systems as a landfill operator from its less troubled record for operating recycling centers. The Council received a draft contract from City Manager Ed Barrett recently proposing the city lease an unused […]
Our View
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In our schools: Limit spending; increase security
What is the first step in addressing a crushing municipal budget problem? Alienate members of the local school committee by not allowing them to join in the problem-solving discussion. At least that’s the first step in the negotiation manual used by Paris First Selectman Sam Elliot. On Thursday night, Elliot refused to allow members of […]
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Gun tragedies always good for NRA’s business
The cynical genius of the National Rifle Association is its creation of a perpetual motion money machine. In the aftermath of 27 deaths in Newtown, Conn., you might think gun buyers would be having second thoughts about the wisdom and safety of buying automatic weapons. After all, the guns used to kill 20 six- and […]
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UMF helping students dodge the debt trap
It’s hard for an 18-year-old to imagine what some big numbers might mean for their future. Like $35,000 at 7 percent interest for 10 years. The answer to that is $4,877 a year, or about $406 a month, or about $94 per week. The meaning of those numbers likely becomes disturbingly clear about a month […]
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An awareness of responsibility: ‘DriveSober’
The Maine Bureau of Highway Safety has, in recent weeks, distributed $440,000 in federal funds to 52 police departments across the state to be used to combat drunk and impaired driving. It’s part of a national “drive sober” campaign to provide money for increased police patrols and overtime wages for departments between Dec. 14 and […]
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University project mixes wind, water
Wind turbines seem improbable enough: massive blades, rotating 300 feet off the ground, with a generator at the top making electricity and, logically, bolted firmly to bedrock. But the thought of putting a similar unit on a bobbing platform in the ocean seems more impossible than improbable. But so, too, is the device in your […]
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Tax decision on Hebron rink important to all
We cannot hazard a guess on how the Maine Supreme Judicial Court will rule in Hebron Academy v. Town of Hebron, but we hope the school prevails. Otherwise, the decision could have far-reaching impact for schools and colleges that rent their facilities for community use. At issue is whether Hebron Academy must pay property taxes […]
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An opportunity to ‘Fix the Debt’ for ourselves
Have you ever wondered why, when politicians are campaigning for our votes, they promise to represent the people’s interests? And, then, when they step over the threshold that is Congress, they represent political parties and not the people? That’s what we see in Congress now, and have seen for years, resulting in a divisive split […]
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Several Maine hospitals among the nation’s best
Cheers to the handful of hospitals in Maine recently ranked among the best in the nation in effectiveness and safety. Central Maine Medical Center which, along with Pen Bay Medical Center in Rockport, were the only two urban hospitals in Maine among the 67 recognized nationally. Among rural hospitals, only 13 in the nation were […]
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Governor must accept the ‘trackers’
Maine Gov. Paul LePage may not like it, but when a politician speaks in public it is wise to assume there is a newspaper reporter, TV crew or political tracker recording every word and gesture. Just ask Mitt Romney. During the presidential campaign, a damaging video surfaced of Romney speaking to a supposedly private gathering […]