SpaceShipOne made it to space and back in one piece again Monday.The team that launched it now claims the $10 million Ansari X Prize for the first private enterprise to launch the same vehicle into space twice within 14 days.Piloted Monday by Brian Binnie, the flight lacked the nail-biting drama produced last week when the […]

The move into the new Auburn Hall begins today.By Friday, city government will have abandoned its offices on Spring Street, with its work beginning at 8 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 12, at the downtown Court Street location. The School Department is expected to begin the move into its new offices there in November.After Columbus Day, city […]

The normally spineless House ethics committee rebuked Majority Leader Tom DeLay Thursday for trying to buy the vote of another member of Congress with a political favor.It took the committee six months to judge the actions. During the vote on the Medicare prescription drug plan, DeLay offered to support Rep. Nick Smith’s son in a […]

Some lessons are never learned. So it is with a plan that would allow the United States to deport some foreigners to countries where they are likely to be tortured.After the scandal and outrage that erupted from the photographs of Iraqi detainees being tortured at Abu Ghraib, turning people over to countries known to cut […]

Legislators have heard an earful as they’ve traveled around the state holding forums with small business owners.Skyrocketing insurance rates, high workers compensation costs and conflicting state regulations were just a few of the tales of woe told by business owners who came to the forums looking for help.A group of House Democrats, led by Majority […]

The Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Sept. 24 Americans will have to hold their breaths and hope for minimal voting problems on Nov. 2. Four years after the Florida voting fiasco, our ability to ensure a smooth, accurate election count leaves much to be desired.No election can be conducted without potential for error or fraud. …New problems arise, […]

Hurtling toward space, and rolling wildly in a breathtaking display of technology and courage, pilot Michael Melvill completed the first stage in the pursuit of the $10 million Ansari X Prize with a daring flight Wednesday.That the craft, SpaceShipOne, returned safely to Earth with its one-man crew is nothing short of miraculous. Disregarding instructions from […]

Eventually, the budget problems that are shuttering Maine’s courthouses for two weeks every year will have to be solved. For now, however, workers are making do with an imperfect solution.For three years now, the state has closed all its courtrooms to allow judges, clerks and other workers to catch up on a backlog of tasks […]

What is America’s place in the world?That is the fundamental, boiled-down question that both President George Bush and John Kerry should have to answer during tonight’s debate in Coral Gables, Fla.The question, which will focus on foreign affairs, will take many forms and jump around the globe, from Iraq to Afghanistan to North Korea to […]

Finally. A deep sigh of relief.On Monday night, the Boston Red Sox clinched a second straight trip to the playoffs by winning the American League wild card. There’s still a chance – perhaps a slim chance – the Sox could even win the division, if the team can overcome the New York Yankees.Now, as slugger […]