There are three bond questions on the November ballot. Voters should support all three.The first, Question 4, is an environmental bond that will provide $6.95 million for pollution control efforts. If the bond is approved, the state will qualify for more than $14 million in matching federal funds to construct and upgrade water pollution control […]

Here’s how area members of Congress were recorded on major roll call votes in the week ending Oct. 17. HOUSESyria sanctions Voting 398 for and four against, the House on Oct. 15 sent the Senate a bill (HR 1828) imposing economic and diplomatic sanctions on Syria to penalize it for policies such as occupying Lebanon, […]

It was over before we could do anything.This is maybe 25 years ago. A bunch of us had left work and gone to Westwood, the tony shopping district in west L.A., for dinner and a movie. We were walking down the street laughing and talking, most of us black, one or two of us white, […]

Bangor Daily News, Oct. 9The advisory council working on the merger of the Departments of Human Services and Behavioral and Developmental Services is nearing the end of its work. Accounting consultants are going over the departments’ books now, looking for further signs of trouble. The court has given Maine – meaning DHS-BDS – six months […]

In 1962, the Governor of Mississippi violated an order of the United States Supreme Court and personally barred James Meredith, a black student, from enrolling at the University of Mississippi. It took hundreds of United States Marshals and National Guard soldiers, acting under the direction of President Kennedy, to ensure his enrollment. Wide-scale rioting ensued.Dozens […]

Stephen King made a promise last November to Maine’s middle school students. Now he’s going back on that promise.King said he would teach a computer seminar on writing, utilizing the state program that puts laptops in the hands of seventh- and eighth-graders.On Thursday, a spokesman for the famous horror writer said that he just didn’t […]

Dr. Michael Rifkin survived a dangerous bicycle crash. The helmet he was wearing may have saved his life or prevented serious, long-term injury.A week ago, Rifkin – who practices in Auburn – was involved in a car-bicycle collision while riding in Turner. The crash was so severe that Rifkin’s wife said he spent a few […]

As every creature on earth with a pulse knows by now, Arnold Schwarzenegger, the actor who played the cyborg from an apocalyptic future, is now the governor-elect of California. What once seemed improbable hardened into fact last week as voters, fed up with a costly car tax, an energy crisis and a budget deficit, turned […]

The following is part of a continuing series analyzing political advertising this campaign season.Political Action Committee: Mainers for Real and Responsible Property Tax ReliefParty: non-partisanTV ad: “DCJG”Length: 30 secondsProducer: David Heller, Main Street Communications, Washington, D.C.Market: StatewideAnnouncer: Voice of Dana Connors, president of Maine State Chamber and Business Alliance, followed by the voice of Jean […]

The neocons are nervous about their ill-conceived imperial adventure in Iraq, and if you want proof, read David Gergen’s column in last week’s U.S. News and World Report.A factotum for Democrat and Republican presidents alike, and who most recently toiled for the Irrumator-in-Chief, Bill Clinton, Gergen writes that our mission in Iraq isn’t just “urgent,” […]