Remember, just one month ago, when Sen. Olympia Snowe announced she was retiring from the U.S. Senate because the political rancor in Washington had become unbearable, unworkable and unacceptable? There was immediate nodding of heads all around Maine, among Democrats, Republicans and independents. We marveled at the gross level of contention in Washington and praised […]
Our View
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Caring people, helping hands and a curiosity
Last week, someone stole an electric wheelchair from Dana Huard’s front porch in Lewiston. The 80-year-old man purchased the scooter last year and relied on it to run errands and get to medical appointments. So, according to his daughter, Wendy Deemer, “taking his scooter is like taking his legs out from under him.” The day […]
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Students deserve clear information on degree’s value
It’s not surprising that unemployed young lawyers are quick to file lawsuits. But a series of recent legal actions reflects a growing and serious problem in higher education. Law students in several states recently filed multimillion-dollar suits against law schools for misrepresenting the employability and earning power of prior students. Several similar suits have been […]
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Online readers weigh in on government, guns, rescues and speeders
Here’s a look at what some members of our online audience had to say about stories in the news this week. Readers were quick to praise the efforts of all those involved in rescuing a woman after she fell down a bank of the Androscoggin River in Mexico Tuesday. Susan Byram of Mexico summed it […]
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Senators must vote for clean air for Maine people
The problem with national politics is that nothing is over until … well, actually, nothing is ever over. This is the stinking quagmire keeping our country from solving any of its most pressing problems. We live in a country that can’t make a decision and then simply get the hell out of its own way. […]
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Public offended by USM raises, hospital salaries
Outrageous salaries for hospital administrators and outlandish raises for college administrators have recently surprised and angered many Mainers. It’s the latest example of an invidious problem rooted in a seemingly fair system of rewarding highly compensated public, nonprofit employees. On Sunday, March 18, the Sun Journal reported on the surprisingly large salaries sometimes paid administrators […]
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Crime fears unjustified by crime statistics
You probably know most of the good things about living in Maine, but you may be unaware of one: We have the lowest crime rate in the nation, according to the latest figures in the 2012 U.S. Census. Vermont and New Hampshire are close, but Maine’s crime rate is still significantly lower. Mainers have about one-tenth […]
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Presidents can’t control what you pay at the pump
President Barack Obama frequently says the United States has 2 percent of the global oil supply but uses 20 percent of the world’s annual production, which factcheck.com says is seriously misleading. He usually adds that we cannot “drill our way to energy independence” and, by extension, lower gasoline prices. Newt Gingrich, meanwhile, says the United […]
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Street sweeper should avoid the commuting hours
Jeers to whomever scheduled street sweeping on the downtown streets in Auburn this week. Instead of doing this when the streets are void of traffic, like in the early morning hours, they decided to sweep during the commuting hours of 8-9 a.m. It would be safer and more efficient to clean these travel routes in […]
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Transparency, firefighters and LePage draw comments from online audience
Here’s a look at what readers in our online community had to say about several stories in the news over the last few days. Regarding a Monday story about by the Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting on a first-of-its-kind ranking for states on government transparency and Maine’s F grade or low ranking. Reader Alan […]