Mainers have a proud tradition of responsible gun ownership, and we strongly believe in the constitutional right to bear arms. We also know that those rights come with responsibilities. Every day, 91 Americans die from gun violence. Requiring a background check for all gun sales is the single most effective policy for bringing that number […]

We need a system that works — where candidates with the best ideas, not the biggest bank accounts, have a fighting chance. You should never have to vote for the “lesser of two evils” when there is another candidate you really like. Question 5 gives voters the power to rank candidates in order of individual […]

Donald Trump’s refusal to commit to accepting the final, official verdict of November’s election has provoked a hue and cry as great as any he has sparked in this long campaign — and that’s saying something. The Republican nominee’s defiance of long-held democratic norms is disturbing, and all the more worrisome because no previous candidate […]

Think autism and an image of an awkward boy typically emerges CHICAGO — Think autism and an image of an awkward boy typically emerges. The developmental disorder is at least four times more common in boys, but scientists taking a closer look are finding some gender-based surprises: Many girls with autism have social skills that […]

On Nov. 8, voters will be making laws without public hearings, without reading the fine print, without legal analysis, without legislative review and, of particular concern, at least one of the bills is blatantly unconstitutional. Attorney General Janet Mills has provided a six-page legal opinion regarding the ranked choice voting proposal. Concerns include:  determining the […]

RALEIGH, North Carolina — When Manasi Gopala immigrated to America, she finally got the chance to row crew. As a child in India, she had dreamed of the sport from watching Olympic telecasts. Now, twice a week, she pulls a pair of oars as her scull glides along tree-lined Lake Wheeler, far from her birthplace […]

Popular author and speaker Rachel Held Evans understands why evangelical Christians have a deep aversion to Hillary Clinton. It was in the air Evans breathed as the child of conservative Christians in Tennessee in the ’90s. She grew up to vilify Clinton, she said, because, well, that’s what evangelicals did. “I was at a Christian […]

As Jon Stewart discovered during “Indecision 2000,” late-night television can be a powerful tool when the political world threatens to cave in on itself. Just as the “Daily Show’s” coverage of the chaotic Florida recount cemented Stewart’s reputation as an influential entertainer-slash-pundit, the surreal 2016 presidential election might just be Seth Meyers’s moment. Meyers, the […]

Long before they donned big feet and balloon pants for children’s birthday parties, clowns were strictly adult entertainment. As dimwitted drunks, hypersexual hooligans and mischievous miscreants, these court jesters and fools poked fun at Chinese emperors, Roman senators and medieval feudal lords.Yep, clowns were cultural pranksters long before they morphed into merry fools. They also […]

The U.S. probably will never be a European-style, multiparty parliamentary democracy. It’s not inconceivable, however, that someday it could switch to a system that might have prevented the aberrations of this harrowing election year —  ranked-choice voting.Here’s how it works. Imagine a presidential race with four candidates — let’s call them Hillary, Donald, Gary and Jill. […]