15 hours ago

Family politics not always a straight line

These days we seem to have never-ending election cycles. Do you know your ancestors’ political leanings?

20 hours ago

Bob the Builder I am not, but I try

I’ve decided I need to make it official. I’m going to become (drumroll, please) a handyman (err, woman).

3 days ago

E.A. Williams cartoon — May 22, 2019

E.A. Williams cartoon for May 22, 2019

7 days ago

Full sigh of relief

You may recall the sigh of relief, with respect to flooding, was not complete last column, since the lakes were still high.

7 days ago

Fighting over vaccines may be the wrong cure

Intelligence and stupidity are funny things.

1 week ago

Ensuring care for those who served

When President Abraham Lincoln established a national network of hospitals for veterans at the close of the Civil War in 1865, the very first of those hospitals was here in Maine, at what is now called Togus.

1 week ago

E. A. Williams cartoon — May 15, 2019

E. A. Williams cartoon — May 15, 2019

2 weeks ago

Protecting health care for rural Mainers

Your zip code shouldn’t determine your access to health care. But in rural Maine, emergency medical services are barely getting by while hospitals struggle to keep their doors open.

2 weeks ago

Driver education could benefit all

When a child becomes old enough to drive an automobile, it can be a scary time for any parent.

2 weeks ago

Spring passages

Finally, the crocuses are up. Together with paperwhites, narcissus, tulips and daffodils, they are the loud heralds of spring. When they appear it is clear that winter has gone and spring has come. In fields of brown and before the trees leaf out, these brilliant blooms scream SPRING!

2 weeks ago

Recapping city finances

The auditors have come and gone again. The city was once again recognized by the Government Finance Officers Association for Excellence in Financial Reporting, receiving the Certificate of Achievement for the city’s Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR) for the 18th consecutive year in a row.

2 weeks ago

Citizenship clues may become trickier

There’s a lawsuit in the courts now regarding whether it’s legal to ask a person’s citizenship status in the upcoming U.S. Census. Historically, the question of whether a resident was an “alien,” naturalized, or when they came to this country has been asked in censuses back to the first one in 1790. But in today’s political climate it’s much trickier than it was in prior years.

3 weeks ago

Champions in the fight against Alzheimer’s

Mary Dysart Hartt’s husband, Mike, was 58 when she began noticing things did not seem quite right. Daily tasks like running the tractor became challenging for him and fender benders became more frequent.

3 weeks ago

Sigh of relief — sort of

On Thursday night, April 18, I couldn't have been more concerned. Guidance was suggesting that the St. John River would go into major flood within a few days, quite possibly exceeding the record crest of 2008.

3 weeks ago

‘Defective’ censuses

In 1880 the government decided to identify citizens physically or morally defective. The result is the Federal Census Schedules for the Defective, Dependent, and Delinquent Classes.

3 weeks ago

We must improve Maine’s child welfare system

Over the last three decades, I have practiced law in Aroostook County, and for much of that time I have been heavily involved with cases involving abused and neglected children.

3 weeks ago

Aroostook arachnophobia

It’s spring. They’re baaack. The spiders, that is.

3 weeks ago

Conservation Corner: Ash trees and the invasive Emerald Ash Borer

Trees, like humans, react to stress in various ways. Both can get sick -- sometimes from similar stressors like air pollution or physiological reasons such as not getting enough nutrients to provide health and growth.