Commentary
Statistics about Maine child abuse are troubling, but it’s important to look at the details
Long ago, when I was a new City Hall reporter in another state, crime statistics seemed to show a big single-year change. I don’t remember if it was an increase or a decrease. But when I spoke to a leading expert on crime statistics, he told me the change was meaningless. I don’t remember the […]
Four years ago, the U.S. Capitol was attacked. Pardons would only deepen the wound.
When Peter Ninemire was freed by presidential clemency from a federal prison where he was serving a 27-year sentence on drug charges, it was widely hailed as just the way such executive actions should work. If anybody deserved the presidential “prerogative of mercy,” as defined by the Supreme Court, it was Ninemire. A nonviolent offender […]
Maine highway fund shortfall highlights the need for sustainable revenue solutions
Recent revisions to the state’s revenue forecast confirm Maine’s highway fund and general fund face structural deficits, albeit not as large as previously expected. Some legislators have tried to claim this is the result of a “spending problem,” but that ignores an important side of the story — the state’s failure to raise enough revenue […]
2024 selections and reflections from Maine Morning Star reporters
As we turn the corner on another year and reflect back on what passed and what may come, I asked my staff to think about the stories that meant the most to them. Maine Morning Star’s reporters work day in and out documenting the actions and impacts of Maine’s leaders. Sometimes, they have the opportunity […]
Six ways Trump administration could endanger health coverage for Mainers
The incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump and his allies in Congress have begun discussing plans to make deep cuts to Medicaid, one of the country’s largest health care programs, to offset their plans to cut taxes for wealthy Americans. Medicaid, known in Maine as MaineCare, is a joint state and federal program that covers […]
A lesson from my mom: We all deserve love, we all deserve acceptance
My mom passed away peacefully last month. She was 90 years young. As the matriarch and magnet of our large Irish American and French Canadian family, “Mimi” was the center of all family information, celebrations, and milestones. She kept in close contact with her large and extended family, including seven children, spouses, 22 grand and […]
Election results underscore the power of ignorance, and the power of whiteness
When I was growing up in Chicago, every morning we got the daily newspaper. Most of the time, it was the Chicago Sun-Times, occasionally the Chicago Tribune. Most days, we also got the Chicago Defender, the city’s Black newspaper. In the evening, we almost always watched the local news on the television and at least […]
What does it mean to live in blue Maine under Trump 2.0?
Often these past few weeks I have found myself breathing a sigh of relief that I live in a state where certain protections are in place ahead of the next Trump presidency, and feeling both concern and guilt when thinking about the millions of people who live in states that have been, or are now, […]
Some inconvenient truths about the national election
As one would expect, the postmortems on last week’s election are well underway. Here in North Carolina, where voters did pretty much what they’ve done for years, the results don’t seem that hard to understand. Republicans continued to dominate the presidential contest, and Democrats returned the favor in the governor’s race. Meanwhile, most of the […]
Moaning in America, again
I have just come in from taking the little dog out into an unnaturally warm, but beautifully breezy morning and a sky full of stars. I am awed by the persistent natural beauty of the world. And I am worried about my country. The unexpected and definitive election of a problematic presidential candidate, and one […]
The limits of state action to address PFAS
Among many striking observations I’ve heard from those affected by per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), one from a farmer who had to abandon his contaminated land and home stands out: “I am unlucky that this happened to me,” Adam Nordell observed, “but I am lucky since it did that it happened in Maine.” Farmers and […]
The saga of one big political sign in northern Maine
It has been chainsawed in half, knocked to the ground, and had its legs splintered by a mallet. Yet what’s said to be Northern Maine’s largest political sign is still standing. Volunteering to put it up seemed sensible enough. The 2024 race to select America’s 47th president has been called one of the most consequential […]