President-elect Donald Trump has rocked the boat and roiled critics with some of his controversial transition picks and campaign promises but most Americans believe that’s just what he should be doing. Nearly six in 10 American adults approve of the way Trump is handling his transition, according to a CBS/YouGov poll, a shocker for the […]
Op-Eds
Opinion columns from the Kennebec Journal and Morning Sentinel.
Opinion: You want climate action in Maine? Be my guest.
If the politicians who dream up these schemes got their way, voters would boot them out.
Opinion: Our republic was good while it lasted
By some miracle the United States may survive Trumpism. But the odds aren’t great.
Commentary: Is bird flu a risk yet to people?
You may have encountered the term “ bird flu” increasingly online and in the media. It refers to a highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) A, classified as H5N1. Wild birds carry and transmit this flu, though most do not get sick from it. However, it has been detected in birds and mammals at farms such […]
Douglas Rooks: Maine’s easy access to voting has its downsides
Rather than seek to end-run the two-party system, we could try to reform it, the columnist writes.
Maine Trust for Local News could use your help
For about a decade, around Thanksgiving, what is now the Maine Trust for Local News has published the Mainers To Be Thankful For issue. This year, readers submitted over 50 people to consider for the annual feature. I’m sure many, if not all, deserve the nomination. But as I read the profiles of the 10 […]
Commentary: Plant a seed, change the world
In my role as an ecology professor for the past 20 years, I’ve thought a lot about climate change and ecosystem collapse, which naturally makes me a fun person to be around. I’ve also voted in every election since I turned 18. My experience and education give me faith in the power of small acts. […]
Commentary: How super glue saved my childhood Thanksgivings
For most kids, Grandma and Grandpa’s house is their favorite place to visit. Filled with toys and endless affection, treats and hugs. For ordinary people, Thanksgiving is a particularly special time to spend with family. That wasn’t my childhood. Don’t worry — this isn’t a sob story. My grandparents were an intense breed of Irish […]
Commentary: If Trump deports farm workers, who will be left to pick California’s crops?
Do you enjoy fruits and vegetables? Assuming the answer is yes, come next year who do you think will harvest the oranges, almonds, lettuce, strawberries, tomatoes and the other 300-plus crops grown in California? Who will work in the state’s dairies, meat plants, and food processing factories, most located in the Central Valley? Republican President-elect […]
Opinion: Repair Maine’s criminal justice system, starting with parole
Our existing system churns the same people back into its prisons, year after year, costing hundreds of millions of dollars that would be better spent elsewhere.