Alex Lear
A Maine native and Colby College graduate, Alex has been covering coastal communities since 2001. He lives in the Portland area with his wife Lauren, 4-year-old daughter Alaina, and 7-year-old bulldog Walter. He has released four CDs of original music and does occasional research work for Marvel Comics' collected editions.
Jason Judd: Apprenticeships yield results and make the case for more growth and investments
Today’s apprenticeship programs are not my father’s apprenticeships. They involve learning new technologies and skills, are in very high-demand fields and are no longer only for high school students. In fact, the average age of a Maine apprentice is 29.
Froma Harrop: What do we really mean by affordable housing?
Let’s not level neighborhoods in the interests of massive projects.
Austin Bay: Enemy proxies will target America’s coasts
U.S. coasts are vulnerable to proxy attack using 21st-century unmanned air and sea vehicles launched a hundred miles offshore. The U.S. has 12,480 miles of coastline — equivalent to about half the Earth’s circumference at the Equator.
Mimi Marstaller: Weighing America’s ideals against a violent century
As a high school teacher I am struck by how often I have to decide whether to add “Discuss the shooting” to the class agenda. Of course we talked about the local tragedy of Oct. 25. When we were back in class after the shelter-in-place days, a student asked how it could be that two […]
Bob Neal: The Countryman: Who really determines policy
I have seen process determining policy time and again, for better and for worse. And not only in government.
Clarence Page: When it comes to slogans, pro-Palestinian activists should stick to those whose meanings aren’t disputed
Not only are those at loggerheads over Israel and Hamas taking the temperature to extreme levels, they won’t even agree on how to argue. Is, for example, “from the river to the sea” fair comment?
Froma Harrop: Libertines at Moms for Liberty
Moms for Liberty was really a front for Donald Trump, so it all fits in. Members posing in photos with Proud Boys was something of a giveaway. The true mission of this “parental rights group” was to scoop up cheap votes from parents genuinely concerned about their children’s moral upbringing.