On April 3, the New York Times COVID tracker rated Androscoggin County “very high risk” for COVID exposure. The average daily case count per 100,000 people for the last 14 days is 27, the highest in Maine. For months Androscoggin County has been in the top one or two counties for COVID cases, yet our […]

The children pouring into our country are fleeing horrible situations in Central America, after the Trump administration refused to help small countries with their fight against drug dealers and armed militia. Closing the border only caused a log jam. We need to help people to feel safe in their own countries. Our relatives came to […]

I am a big supporter of passenger rail in Maine and ride the Downeaster frequently. I would love to see passenger rail service extended to Lewiston-Auburn, but was disappointed to read in the March 31 Sun Journal article, “Lewiston council revives talks on passenger rail,” that local officials were considering a proposal to utilize the […]

I am concerned with the proposed zoning regulation that will allow homeowners in Auburn to build an additional dwelling if they own a 12,000-square-foot lot. I worry about structures being shoehorned into neighborhoods, for the mere purpose of increasing the tax base, with no thought about how it would change the character of the neighborhood. […]

Just when I thought Auburn couldn’t come up with an idea as brilliant as the “Chinese hospital on the banks of Minot Avenue,” Mayor Jason Levesque presents the citizens with another winner. Any owner of a house lot of 12,000 square feet (a house lot is typically 100 x 100 or 10,000 square feet) will […]

Opinions expressed in April 2’s Sun Journal regarding Republicans call for rebuttal. Remarks such as “Republicans…are a people lacking integrity…” (Leonard Pitts), and they are “the…most pathetic crop of needy nincompoops…” (David Griffiths’ quotation of Kathleen Parker) don’t move us in a productive direction. Divisive comments separate us into “We and They.” Instead, let’s acknowledge […]

Central Maine Power is planning to build a energy transmission corridor through 53 miles of undeveloped forests in northern Maine, and the company is are calling it a “Clean Energy Corridor.” This is far from the truth. The corridor will threaten wildlife and ecosystems, and it doesn’t create any new renewable energy. CMP is in […]

Corporations in Maine and this country have used public investments in education, health, and infrastructure to get to where they are. Meanwhile, much of the public is left poor and struggling. It’s about time large corporations start paying their fair share instead of the rest of the population being left holding the bag. Maine cut […]

Why do 49% of Republican men surveyed in a Marist/NPR-PBS poll say they won’t get a COVID-19 vaccine? Presumably, these men would heed a cardiologist if they have heart trouble, an oncologist who spots “something concerning” in a lung x-ray, or an orthopedist who recommends joint replacement to deal with crippling arthritis. So why do […]

Walter Perry is running for the Select Board in Paris, and folks who know him realize what an asset he would be in that role. A teacher and coach in the area for over 20 years, Walter has long avoided politics but been active as a coach, volunteer, and good neighbor. If one’s kid has […]