I knew that Richard Nixon employed a “Southern strategy” to get votes, but until reading a recent Washington Post article by a retired Army general, I had no idea how depraved and immoral it was. When Nixon went to speak at West Point in 1971, he was distressed to find that there was no Confederate […]

In her letter to the editor (June 13), Jacqueline Smith stated that 172 white people and 88 black people have been killed by police this year. Because of that, she claimed there is no racism. In the United States, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, 72.2% of the U.S. population is white and 12.7% is […]

Lewiston’s city and school leaders are working hard to maintain quality local services during the COVID-19 pandemic. These efforts come with a cost, though: 12 municipal positions, including police officers, a fire inspector and public works employees, are staying vacant. The city is counting on federal coronavirus funding and budget cuts to avoid up to […]

On Sunday, June 14, the Sun Journal published an article furnished by the New York Times about 66 environmental protections that President Trump has reversed. The bottom line: no clean water, no clean air, no limits on the amount of mercury that coal powered plants can spew into the air, and requirements for oil and […]

Jacqueline Smith’s letter (June 13) made me reflect about several issues. First, I am not at all confident I would recognize every counterfeit bill. Perhaps George Floyd was passing one without realizing it. Second, under the American justice system, everyone must be presumed innocent until proven guilty, even those with prior convictions. Third, Smith cites […]

Question 1 on Maine’s July 14 ballot will ask voters for their support of broadband expansion in rural Maine. Although most sectors of the economy have not done well during this crisis, there is one that has. Digital is the big winner. Expanding the digital transformation is essential to making sure that people and communities […]

I write in response to Jacqueline Smith’s letter (June 13). Smith wrote that we must “stop blaming racism” and “put blame on individuals” who “break the laws.” She cited statistics to show that twice as many white people (172) as black people (88) have been killed by police so far this year, and wrote that, […]

Jacqueline Smith’s letter (June 13) questions the existence of racism in policing, given that white people are also killed by the police. Police violence is a problem that everyone should be concerned about, but it is one that affects black Americans disproportionately. Using the numbers that Smith herself provided, we can see that police have […]

Maine is a small state and people value the close relationships they have with the men and women they elect to office. Martha Poliquin, the Democratic candidate for Maine Senate District 22, has shown deep concern for the families and children of her community. Having served on the Lisbon School Committee and worked with Literacy […]

As the director of the Maine Small Business Coalition, which represents more than 4,000 small businesses across this state, I speak with business owners every day. Many of them have been hit hard by COVID-19 and the ensuing economic crisis has forced some of them to close permanently. It’s hard enough to figure out when […]