After dismissing Gov. Paul LePage's budget out of hand, and failing to arrive -- after six months -- at anything resembling a real budget framework to replace it, leaders in the Maine Legislature have decided to forego the typical process and rely on an appointed "supercommittee" of members from both houses, who will hammer out a final budget.

For the past decade, we have been hearing about the supposed "rebirth" and "revitalization" of Bangor. Yet, at the end of the day, it is all an illusion. For all the "Bangor is back!" talk of some kind of Queen City renaissance, it isn't reflected in the numbers. Bangor has lost 1,000 people in the past decade. Yes, Bangor's population is shrinking.

Speaking to a group of Little Leaguers on Saturday, Washington Nationals phenom Bryce Harper had a simple message. “As much as they might tell you, ‘It’s OK you guys lost today,’ no, Johnny," he began. "No participation trophies, OK? First place only, alright?”

We’ve recently seen several letters to the editor complaining that the proposed new town charter removes our sacred right to a secret ballot. It does not.

Well, I hate to say I told you so. But, I told you so. I tried. I tried to warn you all that ranked-choice voting was unconstitutional.

Mainers who have overcome drug addiction have powerful stories and when they share their struggle it is hard to ignore.

When it comes to President Donald Trump, the only thing you can really count on is that people are going to completely lose their mind and any sense of rationality when they talk about him.

What is privacy on the internet? Well, a smart person would probably tell you that it doesn't exist, and you should probably assume as much as you spend time online.

Moderate is a word that is thrown around a lot, usually by self-interested politicians who want to appear rational, reasonable and independently minded. Usually, you are defined as a moderate if you step outside your political party's orthodoxy with relative frequency, and assert some opinions that are closer to those on "the other side" than those on your own.

Good teachers are critical to Maine’s future, so let’s pay them adequately. Our children are our most valuable asset, and as a parent, I have been fortunate to raise my family in Maine.

Science has produced another marvel. It has created an artificial womb that can be used to provide a more suitable environment for preemie babies who cannot stay in the mother's natural womb. It's just one more way we as a race have advanced to better protect life.

In 1998, an ice storm swept through Maine, quietly burying roads and towns. Some communities became completely inaccessible. Without general aviation, many towns and island communities would have been cut off from resources for an unknown period of time. It was general aviation pilots who stepped up to the plate, providing a vital link to ensure transportation of emergency personnel, emergency equipment, and individuals requiring emergency care.

Currently, there are 1,845 Maine children in foster care. Children must be placed in suitable foster homes in appropriate locations, to ensure a child’s life is disrupted as little as possible.

Since the passage of Question 2 on last November's ballot, the debate over it has centered around the question of taxes. Does Maine want to have, depending on how you count it, the highest or second-highest income tax rate in the country? Is that what Maine people voted for, or were they just trying to vote for some vague concept of "better schools"? Just how bad will the flight of wealth from Maine to other states be? How many people will decide to never move here because of the new tax rate? What will be the impact on jobs?

They called him “The Junk Man” because his hobby was to pick up junk and restore it. For Robert Godwin Sr., the satisfaction of restoring all things junk was married into the life of leisure that retirement brings,

So we have our first officially credible candidate, State Treasurer Terry Hayes, of the 2018 gubernatorial cycle. Hayes is currently unenrolled and will be running as an independent. I say “officially credible,” of course, because she is not the very first human being to file for the race. She just happens to be the first one with a chance north of zero of actually being elected.

Democrats say they want to reduce property taxes. But they don’t have the courage to actually do it. You can’t talk about reducing property taxes without addressing state funding for education. Education costs are a major driver of local property taxes.

When fools build a caricature and call it a crown, Blindness is bliss in the new double down.