Maine lawmakers on the Veterans and Legal Affairs committee on Friday will hold a public hearing on a pair of bills -- LDs 418 and 816 -- which would bind Maine’s Electoral College votes to the winner of the national popular vote.

It was the Saturday after Thanksgiving and I was visiting a local baby store. Minding my own business, I strolled down the aisle when out of nowhere I was attacked, set upon by a foam Elmo couch for kids.

Most genealogists are familiar with the population schedules of the Federal censuses. We use these because after 1840 they tell us the names of people in the household, relationships, occupation, ages, places of birth, and other information. Most genealogists stop there. However, there were some federal non-population and special censuses taken and these are worth a look when you’re searching for information about your family.

I am not sure how political news reporting pulls out of its years-long credibility nose dive. What’s happening now with former CBS war correspondent (2002-2018) Lara Logan is a recent example. Let me be clear: my subject here is “political news,” not sports news, cooking news, nor any type of news other than political news.

There are few places as inhospitable to conservatives as the city of Chicago. In the 2018 election for governor in Illinois, for instance, the city of Chicago voted for Democrat J.B. Pritzker over incumbent Republican Governor Bruce Rauner by a whopping margin of 81.34 percent to 15.19 percent. The Democratic margin of victory was even larger in the 2016 presidential contest.

Considering that we live in perhaps the safest, least war-torn time in all of human history, it feels like a disservice to complain about minor inconveniences. After achieving in-box zero right after the holidays, the endless stream of spam emails I receive on a daily basis has me creeping back up closer to a 1,000 reminders that I need to take out the trash.

Swimming and snorkeling are my favorite parts of living on a Maine pond. I am in the water as early as possible. Last year, April 22 was ice out day. I was in the water mid-May. My last day in the pond was September 30.

Let's say that this was a good year at work. Let's say that the company you work for is so pleased with you that they give you a small raise, and say that next year, if everything goes equally well, they'll give you a bonus reward.

If you’re preaching a prophecy of doom or are red-faced angry about Gov. Janet Mills’ budget or her budget address, delivered Monday night, then you probably also get mad at vanilla wafers.

The Daughters of the American Revolution Library in Washington, D.C., is one of those little-known treasures available for genealogists. And the great thing is that you don’t have to be a member of the DAR to use it.

I can’t remember the last time I paid to see one movie twice. (Serious movie fans are perhaps laughing.) But in the last few weeks I bought tickets to “They Shall Not Grow Old,” film director Peter Jackson’s documentary commemorating the 100th anniversary of World War I.

Every morning at Piscataquis Community High School in Guilford, my colleagues and I can be found in the hallways at 10 minutes to 8 greeting every student who passes by while discussing school issues and activities for the upcoming day. While many of our students regularly walk this hallway on their way to first period, a growing subset of our population is often not in the hall in the morning, routinely missing classes, and falling further and further behind their peers. It is an existential and worsening problem in American schools.

The day before the Super Bowl this year, my oldest son -- who is going to be 12 this month -- and I were in the car, talking about the upcoming game. He mentioned to me that "nobody wanted the Patriots to win."

Gov. Janet Mills has set a blistering pace on a lot of big policy matters since taking office last month, including moving quickly to expand access to health care to more than 70,000 people.

This week I extend last week's conversation with Tammy Estes, owner of Estes Consultant of Travel based in Augusta. Tammy has been a great help to me in understanding "deaf culture;" how deaf and hard of hearing (HoH) people communicate within the "deaf culture" and with the "hearing culture."

So, I've been a bit hard on the new liberal regime in Augusta recently. I've been giving Gov. Janet Mills and her allies in the Legislature unsolicited advice, telling them to do things that I am well aware they will never have any intention of doing. Things like controlling spending, lowering taxes and continuing to guard Maine's fiscal health.

Dear America, remember Maine! Not “Remember the Maine,” which maybe you read in a history book. Rather remember the last eight years of politics in Maine.

With few places in the world still relatively untouched by development, Maine’s 10.5 million acres of North Woods are a disappearing resource. These woods rejuvenate us: They provide opportunities for hunting, fishing and recreation, and serve as vital habitat for plants and animals.