Question 1 would allow those who oppose vaccines for non-medical personal reasons to send their unvaccinated children to school. Those personal beliefs would expose other children -children who then carry the virus home and into the community. This puts us all at risk, especially the vulnerable, aged, infants and pregnant women.  

Did you know that patients fighting cancer need more blood than patients fighting any other disease? Cancer patients use nearly one-quarter of the nation’s blood supply. In fact, five units of blood are needed every minute to help someone going through cancer treatment. Yet, only 3 percent of people in the U.S. give blood.

Ignorance or arrogance -- I haven't quite figured out which one it is that drives people to blatantly ignore the law, or (at the very least) fail to exercise common courtesy. I live in Corinth and travel Route 15 to and from Bangor quite frequently. I don't mind saying that it has become a very disturbing drive. 

Matthew Gagnon's column praising Tulsi Gabbard for doing the "human thing" toward those with differing opinions and refraining from celebrating in others' misfortunes or tragedy is well received. It's a powerful approach when seen from a U.S. representative.

I was moved to tears by the sincerity of U.S. Sen. Mitt Romney's speech defending his decision to declare President Trump guilty. He relayed how enormously consequential his oath before God to be an impartial juror was and the emotional impact of these words caused him to bow his head to regain his composure.

Dear citizens of Senate District 4, I am endorsing the Hon. Doug Thomas for Maine Senate District 4. Thomas is an experienced legislator, having served in both the House and Senate. He owns and operates a small Maine business and understands the importance of keeping government small and affordable for the people of Maine.

Saving for retirement is one of the most important things you can do for your future.

It is a stark reality that on average, working households in Maine have just $2,500 in retirement account savings. As the current AARP volunteer state president, a Portland Maine resident and a former small business owner, I am very interested in changing this situation.

I find it almost comical that Scott K. Fish chose to reference Hugh Hewett in his Jan. 10, 2020 column about a modern government workforce as someone we should take to heart when critiquing civil servants. In state, local and federal government there certainly is room for improvement, but why would we seek answers from an individual who has made a living promoting an agenda that has nothing to do with the working class, instead focusing on advancing hypotheses that ignore science while willfully promoting debunked theories in order to obfuscate the truth, all under the guise his Christian faith affords him a platform to educate the public while sharing his opinions which predominantly adhere to party lines, even at the cost of him being hypocritical.

Have you ever made a suggestion to someone and been ignored, with no response? Not so the case with Will Wedge from Will’s Shop and Save. I mentioned the poor lighting at the entrance to his store and along with some arm twisting (ask to see the bruises) only a couple of days later, new lights were installed! 

In response to a recent letter by Pete Johnson I would first put forth the question, "How can one think that this impeachment process which has been going on since Trump took office in 2016 has nothing to do with the economy, unemployment or any other accomplishments of our President?"

I am writing in support of Sen. Paul Davis, R-Sangerville. This letter of support for Sen. Davis is easy to write. For a number of years I was the Legislative liaison for the Maine Community College System. During my tenure the college system grew from its roots as the Maine Vocational Technical Institutes to the Maine Technical College System and finally to the community college system that serves Maine people today.

I have read and reread the article titled “What the Central Maine and Quebec Railway sale means for the state’s industries, economy” printed in the Dec. 6, 2019 issue of the Observer. With all certainty, increased activity and improved service and conditions on Maine’s railways is a step in the right direction for the economy of central Maine.

In response to the Bangor Daily News letter to the editor, “Grandparents’ GOP” on Dec. 27: I could have written this same letter about my parents. My dad, a World War II veteran and proud American, kept up on current events through his subscription to the BDN, reading books and televised news outlets until the end. Unfortunately, his body gave out on him and he was literally on his deathbed on Election Day 2016.

Hello. Recently discovered that the Mill Café is closed at least for the time being. What about adding some curated pieces to the commercial space? I visited both Bates Mill in Auburn and Pepperell Mill in Biddeford and fell in love with the history.

The Kiwanis Community Christmas Project is truly a community-supported and worthwhile project. Starting with the Dover-Foxcroft Congregational Church, there are so many people and organizations that deserve to get big hugs for their help in making  the holidays brighter for our community's youth.

If you see Congressman Jared Golden, D-Maine around our communities in Maine’s Second Congressional District you may want to ask him which of the accomplishments of the administration he doesn’t like:

Even as health insurance companies report record profits, I regularly read about the growing crisis of Surprise Medical Billing (SMB). It seems implausible that these two trends are somehow unrelated. SMB occurs when health insurers won’t pay for medical care and, instead, those costs are shunted off to patients who can scarcely afford them. So are the insurance companies pocketing more profits at the expense of patients they claim to insure? It would certainly appear so.