I took a recent webinar which stressed the importance of using a research log to track progress in your searches. A research log allows you to list all sources and what you found or didn’t find. For example, you might list a book showing title/author/library/call number and indicate what you found. Some of these logs allow you to state your purpose in researching such as “seeking parents of John Jones”.

The Maine Old Cemetery Association, dedicated to preservation of Maine’s neglected cemeteries, has a fascinating Facebook page. From the page’s 2,740 members, MOCA posters share photos of restoration projects, discoveries; they network and share history lessons.

On Wednesday, Sept. 11 the state board of education will meet at Brunswick High School to be updated and possibly approve changes to the rules of Chapter 115 “The Credentialing of Educational Personnel.”

About a month ago, Democratic Rep. Joaquin Castro of Texas made a controversial decision when he began releasing the names of Trump supporters that were residents of his San Antonio-based district.

It was a long, deadly weekend as gun violence claimed more lives. At least seven people are dead in west Texas at the hands of an angry man with an “AR style” weapon. Three police officers and a 17-month-old were among the 25 people who were wounded.

I don’t know why my brain works as it does; why certain ideas intrigue me. But, for as long as I can remember, I’ve wanted to know how things work. Not everything, but certain things.

In my five years as your state representative the lack of high speed broadband has been a key issue and the citizens of Piscataquis County have demanded action. In response, I have worked to create a non-political broadband caucus to advocate for funding to stimulate investment in rural Maine. There have been dozens of bills introduced to include broadband in the two year budget, proposals to increase revenue and multiple bond proposals. This year the budget has included $4 million to address a multi-million dollar need.

New York City is frequently a place where bad policy is dreamed up, but I have to admit to occasionally still being shocked to see some of the things that are proposed under the watch of Mayor Bill de Blasio.

As long was we can dream of a better day or fear our nightmares, there will be con artists and scammers looking to steal our money.

Maine is among the oldest states in the nation -- and it’s getting older. This is something to embrace: Older Mainers bring wisdom, experience and richness to our lives.

I’m usually out of bed at 4:30 in the morning. Moving quietly downstairs into the kitchen, if I have coffee from the night before in my insulated stainless steel LL Bean mug, I take a sip. But if there’s no day-old dark coffee to sip, I brew a fresh mug.

In June, Gov. Janet Mills proposed a package of bonds that amounted to a whopping $239 million in new debt for the state of Maine. On Monday, Mills called for a special session of the Legislature to vote on many of these bonds, highlighting the most popular and widely supported among them by emphasizing the transportation bonds.

Gov. Janet Mills has called the Legislature back into special session next week to consider a smart investment package that includes money for transportation, to boost the economy, to clean up pollution and for the Land for Maine’s Future program.

I was helping Dad get dressed for Mom’s funeral. Five days a week, as long as I remember, Dad wore a suit and tie to commute on the Long Island Railroad to-and-from his Manhattan office.

Hong Kong is the single most important arena in the struggle for human liberty on the planet today, and that struggle is in danger of being crushed under the boot of totalitarian oppression.

In my column last week, I wrote about 30 ideas that could help stem the rising tide of gun violence in the United States. The ideas ranged from background checks and waiting periods to a ban on military-style weapons such as the AR-15 and large capacity magazines.

Thursday, August 8, 2019, an unidentified 20-year-old man wearing camo clothes, a bulletproof vest; carrying 100 bullets, a rifle, and a second gun, walked into a Missouri Walmart. He was spotted immediately by an off-duty firefighter with a concealed carry permit who held a gun on the 20-year-old until police arrested him. No shots were fired. No one was killed.

Neil deGrasse Tyson is, to a certain generation of people in this country, something of a demigod. He is an astrophysicist, author, director of the Hayden Planetarium and one of the chief pop-science figures of our time.