Yesterday my iPhone chimed; a text message from a family member at work. “Is there any chance you might be able to pick up William from school today?” William's aunt was supposed to drive the 10-year-old home, but something came up.

I went to the local grocery store the other morning. Normally, in my small town, I can get a parking spot in front of the store or, at the very least, in the adjacent parking lot two or three stalls from the door. Today, I had to park in the lot near the back of the store. It was just strange for a rainy, gray day in Podunk.

This Legislature hasn't even finished their work finalizing a budget yet, and already we are talking about spending more money than we have.

As Maine inches toward ending another legislative session with little to no progress on the deadly issue of gun violence, even as 12 more people are dead from a mass shooting in Virginia Beach, a student-led movement should be forcing us all to confront our own complicity.

Many Americans are fascinated by British royalty, following the romances, marriages, childbirths, divorces and the gowns and jewels. We may be the citizens of a democracy but we seem hypnotized by the bluebloods of Europe.

Since I am no longer employed at the Maine State House (1989-2012), I haven’t tried this experiment. But every now and then, while at the State House, I would take one workday and ask people: If I ask you to name a famous drummer, which drummer first comes to mind?

Late last week the Maine Legislature, for a change, did something that I am very happy about. They took action to reform Maine's broken initiative and referendum process.

Health care. Homeless shelters. The military. In school. At work. The Trump administration is further escalating its attack on transgender people, including in situations when people are their most vulnerable.

Six years ago, Eric Schmidt and Jared Cohen published, “The New Digital Age: Reshaping the Future of People, Nations and Businesses.” They describe their book as “about technology...and how humans interact with, implement, adapt to and exploit technologies..now and in the future....”

President Donald Trump is the oldest person ever elected to a first term as president. He was 70 years old when he was inaugurated (a year older than Ronald Reagan), is 72 years old today, and will be 74 on Election Day of 2020. Were he to win, he will be 78 years old when he leaves office.

Earlier this week, Gov. Janet Mills announced her intention to create a 10-year strategic economic development plan for the state. It’s a good idea -- if it doesn’t fall victim to politics and the great divide between rural and urban areas.

These days we seem to have never-ending election cycles. Do you know your ancestors’ political leanings? Genealogists may assume their family was always Republican or Democrat. This isn’t true. These parties came into being at the advent of the Civil War. Republicans favored the fight for the Union. Democrats, also known at the time as Copperheads, opposed the war. There were entire areas in Maine where Republican draft officers didn’t dare go.

I listened this week to a “Team Never Quit” podcast interview with American swimmer Dara Torres, a 12-time Olympic medalist and former world record-holder in three events. Mrs. Torres’s interviewers are three retired US Navy SEALS.

In this column, I've been writing an awful lot about what the new administration of Gov. Janet Mills and her allies in the Legislature have been doing.

No one can say for certain whether the conservative majority on the U.S. Supreme Court is willing to overturn the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that guaranteed the right of women to receive an abortion. But Republicans in Alabama and Georgia and liberals on the court itself seem to think it’s a real possibility.

Logger and Maine Senate President Troy Jackson recently introduced LD 1459, a bill that would, for the first time in history, give Maine contract loggers the legal right to collectively bargain for fair compensation. This bill is being introduced as rising demand for shipping supplies might revitalize production.

Just about a year ago, The Commons at Central Hall reopened after a 10-year hiatus from public view. It had been a public hall and served as town offices. Class plays were held here. They even had minstrel shows here. And they played basketball here for 75 years.

To park on the street I turned my car steering wheel right and felt a new chest pain. “Heart," was my first instinct. But, since I have never had heart problems, I considered other possibilities like indigestion.