Friday, May 10 was “Gun Day” at the Legislature’s Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee. On this day, the committee held public hearings on 11 firearm-related bills. Ten of the bills sought to restrict Second Amendment rights while one bill would expand them.

It is pretty hard to find someone more sympathetic to the plight of teachers than me. My wife has worked for years as a teacher in kindergarten through second grade.

It’s a good bet that Maine is going to join the growing list of states that allow gambling on sports. I don’t like gambling. It’s too hard to make money to give it away to someone else for a few minutes of excitement.

There’s a lawsuit in the courts now regarding whether it’s legal to ask a person’s citizenship status in the upcoming U.S. Census. Historically, the question of whether a resident was an “alien,” naturalized, or when they came to this country has been asked in censuses back to the first one in 1790. But in today’s political climate it’s much trickier than it was in prior years.

North Turner Union Presbyterian Church (NTUPC), a mile-and-a-half east of where I live at Camp Marlene, is set on a raised plot of land beside a two-lane country road. The 125-year-old white clapboard steepled church building looks similar to hundreds of white clapboard churches throughout Maine, especially rural Maine.

Like the rest of America, I spent last weekend at a movie theater with two of my kids, watching the latest Marvel movie, “Avengers: Endgame.”

Maine has an unusually high number of kids who are entering school without vaccinations – and the number is rising.

This morning’s tv news story about a “dire forecast” for brick-and-mortar New England colleges has me thinking again about learning alternatives to colleges. WMTW-TV’s reporter said two New England colleges shut down recently, and four more New England colleges are closing their doors this month. The tv reporter said an “alarming number of schools are going out of business, affecting thousands of students.”

This week, U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren made a bold proposal to pay off most of America's student loans, while initiating a Universal Free College plan.

In 1880 the government decided to identify citizens physically or morally defective. The result is the Federal Census Schedules for the Defective, Dependent, and Delinquent Classes. It delves into personal areas that are humiliating and in that period not usually mentioned.

On Monday, the fight over sensible gun laws in Maine was renewed as the Legislature held a public hearing on extreme risk protection orders, or the “red flag” bill.

The Piscataquis County Economic Development Council (PCEDC) seeks to stimulate long-term sustainable economic growth in our region. Whether the goal is in helping new businesses start, assisting expanding businesses, or attracting new employers; certain community assets such as access to health care, quality education and a diverse workforce, are paramount in the ability to execute on our mission and affect economic prosperity throughout Piscataquis County. Mayo Regional Hospital represents one of those key assets.

God help business owners with businesses dealing directly with the public. Last month I had experiences with employees at home improvement warehouse stores, most of which tested my patience. My experiences were also perplexing: Why did so many employees lack initiative, curiosity? How much were these employees costing business owners in money and customer relations?

Taxes are a complicated thing. You are taxed in many ways, not just on your income, and not just by one government. Indeed, American federalism guarantees that you are in fact taxed by your national government, you state government, your county government and your town government, to say nothing of the "fees" you pay to quasi-governmental organizations like licensing boards and industry funds.

For some people, it’s the menacing whir of a drill, maybe coming from the other room. For others, it’s anxiety about not taking care of themselves before the visit or fear of a painful experience.

Our new Postmaster asked me the other day, "Are you retired?" "No," I smiled at her impression of me. I was sorting my mail; some of it went straight to the trash, the rest was coming home with me.

In a previous OpEd, I described three “shocks” challenging Maine tourism’s resilience: changing climate, changing general economic conditions and changing global markets. Some disturbances are unavoidable, like warming winters, while others are uncertain, like another severe economic recession. Some shocks will have negative impacts for Maine, like less reliable snow cover, while others may be advantageous, like climate disruptions at competing destinations.

One of the least productive public debates in American society today is the debate over abortion.