Rural Maine, Small Town Maine, and Farm Town Maine, are slowly decaying into their own landscape. The greater sadness is that the factors to their demise are beyond the control of Small Town Maine. No, this is not even the tale of little communities who cannot keep up with the changing times or technologies; but instead, is the story, to often told in Maine, of bureaucratic government’s abuse, corruption, and overreach and the cowardice of those, who should, to curtail it.

In February 2017, Marco Toninelli boarded a red-eye special plane at Orio al Serio International Airport in Milan, Italy. Landing at Newark Airport in New Jersey, Marco picked up the car he rented ahead of time, and drove three-and-a-half hours through the night, to his pre-booked hotel room in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania.

In 2015 Stephen and Rita Shiman of Saco received a phone call that no grandparent would ever want to experience. The caller claimed to be their grandson, who said he had been arrested after being involved in a car accident in Georgia. The caller told the Shimans not to tell anyone and directed them to immediately contact his public defender, who demanded $1,250 for their grandson’s bail.

As we wrap up this legislative session, I am making our elderly a top priority. Unfortunately, they are not a priority for Democrats.

Well, the legal battles over ranked-choice voting have already gotten absurdly messy and confusing, and the system hasn't even been used in an actual election yet.

Two weeks ago, I made an offer to all the candidates running for governor: Send me a big idea explained in 50 words or less, and I’ll share it with the world as written and without comment.

“I’m stuck in the ‘60s,” Eileen said, explaining her choice of music on her iPod and car radio. Lots of Beach Boys, Four Seasons, Motown, Creedence Clearwater Revival, and so on. Now and then — almost as if the iPod is weary of hearing the same tunes — the song rotation plays Tony Joe White’s “Polk Salad Annie,” Arthur Conley’s “Sweet Soul Music,” or Jimmy Soul’s “If You Wanna Be Happy” — some wonderful ‘60s songs that, to my ears, never grow stale.

I recently spent a morning at SeDoMoCha visiting elementary classrooms. I observed children being nurtured by exceptional teachers and learning in an emotional safe environment. I thought to myself how could anyone harm these innocent children, yet all we have to do is watch the news.

Very soon, if not already, citizens of Dexter, Garland, and Ripley will receive a letter requesting donations to support the continued work of the Dexter Public Health Association. The Dexter Public Health Association nurses have been serving those needing help free of charge, since the 1930s.

Roseanne Barr is back again, this time with a reboot of her iconic, eponymous television show “Roseanne.” It is 2018, so everything that has ever held any kind of cultural significance is being rebooted in a desperate attempt to cash in on the ever growing nostalgia industry.

If I had been advising the students who organized and led the March for Our Lives protests around Maine, I would have told them to keep the program short.

Do you remember the 1999 movie "Field of Dreams" starring Kevin Costner? The film was based on W.P. Kinsella's novel, "Shoeless Joe," published in 1982. I bought "Shoeless Joe" off a drug store book rack on a hunch. Never a staunch baseball fan, unfamiliar with Mr. Kinsella's writing, something told me, "This is a good book."

The year was 2008, and the country was in the midst of a presidential election that would eventually hand the White House to Barack Obama.

There’s a strange bipolar effect that happens every election season. We want people to run for office. We want more choice. And then we bemoan the fact that so many people run — writing some folks off prematurely, even before they have a chance to make their case.

The federal tax cuts will provide about $1 billion in tax relief this year and next to Maine families and businesses.

Yesterday's news of an illegal alien in California "being rewarded with a legal education, membership in the California State Bar, a career as an attorney, and elevation to state office" has me thinking about my yellow 1964 Chevy Corvair.

Gov. Paul LePage’s government is plagued by systematic, widespread failure, compounded by indifference, cruelty and blame-shifting from the Blaine House.

This fall, my son decided to participate in the speech and debate club at his school, his father beaming with pride. To help encourage him, I also volunteered as a judge.