One of the pieces of legislation that generated much attention in the media and elsewhere, at the end of this past session, was LD 1170 “An Act To Reduce Youth Access to Tobacco Products” which raised the age in which individuals can purchase tobacco products in the state of Maine to 21.

A couple weeks ago, I took a look at the Republicans looking to succeed Gov. Paul LePage in next year's gubernatorial election. The Democratic primary is, in many ways, a much more difficult one to handicap.

With the holiday season approaching, I know that many of us are starting to shop for friends and family. But I want to highlight another type of shopping that could have a profound impact on your wellbeing: healthcare.

It’s getting cold out there. It’s afternoon as I’m writing this, the drive on which I usually take a daily stroll is shady. That means it’s cold out there.

Looking back, they seem like hazy years that I barely remember. Quaint, almost, in retrospect. I was younger, I actually had hair, and I didn't really understand everything that I saw. But still, I remember. A different man occupied the White House, but so much of the rhetoric about him sounded the same.

The Red County Caucus wishes to interject a healthy dose of common sense into the debate concerning the ballot initiatives facing Maine voters this coming November. Both Question 1 and Question 2 have far reaching implications to future welfare of this great state. Voters should take the time to look past the rose colored rhetoric, over-used and tired political jargon. Investigate these questions through the eyes of common sense and the answers become clear.

The Maine people are being told that if Medicaid is not expanded, children and the elderly will suffer. Folks, it’s not true -- it’s just the opposite.

Shortly after President George W.

Sen. Susan Collins has now ended months of speculation, and decided not to seek election to become Maine's next governor. Remaining in the U.S. Senate means that the die is more or less cast in both parties, and the race to replace Gov. Paul LePage can truly begin.

Question 1 on the ballot this November is not a referendum on funding our schools. It is not about creating new jobs or lowering taxes. Make no mistake: it is about putting a third Maine casino in York County. It’s about gambling, plain and simple.

The balance of economic power must be shifted back to the private sector. This can only be accomplished by offsetting the tax cuts with cuts to the size of government. We must shrink the size of government.

Harvey Weinstein is scum. Absolute scum. Unfortunately for countless women in Hollywood, the public at large is just now learning of his sick, twisted perversions, even though his behavior was, according to countless people inside the industry, an "open secret."

When Congress created the National Do-Not-Call list 14 years ago, its intent was to end the flood of unwelcome phone calls. Despite some initial success, phones are still ringing off the hook.

Special-interest groups are using the ballot box to push initiatives that are bad for Maine.

The Red County Caucus expresses its strong displeasure with the misguided approach U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine has chosen to the healthcare catastrophe that is the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

You'll have to forgive me, because I'm as tired of writing this column as you likely are of reading it. Yet, with a sickening frequency, I inevitably have to write some kind of reaction to an act of mass murder, and try to bring some rational thought to the most emotional of issues.

Funeral home records are one of the resources that many genealogists know exist, but few family hunters have used them. That may be because many don’t know how to locate funeral home records or feel they would have little to offer beyond what can be found in an obituary or on a cemetery tombstone. That’s not the case. Well-kept funeral home records can prove to be a goldmine for a genealogist with some details not found on a death certificate.

Those elected to represent the people of Maine have a responsibility to prioritize the needs of our state. But Maine’s senators do not put Mainers first.