Family associations can be great sources of material for genealogists. They range from informal reunions, where the descendants of a particular couple meet for a picnic once a year, to full-fledged organizations with dues and membership cards and newsletters. The associations run the gamut from Scottish Clans to Mayflower Pilgrim descendants to surname societies and everything in between.

I would like to say in these days where politics have split the country, Maine has shown to still have some conscientious leaders that respond to the needs of the people regardless of party. I would like to take a moment to acknowledge the votes of Sen. Paul Davis on LD 1494 and LD 1711.

Legislators should approve a Land for Maine’s Future bond for the 2019 ballot. Land for Maine’s Future is a fantastic program, yet it hasn’t received bond funding for years. What are we waiting for?

Today, all my lifelong self-educating sources — the music, the books, the experts, the college courses — are in my pocket, available 24/7/365 on my iPhone. Remember that next time you’re considering taking on student loan debt. Ask yourself, “Is being indebted to the government the only way to get the knowledge and experience I want?” Or is there another way?

Stop me if you've heard this one before. Susan Collins is beatable. She is uniquely vulnerable this election cycle, and a good, strong Democrat can take her out. She has lost a lot of her popularity and is really vulnerable. This is the year she goes down.

I wanted to write about women’s soccer this week. On Friday, Team USA will play France in a highly anticipated match up of giants in the FIFA Women’s World Cup.

On behalf of our 230,000 members statewide, AARP Maine applauds our state legislators and Gov. Mills for passing a strong package of bills to make prescription drugs more affordable and more accessible in Maine. Thousands of Mainers take prescription medications. For many, there is no alternative to alleviate crippling pain or manage chronic illnesses. For others, prescription drugs literally keep them alive. This legislative package could not come soon enough.

In junior high school, and high school, two “guidance” counselors told me I should drop out of school. I was never going to make it to graduation, they said. Failure was inevitable. Why not just hasten the process and drop out?

Earlier in June, leaked polling information from inside the Trump re-election campaign was released to the public, and it wasn't good news for the president.

Kids in Maine are doing better in a lot of important ways. And it’s not an accident. Smart public policies are making a real difference in the lives of Mainers, including our youngest residents.

This is the time of year when we visit cemeteries. Sometimes what we find is not what we expected. In a neighboring town I found one cemetery with missing stones. We located heaps of pieces of stones tossed over a bank into the woods like so much rubbish. In another we found that when old stones fell, the town crew hauled in soil, burying the stones and leaving nothing but an empty green space.

Sunday, June 16, is my first Father’s Day without my father. I don’t have children. When I think about what makes a good father, I compare the fathering skills of others — including my own dad. Also, I can remember how, as a kid, I felt during interactions with my father. Although I was a child, I was still me.

A majority of Maine voters twice approved Ranked Choice Voting at the ballot box over the past several years. But, we still don’t have it for the 2020 presidential election. That’s because the Maine Legislature must act.

On behalf of the citizens of Monson, I want to welcome you to the revitalized community of Monson on the shores of beautiful Lake Hebron. It is an honor and pleasure to have you as our guest. You are an asset to the community and economy.

Remember when Gov. Janet Mills told you that she would not, if elected, support increased taxes? Pay close attention to what happens in Augusta in the next couple weeks, because she may very well have to choose whether she meant that promise or not.

My mother, Louise Farmer, died in October 2015, but she was gone a long time before that. She had Alzheimer’s disease – a cruel bastard that robs people of their memories and their lives.

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.