I recently wrote a column about two of the non-population federal censuses, agricultural and manufacturing, and promised I would write about other special censuses of value to genealogists. One of my personal favorites is the mortality census. Many genealogists haven’t heard of them but they can be of enormous help in finding the death date of an ancestor if that ancestor happened to die at a certain time.

Bullying in schools can have severe impacts on students and their families. Families should know that they have legal rights when it comes to bullying and there are resources in our community that families can reach out to for help. Here is some information for families.

My dad died six hours ago. His name was Chester B. Fish, Jr. At age 93, dad outlived my mom by two years. And among his parents and two brothers, dad was the last man standing.

We all like to think that we make rational, sound decisions based on our own quality judgment. We roll on with life, evaluate the facts we see in front of us and act accordingly.

With the recent tragedy in New Zealand, Hollywood elitists approved of the recent enactment of stricter gun control in that country. This from a group of writers, directors and actors that spend their lives in a fantasy world.

Our Canadian neighbors to the north want to sell surplus hydropower through Maine to Massachusetts.

Democrats took control of the US House of Representatives with a consistent and constant focus on issues that matter to voters, namely health care. In Maine’s 2nd Congressional District and the race for governor, health care was the No. 1 issue for voters. And the candidates treated it that way.

Voters in Dover-Foxcroft will have a second chance to weigh in on three proposed land use ordinances (LUO) rejected by the town last November. These ordinances are the result of many years of hard work by the Planning Board (PB) focused on creating a more robust regulatory framework to govern land use within our town.

I am writing to support with enthusiasm Gov. Mills’ work toward making preschool available to all children in Maine. As a teacher of English and communication, I have had the opportunity to work with a broad spectrum of students from middle school through college.

Maine should go after Amazon to build their new headquarters here. Why? Because a massive, modern building would look so much better than a 145-mile transmission line that would supposedly create temporary jobs and destroy acres of forest.

I am doing something these last two weeks I once did all the time, but not much the last several years. For about 30 years I owned a circa 1820 post-and-beam Cape with an El. That house always needed fixing or sprucing. And I was lucky to have neighbors, friends and family I could hire to tackle the tricky stuff (electrical wiring, plumbing), but I wanted to do as much of the home repair as possible. I was curious much more than I was trying to save a buck as a do-it-yourselfer.

I am always energized in the spring. This year, as so often before, I am in awe of the many opportunities we have in our community to grow more inclusive, more engaged, more healthy. So I am writing today about opportunity.

Thanks to the hard work of Maine’s congressional delegation, on March 12, the Land and Water Conservation Fund was permanently reauthorized when a bipartisan public lands package was signed into law. Since 1965, the fund has supported community projects all across the country.

This week, Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout signed a new contract that is worth $430 million over the next 12 years, giving him the largest contract in North American professional sports history.

With more than 15 Democrats already running for president in 2020 and more announcing by the day, it might be hard for voters to pick a favorite, especially this far way from November 2020.

Thousands of Mainers take prescription drugs. For many, prescription drugs represent the only defense they have against crippling pain. For others, prescription medications are a lifeline in their fight against serious conditions like heart disease, cancer and diabetes. Americans pay the highest prices in the world for their prescription drugs, and the ill effects cannot be overstated.

Most of us know the sound of the 1960s. But very few of us can say we are a sound of the ‘60s. Drummer Hal Blaine, who died a few days ago at age 90, was one of those few. I worked with Hal (1980-83) when I was managing editor of Modern Drummer magazine.

We are fortunate to still have a local newspaper in the Piscataquis Observer. Cities and towns across the U.S. have lost 1,400 newspapers in the last 15 years, and the Observer, like all other Maine papers, has been subject to staff reductions, but at least we still have a source for coverage of board meetings, local events, sports events, etc.