As I listened with anticipation to President Donald Trump outline his administration’s vision for leading our country forward in his State of the Union address, I was disappointed he didn't talk about one of the most important issues of our time: the threat to our country, our world and our entire global economy of climate change, especially given the bipartisan bill just introduced in the House of Representatives.

The Daughters of the American Revolution Library in Washington, D.C., is one of those little-known treasures available for genealogists. And the great thing is that you don’t have to be a member of the DAR to use it.

I can’t remember the last time I paid to see one movie twice. (Serious movie fans are perhaps laughing.) But in the last few weeks I bought tickets to “They Shall Not Grow Old,” film director Peter Jackson’s documentary commemorating the 100th anniversary of World War I.

Every morning at Piscataquis Community High School in Guilford, my colleagues and I can be found in the hallways at 10 minutes to 8 greeting every student who passes by while discussing school issues and activities for the upcoming day. While many of our students regularly walk this hallway on their way to first period, a growing subset of our population is often not in the hall in the morning, routinely missing classes, and falling further and further behind their peers. It is an existential and worsening problem in American schools.

The day before the Super Bowl this year, my oldest son -- who is going to be 12 this month -- and I were in the car, talking about the upcoming game. He mentioned to me that "nobody wanted the Patriots to win."

Gov. Janet Mills has set a blistering pace on a lot of big policy matters since taking office last month, including moving quickly to expand access to health care to more than 70,000 people.

I was listening to a President Donald Trump interview over the weekend. He said they’ve already started to build the wall -- big parts, it’s going to be beautiful -- with money they had on hand. So what I’d like to know is, why was there a shutdown? Or is that another lie?

If only it were a lost art and we had left it there long ago. Its device and scheme is a plague upon our nation's soul. So it has followed us from distant shores, infectious and diseased, to raise its ugly bulbous head in a legislative eruption of taxation.

The soldiers who identify as members of the transgender community serve our country and protect our freedoms in the U.S. military. Patriot hero soldiers from the LGBTQ+ community have given their lives or have come home from many wars with arms or legs blown off.

This week I extend last week's conversation with Tammy Estes, owner of Estes Consultant of Travel based in Augusta. Tammy has been a great help to me in understanding "deaf culture;" how deaf and hard of hearing (HoH) people communicate within the "deaf culture" and with the "hearing culture."

So, I've been a bit hard on the new liberal regime in Augusta recently. I've been giving Gov. Janet Mills and her allies in the Legislature unsolicited advice, telling them to do things that I am well aware they will never have any intention of doing. Things like controlling spending, lowering taxes and continuing to guard Maine's fiscal health.

Dear America, remember Maine! Not “Remember the Maine,” which maybe you read in a history book. Rather remember the last eight years of politics in Maine.

With few places in the world still relatively untouched by development, Maine’s 10.5 million acres of North Woods are a disappearing resource. These woods rejuvenate us: They provide opportunities for hunting, fishing and recreation, and serve as vital habitat for plants and animals.

Hope springs eternal or so the poets say But nothing seems poetic in Washington today Battle on the wind, stalemate all a'grind The blame, The game as who can best opine

Film Director Peter Jackson’s new World War I documentary, “They Shall Not Grow Old,” is a powerful story told using 100-year-old film and advanced computer technology.

I am constantly told that the ancient fossils in Congress need to be thrown out in favor of younger generations, because they will provide a "breath of fresh air" and offer "new ideas" about this country's future.

In a major victory for sound public policy over naked politics, Gov. Janet Mills continued her efforts to expand access to health care to Maine people. This time, she bucked the Trump administration and former Gov. Paul LePage by rejecting a change to the state’s Medicaid program, which would have erected unnecessary barriers to health insurance for low-income families.

The cure at the southern border is to identify the problem first. The number one problem is illegal drugs. The greatest percentage of illegal drugs cross the border by legal points of entry. We need more inspectors and electronic equipment to get this under control.