On Tuesday, for the first time Maine, voters had a chance to use ranked-choice voting to pick their nominees for governor and for Democrats in the 2nd Congressional District. Despite all the hand-wringing, ranked-choice voting itself is pretty straightforward. You rank the candidates in the order that you like them.

It’s hardly a startling headline that rural Maine is in crisis. In fact, the face of rural Maine has been a sporting a series of fresh bruises as a regular occurrence since the 1890s. The utter collapse of the farm economy, the demise of the ubiquitous shipyards and the sawmills that fed them, and the gradual, inexorable decline of papermaking has shaped the prospects for prosperity for which people in rural Maine tirelessly strive.

Is there ever a time suicide doesn’t leave a wake of sadness and grief? Suicide and death were very much a part of my week. I didn’t make it a point to engage suicide and death. The week just turned out that way.

Hold your horses! Ease off that throttle. Slow it down there, bub. The U.S. Supreme Court did not legalize discrimination and it did not affirm the right of business owners to turn people away who are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender. And the court certainly did not say that the First Amendment allows business owners to ignore state law, including anti-discrimination laws, on the basis of religious beliefs.

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances." That, of course, is the text of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.

In my last column I wrote about the importance journals can play in genealogical research. But how do you find an article in an obscure journal, perhaps one you never knew existed?

Driving two-lane back roads along miles of woods, bordered and interwoven with old stone walls, I was exploring new areas of rural Maine. Up and down a rise in the road, around a curve, I see a red-winged blackbird perched on a lone cattail stalk rising from a small roadside wetland. Across the street a small cemetery catches my eye. I stop and visit.

This week the SAD 41 community lost a valued board member and friend. Sheila Ellis passed away on May 31 after a battle with cancer. Sheila was a long-time member of the SAD 41 Board of Directors. She began her service on the board in April of 2008 and remained a member until the day she died.

This spring I have realized once again just how lucky I am to live in Dover-Foxcroft. Although I have retired from my medical practice, I am now devoting most of my “working hours” toward making life better for the people of our area.

Having recently finished a book, I was looking for something to read. I have a rather eclectic taste that varies from historical biographies to science fiction and fantasy. And of course, there is my insatiable appetite for political books.

“We have failed these kids.” Those were the words of state Sen. Roger Katz, a Republican from Augusta, during a hearing on an investigation of the Maine Department of Health and Human Services about the death of two children.

Genealogical journals and newsletters can be extremely valuable and often contain information that can’t be found elsewhere.

Once again the people of this Republic have been challenged by a great crisis in our midst and, once again, politicians are doing everything in their power to do everything but address the crisis with a solution. For politicians, in keeping with the teachings of Rahm Emmanuel, a crisis, however great or small, is an opportunity for advancement of agenda not solutions. For leaders of this ilk, our society of today is rife with opportunity for advancement of leftists ideals.

Central Maine Power won't address the over charging of power bills for January and February 2018, a time when other customers saw unusually high bills, prompting a Maine Public Utilities Commission investigation.

Knowing Maine Senate Republicans had a U.S. District Court date May 23 concerning Ranked Choice Voting (RCV), I had grand hopes the Senate GOP would ask for a court decision on the constitutionality of RCV, and the federal court would decide in time for this week’s column.

Wouldn’t it be nice if the Maine legislature could get along in order to get things done in Augusta? Well, you may think it’s not possible, but I would argue that here in Maine we have a unique chance to make that happen. In fact, I believe we are at a significant turning point in American politics, and Maine could lead the way. Unfortunately, we have to overcome persisting resistance from those who don’t want to give up their power or control over the Maine legislature. But on June 12 we have the chance to finally put these career politicians in their rightful place, out of office.

I have proudly served in the Maine House of Representatives for the last four years. Every day I have known that I am there as your representative. As an independent, I understand that most people don’t care whether the ideas come from Democrats or Republicans as long as those ideas can make lives better for people without breaking their wallets.

I've authored more than my share of columns on the issue of gun violence, usually written in the aftermath of a horrific tragedy perpetrated by a deranged individual who inflicted massive harm on a large group of people.