With its magnificent buildings, monuments, and memorials, Washington is a city of inspiring sights. Just as inspiring was the sea of blue shirts worn by the more than 160 young delegates who participated in a recent hearing that I chaired on how diabetes affects people of all ages and their families.

It is not fair, but voting down our school budget is not the right response. We can’t punish our students and staff for a state formula. We need to actively contact our state legislators, and let the governor know that if the state is finally funding schools at the mandated 55 percent, then even SAD 4 students should receive that level of support.

Now that the legislative session is over, it is time for all of us to turn our attention to the latest attempt by special interest groups to go around the legislative process to pass a major law with far-reaching implications by placing a vaguely worded question on the ballot, supported by millions of dollars in special-interest money with little organized opposition. I'm speaking, of course, of the upcoming referendum on Medicaid expansion.

After years of fixing Maine’s balance sheet, now is the time to make investments in our economy. During this past session, I supported three initiatives that focused on using bonds to invest in Maine families and our future: transportation; commercialization; and education.

Good morning from the shores of beautiful Moosehead Lake as dawn penetrates the night sky with the Lord’s glory and love engulfing America’s crown jewel that we love and adore with passion.

Have you ever felt the urge to visit where your ancestor lived? Sometimes we are literally able to walk in our ancestor’s footsteps and I recommend it.

Like a siren's song, the allure of fundraising totals and polling results is irresistible to the media. It never fails, no matter how pointlessly irrelevant it is, they will spend an unconscionable amount of time and energy "breaking down" the gubernatorial race, and analyzing who is up and who is down based on those two metrics.

On Tuesday night (July 18), the SAD 4 budget committee met and applied the additional state money in excess of $200,000 as revenue to the 2018 fiscal year budget. That will help to lower town assessments. At the beginning of the meeting, the committee skipped the time for audience input, but later asked if there were questions, which it tried to answer. However, at no time did the committee solicit recommendations for further cutting of expenses.

A few years back, I had the pleasure of meeting Russell and Cynthia Scott for the first time. The Scotts own and operate Fresh Air Dogs in Guilford, a business they created about eight years ago; one that would become “your dog’s favorite place to learn, play, and stay.” Some might call them a doggie boarding business, offering day care (play-dates) and overnights (sleepovers).

The spinning has commenced as it relates to the government shutdown.

The Dover-Foxcroft Homecoming Committee has been very busy planning the “95th Anniversary”-themed parade on Saturday, Aug. 5. They have selected residents celebrating their “90 something birthdays” to participate in the parade in a special way.

I am very concerned about the rising cost of electricity in Maine. Thankfully, the Legislature is taking action to reduce electricity costs for our homes and businesses

It is hard to argue that this government shutdown didn't yield positive results. The last budget approved by Maine lawmakers over the governor's veto in 2015, contained $6.7 billion in spending, which, if you recall, was a bloated "compromise" budget that spent hundreds of millions of dollars more than its predecessor.

I travel the highways of Maine quite frequently. I believe I am a pretty good observer of what lies along the sides of the road concerning debris.

Walking is always nice, relaxing, a way to think thoughts that are not about cold or mud. But walking in fresh summer is the best walking. The grass is green, greener than you recall. Flowers and wild plants are taking over, grabbing your attention, making you appreciate them all over again.

As Maine's legislative leaders bring us to the brink of a government shutdown, it is worth diverting our attention to some other places in the country that are shutting things down. One such place is Evergreen State College, in Olympia, Washington, where an increasingly aggressive group of student "protesters" have been on a mission to destroy the First Amendment.

We're being told the economy of the Northern Penobscot region is on the mend thanks to the new national monument. Truth is it's up a little; instead of five visitors a day to a local business, they can expect six now. If we're willing to settle for such a small improvement, let's sign up now.

Most of us believe majority rule is the basis of our democracy. However, in our state, majority doesn’t rule. “Plurality” rules, which means, for races with more than two candidates, the one with the most votes wins.