Special-interest groups are using the ballot box to push initiatives that are bad for Maine.

The Red County Caucus expresses its strong displeasure with the misguided approach U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine has chosen to the healthcare catastrophe that is the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

You'll have to forgive me, because I'm as tired of writing this column as you likely are of reading it. Yet, with a sickening frequency, I inevitably have to write some kind of reaction to an act of mass murder, and try to bring some rational thought to the most emotional of issues.

Funeral home records are one of the resources that many genealogists know exist, but few family hunters have used them. That may be because many don’t know how to locate funeral home records or feel they would have little to offer beyond what can be found in an obituary or on a cemetery tombstone. That’s not the case. Well-kept funeral home records can prove to be a goldmine for a genealogist with some details not found on a death certificate.

Those elected to represent the people of Maine have a responsibility to prioritize the needs of our state. But Maine’s senators do not put Mainers first.

I recently came across Matthew Gagnon’s Sept. 21 BDN (and Sept. 27 Piscataquis Observer) column “The future of freedom of speech.” I found it interesting that Gagnon blamed political correctness as the reason college campuses are drifting toward speech codes and regulations on speech.

I don't think that athletes and entertainers need to stay silent about issues they care about, nor do I begrudge them using their fame and wealth to advance causes they believe in. That tolerance for their opinions, however, does not mean that I need to celebrate what they say, or the means with which they say it.

The woods are getting a bit chilly. I know I’m used to hot summer days, but we seem to be running out of them. It’s getting to be long-pants weather, especially if you’re out walking in those cooling woods.

Maine’s senior senator in Washington, D.C. single-handedly killed the chance to reform Obamacare and provide hard-working Mainers with affordable and effective health insurance.

The Three Rivers Kiwanis of Milo-Brownville extends a very big thank you to the United Bikers of Maine for the bags of toys they donated.

The best government is the government that governs least and local governance is the best governance. The free market is the best purveyor of healthcare. Unfortunately, our government has violated these proven truths and now we are caught in the tentacles of their misdeeds, Obamacare or the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

Recently, I have come to believe that the issue of free expression on college campuses, and specifically how it is today restricted, is the biggest threat to the future of the American republic that we face.

If we are going to save the American health care system, we need your help -- and we need it now.

The Piscataquis 4-H Leaders’ Association would like to thank all of the businesses and individuals who participated in its 2017 4-H Silent Auction. This year was the third annual auction in the 4-H Exhibition Hall at the Piscataquis Valley Fair, and it was highly successful raising $1,018 for the scholarship fund.

Want healthy people, healthy communities and a healthy economy? With Medicaid expansion, more people will get care that keeps them healthier and saves lives. Expanding Medicaid will also help Maine’s economy.

Hillary Clinton is out with a new book. Haven't you heard?

During my time in Maine this summer, I visited all of the 16 counties in our state, hearing feedback from Maine people about the issues important to them, their families and their communities. My stops throughout the state once again reminded me that Maine is a big small town with very long streets – we care about each other and our friends and neighbors.

After the devastation from Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, the families who have to rebuild their lives need affordably priced lumber. Unfortunately, corporate greed from a coalition of big lumber companies has already sent those prices skyrocketing. Making a profit is the goal of any company -- and it should be.