By Sean Hall Early this month the people of this state where reminded of just how dangerous the job of being a firefighter is. Captain Joel Barnes died saving the lives of his fellow firefighters, a true hero in anyone’s eyes especially the brothers and sisters in the fire service. This happened after several …
By Bill Horner I was born in 1941 at Mount Desert Island Hospital and graduated from Bar Harbor High School in 1959. As most of you readers know, there were three high schools on MDI in those days and competition in sports and for girls was pretty intense. I remember being thoroughly chastised for …
To the Editor: The letter in the Feb. 28 edition of the Islander titled “New Deal a bad deal” wildly exaggerates both the cost of the Green New Deal and what’s in it. You can find the facts about that by Googling factcheck.org “Green New Deal.” The “bad” letter, like almost all attacks, fails to …
To the Editor: This week marks two important dates for the women’s rights movement. March 8 is International Women’s Day, and March 10 is Abortion Provider Appreciation Day (APAD). I am writing today to voice my unequivocal support of abortion care providers and the courageous work they do every day. These women, men and people …
Democrats are laying the whip to the foundations of our republic. Those who represent us are either standing aside in mute obeisance or taking their beating in silence. What can be learned from the whimpers of the cowed, distant in the still? Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has laid down the law. The gauntlet has been thrown. …
To the Editor: If you wish to change the course of our country from radical swings back and forth from left to right, moderates need an animating principle. That principle should be social justice. New York Times columnist David Brooks says the big idea that counteracts our core problems is “love your neighbor.” He ends …
The Mount Desert Island community is still reeling from news of the closing of Sonogee Rehabilitation and Living Center in Bar Harbor. It is a big change for the island, and especially for the employees, residents and family members who are scrambling for other options. The change also throws into sharp relief the fact that …
Last week, Gov. Janet Mills announced that Maine would join 22 other states as part of the U.S. Climate Alliance to pursue the goals outlined by the Paris Climate Agreement — an international effort that President Trump abandoned. This is a step on the path to 100 percent renewable electricity in Maine by 2050, the …
In the pile of bills being considered by Maine legislators, there are some esoteric ones. A bill about cusk. A bill about spat. A bill about auricular acupuncture. Then there are the bills about Maine stuff, the designated symbols that allegedly reflect our state identity. They are proposed by ardent historians, horticulturalists, geologists and sometimes …
By Mary Holway As the American Civil War dragged to its excruciating conclusion, an exhausted Abraham Lincoln said the following in his second inaugural speech: “With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work …
