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News in Freeport

Out & About: Classical piano, classically inspired jazz

Portland Ovations, which has been presenting stellar touring acts since 1931, is hosting two of the most intriguing concerts on southern Maine’s performing arts calendar this weekend. First up is this Saturday, when French-Canadian classical pianist Marc-Andre Hamelin performs an ecl...

Scott Andrews • Lifestyle •
Monday, February 11, 2013 at 11:30 am

The Universal Notebook: Monkeying with the school calendar

The Portland School Department last week proposed a series of changes to the school-year calendar that make some sense from the perspective of teaching and learning. Whether the proposed schedule changes will make sense from the perspective of teachers, staff, parents and students is anoth...

Edgar Allen Beem • Opinion •
Monday, February 11, 2013 at 11:10 am

Abby's Road: Braving the storm

I think it was when my son took the bag of Goldfish and swung it wildly around and over his head. As those yellow, smiling cheddar delights flew through the kitchen air and landed on the unwashed floor; as he solemnly began tracking down every last piece of horrified snack food; as he lay on his ...

Abby Diaz • Opinion •
Monday, February 11, 2013 at 10:30 am

Policy Wonk: Maine doesn't have to be a corporate-welfare state

Threats by corporations that they will not come to, or remain in Maine unless tax subsidies are provided are little more than a bluff. In many cases the bluff is obvious. Wood products and paper making corporations (most receiving large tax subsidies) were here long before tax subsidies were avai...

Orlando Delogu • Opinion •
Monday, February 11, 2013 at 9:30 am

Letter: U.S. health-care system is shameful

Thank you, Edgar Allen Beem, for writing sensibly about the U.S. health-care system. Contrary to those who claim that we have the best health care in the world, in fact we are near the bottom of the heap in nearly every measure, compared to the rest of the countries in the modern industrialized w...

• Opinion •
Monday, February 11, 2013 at 8:50 am

Letter: No reason not to have universal health care

Edgar Allen Beem's recent opinion piece about health insurance struck a nerve. Recent events in my own life have shown me what shaky ground Americans are on when it comes to health care and our ability to pay for it. Recently, a cancer diagnosis led me to major surgery, followed by two kin...

• Opinion •
Monday, February 11, 2013 at 8:40 am

Letter: 50 gallons of heating oil makes a difference

Neighbors are visiting elders this week, wading through snow drifts to check the fuel gauge on heating oil tanks. Imagine that apprehensive look in an elder’s eyes when they learn how much oil is left. Next, there is the mental calculation behind those eyes: “Do I buy oil, food or med...

• Opinion •
Monday, February 11, 2013 at 8:40 am

Letter: Concerned about the tar sands scenario

By now most of us have heard something about tar sands oil. This oil is composed mostly of clay and sand and, unlike the crude oil we use for heating, needs to be mixed with chemicals and enormous amounts of water so that it can be pumped through pipelines. In that state...

• Opinion •
Monday, February 11, 2013 at 8:30 am

Letter: Our elderly deserve affordable in-home care

America’s elderly population has worked hard over the years to live the American dream. These individuals have worked long hours so they could afford a nice home. Most people retire around the age of 65 and the cost of prescriptions and doctors’ visits grow increasingly expensive. Gro...

• Opinion •
Monday, February 11, 2013 at 8:20 am

Letter: Beem is right for the wrong reasons

Edgar Allen Beem occasionally supports a position with which I agree, most recently that the winner of a multi-candidate election should be chosen from the top three vote-getters in a run-off election when no one gets over half the vote. His primary reason for this position is that he doesn't lik...

• Opinion •
Monday, February 11, 2013 at 8:10 am
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