The U.S. Supreme Court this week caught up with public opinion and common sense when it ruled that it is illegal to fire a person for being gay or transgender. The ruling was ground shaking and a major expansion of civil rights protections for LGBTQ people living in states without non-discrimination protections in state law. […]
We cannot allow science and public health to become just another part of the culture wars. Wearing a mask in public as COVID-19 continues to kill thousands of Americans is about helping to protect our friends, family and neighbors. It’s not virtue signally, and it’s not the same as wearing a Planned Parenthood t-shirt or […]
Here is the moment we are in. More than 100,000 Americans are dead with a new and deadly virus that continues to spread. Forty million Americans are unemployed. A new Depression may be upon us. Our nation is torn asunder by systemic racism, police brutality and the protests they have ignited. Another black man is […]
It’s weird to have a statewide election in July. Right now, though, there are lots of things that are weird, and at least for registered Maine voters, the July election is as easy as ordering from Amazon – maybe easier if you’re still trying to find toilet paper or hand sanitizer online. Registered voters can […]
The state’s economy has fallen off the edge of a cliff. The only question is how far the fall will be. In a letter to Maine’s congressional delegation last week and in a call on Monday, Gov. Janet Mills made the case for additional federal aid for state and local governments, and she used some […]
As Maine begins to navigate how to loosen restrictions on activities in the shadow of COVID-19 and develop a plan for recovery, a new 10-state poll gives insights on voters’ priorities. Recognizing that partisan political leanings have begun to skew ideas even around public health, the poll focuses on the “unheard middle” by eliminating respondents […]
Even as time and days blur together during the COVID-19 pandemic, public opinion can still move quickly. Or maybe not. So far, there have been two large protests in Augusta concerning the gradual changes to physical distancing regulations implemented by Gov. Janet Mills to protect public health during the pandemic. If you spend anytime on […]
Gov. Janet Mills on Tuesday outlined a four-stage plan for Maine to gradually re-open businesses in the state. While her plan is to extend the current stay-at-home order through May 31, certain business and activities will be allowed to open beginning on May 1 if they follow safety protocols developed by the Maine Center for […]
Re-opening businesses while COVID-19 is still circulating is not as simple as turning on a switch or sending an email to employees asking them to show up for work. For much of the state, schools have already been closed for the remainder of the academic year. Many parents will have no option but to stay […]
President Donald Trump has made it clear – science or not – that he wants to quickly end the physical distancing requirements that are being used to slow the spread of COVID-19. And that he – alone – has the power to do it. Governors, including Maine Gov. Janet Mills among many others, are taking […]
