News

Congress is wrecked

Olympia Snowe and Tom Allen explain what's really wrong and how to fix it
We know Congress is broken. Really broken. Health care, immigration, civil rights. But many of us on the outside don't know just how badly broken it is, and we have only vague spectator ideas of how to fix it. What we do know is what we want, which is real action from Congress toward solving the problems our country faces.

By: JEFF INGLIS | June 13, 2013

South Portlanders petition to put tar-sands project on the ballot

Pre-emptive Petitioning
In the latest pre-emptive salvo against a potential project that has garnered significant advance attention, a group of South Portlanders has launched a citizens' initiative to change the city's zoning ordinance in order to prevent the Portland Pipe Line Corporation from processing tar-sands oil through its Casco Bay facility.

By: DEIRDRE FULTON | June 13, 2013

Fixing the mess of student debt

One Cent's Worth
On July 1, the interest rate on federal Stafford student loans is slated to jump from 3.4 percent to 6.8 percent. Luckily, the forces of common sense have an ace up their sleeve.

By: MARC MEWSHAW | June 13, 2013

Money doesn't matter

Politics + Other Mistakes
We all know what's wrong with state government. It doesn't work because of:

By: AL DIAMON | June 13, 2013

Wanting more — or less — for summer

Letters
I don't think it's even possible to hula hoop with your ass sticking up that high in the air.

By: LETTERS TO THE PORTLAND EDITOR | June 13, 2013

Moonbird lives!

Celebrity sightings
This special rufa red knot, marked by a tiny orange band that reads "B95," migrates from Argentina to the Arctic — and back again — every year.

By: DEIRDRE FULTON | June 13, 2013

Match the friendly faces behind Portland’s newest food trend with their tasty wares

Meet the truckers
Meet the truckers

By: PORTLAND PHOENIX STAFF | June 07, 2013

Sit down — or stand up — and paddle offshore

Get off the beach
For sea kayakers, salvation is here, and there are no more excuses. Portland Paddle opened its hatches last weekend, right at the East End Beach.

By: JEFF INGLIS | June 07, 2013

Have a better time with your phone’s help

App-solutely summer
The following smartphone apps are perfect for road-tripping, festival-going, and making the most of the best three months of the year.

By: DEIRDRE FULTON | June 07, 2013

These New England races involve more than running

Full steam ahead
Running is just more fun when there are zombies involved!

By: DEIRDRE FULTON | June 07, 2013

Bad word for a good thing

Politics + Other Mistakes
There are some words that are so politically incorrect they can only be hinted at in polite conversation.

By: AL DIAMON | June 07, 2013

Aboard the omnibus

Going green
The state legislature is considering an enormous energy bill that combines provisions from several pieces of legislation into a package that encourages natural-gas expansion, energy-efficiency measures, and lowering electricity and heating costs.

By: DEIRDRE FULTON | June 07, 2013

150 years later, war’s lesson still unlearned

Civil War Stories
There is an untold story of lies and deception, of paid substitutes and the little known use of child soldiers.

By: LEW KINGSBURY | June 07, 2013

Aminal

A summer camping comic
A summer camping comic

By: MIKE GORMAN | June 07, 2013

Maine celebrates the Civil War sesquicentennial

Go back in time
"Other than statehood itself, there has been no more disruptive or transformative event in the history of Maine" than the Civil War, says state archivist David Cheever, who oversees the most extensive collection of Civil War documents in the nation.

By: DEIRDRE FULTON | May 30, 2013

Back to basics

Press releases
The past week's events in Augusta provide a teachable moment for Maine's elected officials and the public at large, on the topic of free speech.

By: JEFF INGLIS | May 30, 2013

Still waiting

Politics + other mistakes
I hate it when politics intrudes on happy hour, but that's the price I pay for being a journalist and not having to get a real job.

By: AL DIAMON | May 30, 2013

'War is risk and uncertainty'

Anti-War Movement
Boston University international relations professor Andrew Bacevich, a retired career US Army officer, has engaged in disciplined critique of the Iraq war from the start.

By: DEIRDRE FULTON | May 30, 2013

Faith-based taxation

Trickle-down is triumphant
It's gospel under the State House dome — dogma in what could be called the trickle-down religion — that if taxes on the rich and the corporations were reduced, lots of moneyed people would make their residence in Maine instead of places like Florida, contributing massively to tax collections; and lots of businesses would move to Maine or start up here, hiring workers right and left.

By: LANCE TAPLEY | May 23, 2013