More than halfway through the current two-year Congress, the “lawmakers” there bring to mind the old schoolyard quip about slacker students: They’re really good at recess. This pre-Easter week is the first of two that the House and Senate are taking off, though it seems like only yesterday they recessed for two weeks to mark […]
Ben Bragdon
Staff Writer
Ben Bragdon is managing editor of the Sun Journal. Prior to that, he was deputy managing editor for news at the Kennebec Journal and Morning Sentinel. Ben was previously editorial page editor for those newspapers and Central Maine Sunday for more than 10 years. Before that, he was managing editor for weekly newspapers at Current Publishing in Westbrook. He began his career as a reporter at the Piscataquis Observer in Dover-Foxcroft and editor at the Moosehead Messenger in Greenville. He has a bachelor’s degree in history from Boston University.
Passenger train service through central Maine halted by representatives in Augusta
The bill would look at the feasibility of running a passenger rail between Portland and Bangor, with stops in Lewiston, Auburn, Waterville and just west of Augusta.
Scholars Strategy Network: Are you better off than you were four years ago?
This series will examine how things have changed for Mainers, and why it is almost always for the better, the authors write.
Tom Waddell: Legislature should send abortion rights question to voters
If your member of the Legislature votes against letting the people of Maine decide through a referendum, they are saying they don’t want to hear the voice of their constituents, Tom Waddell writes.
Commentary: Biden’s $12 billion for women’s health should be just a start
Last week, President Joe Biden signed an executive order that will create a $12 billion fund to improve our understanding of — and ideally treatments for — women’s health. It’s a welcome, if egregiously belated investment by the US government. And although it sounds like a big amount, there’s a lot of catching up to […]
Maine Compass: In Augusta and beyond, how we treat unhoused people says a lot about us
Cruelty as a deterrent certainly works but is that truly how we want to act?, Scott Klinger writes.
Maine Compass: Firefighters work hard to keep us safe
Working out alongside first responders has revealed how they stay in shape in order to save lives, 12-year-old Jacoby Bragdon of Winslow writes.
Community Compass: Augusta must step up to address homelessness
Opponents and proponents of the failed shelter plan should come together for the sake of vulnerable member of the community, Wick Johnson writes.
Commentary: Can St. Patrick and green beer save American democracy?
Let’s make a few things crystal clear right up front. First and foremost, green beer has always been a bad choice and is without any saving grace. I also doubt that even St. Patrick in his prime could drive all the political snakes out of today’s Washington. The history of St. Patrick’s Day itself is […]
Commentary: Biden says America is ‘coming back.’ Trump says we’re ‘in hell.’ Are they talking about the same nation?
To one presidential candidate, the United States is “a failing nation” that’s “descending into a cesspool of ruin.” “In many ways, we’re living in hell right now.” To the other candidate, “America is coming back. … Our future is brighter.” “The American people are writing the greatest comeback story never told.” You already know which […]