Editorials:

8-FOOT PYTHON A GOOD EXCUSE NOT TO DO LAUNDRY
Gorham homeowner Mara Ranger this week presumably learned more than she ever wanted to know about pythons. She found herself an instant student of the slithery things when an 8-foot specimen snaked its way somehow into her washing machine. She had no idea it was there until she took her blue jeans out of the machine on Wednesday and they were followed by the head of the python.

Every do-it-yourself project causes loss of a job somewhere
Mark this date and time: Tuesday, July 15, 9 p.m. EDT.

LOTS OF FREE PARK FUN FOR LOON PLATE HOLDERS
They say that the best things in life are free, and this weekend may prove that point.

PARADE, FIREWORKS, FOOD, OH MY -- OLD HALLOWELL DAY
What with the library's book sale, the pie-baking contest, the parade that features wacky neighborhood floats, the food at every corner, the parties and music that goes on all day and long into the night, Hallowell's the place to have fun today. For those of you not in the know about the annual customs of the state's smallest city, it's Old Hallowell Day, and it starts with a 5k road race and ends with fireworks, and in between, there's a lot of fun.

Columns:

Letters to the Editor:

School consolidation must benefit MSAD 47
Last year, I was asked to help represent Belgrade on the committee to study Oakland, Belgrade, Sidney and Rome's (MSAD 47) participation in a proposed regional school unit (RSU), with school systems in one or more of these municipalities: China, Vassal-boro, Winslow and perhaps Waterville.

Disgusted at treatment of flag at Winslow game
My son is in Little League as part of the All Star Team representing Augusta. We traveled to Winslow, which was hosting a game between us. While there, a man wearing one of the Winslow team shirts went out to post the American flag -- he dragged the flag on the ground all the way around the fence line to the flag post, he continued to let the flag remain on the ground while he attached it to the lanyard, and finally he raised it off the ground.

Supporting local farms lets us make a difference
When I came across the article "Open Farm Day Returns Sunday," I became very excited. I saw it as a perfect opportunity for many Mainers such as myself to discover a variety of locally owned farms.

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OPINIONS SPECIAL PROJECTS HENRY DAVID THOREAU
Most men lead lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with the song still in them. Not Thoreau. 150 years ago he ventured into Maine's woods. The high drama of the nature Thoreau encountered made its way into the equally dramatic prose of his book, “The Maine Woods.” We mark the 150th anniversary of Thoreau’s 1857 trip as well as the legacy of this transcendentalist, nature lover and, as author Ted Williams writes, contrarian who loved Maine in its wildest and most rugged incarnations. For more, click here.

SPECIAL REPORT: Hunger Series
"For I was hungry," a seven-part editorial series, documents the depth and breadth of hunger in Maine, from the dramatic increase in food pantries to the thousands of children who come to school hungry to the elderly with bare cupboards. For more, click here.

CHANGING OUR OPINION PAGES
You've asked for a greater range of opinions. More voices from the full political spectrum. More local voices. More space for more Reader Opinions. We've heard you.
Click here to learn about our new lineup.