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COVID-19 demands ethical, as well as scientific, decisions

This article, by Jessica Miller, Erika Ziller and Katherine Weatherford Darling of the University of Maine, University of Southern Maine and University of Maine at Augusta and was originally published on the Bangor Daily News opinion page on August 25, 2020. The BDN Opinion section operates independently and does not set newsroom policies or contribute to reporting […]

Rise in disease is linked to loss of our forests

This article by Amanda Bertana of the University of Maine and Jessica Eckhardt of Northland College was originally published on the Bangor Daily News opinion page on August 11, 2020. Up until now, the weather has been the quintessential small-talk topic. These days you cannot avoid a conversation without mentioning COVID-19. “Can you believe this pandemic?” Actually, […]

Bring back the reusable bags

This article by Julie Lamy of UPSTREAM and Brie Berry of the University of Maine was originally published on the Bangor Daily News opinion page on July 28, 2020. In a time when we are all scared, frustrated and just generally upended by COVID-19, it may seem trivial to talk about plastic waste. After all, we’re […]

Trump’s threat to Obamacare

This article, by Steven E. Barkan of the University of Maine was originally published on the Bangor Daily News opinion page on July 14, 2020. Does it make sense, especially during a pandemic, to end the Affordable Care Act (ACA, or Obamacare)? Donald Trump and the Republican Party evidently think so. Last month, the Trump administration urged the […]

Race, protest and democracy in America

This article by Ryan LaRochelle of the University of Maine at Farmington was originally published on the Bangor Daily News opinion page on June 30, 2020. In a few days, Americans will celebrate the Fourth of July. In 1852, the Ladies Anti-Slavery Society of Rochester, New York, invited abolitionist Frederick Douglass to give a speech on the […]

Bipartisan support needed to protect American democracy

This article by Linda Beck and Nicole Kellett of the University of Maine at Farmington was originally published on the Bangor Daily News opinion page on June 16, 2020. By Linda Beck and Nicole Kellett, Opinion guest column • June 16, 2020 6:00 am Nearly half a century ago, historian Arnold Schleshinger Jr. wrote about the rise of […]

What everyone with student loans needs to know about COVID and the CARES Act

This article, by Laura Cyr, executive director of the Kennebec Valley Council of Governments, was originally published on the Bangor Daily News opinion page on June 2, 2020. By Laura Cyr, Opinion guest column • June 2, 2020 6:00 am Updated: June 2, 2020 6:45 am In this season of virtual graduations, disappointing teleconference congratulations, and looming financial pressures, […]

COVID-19 shows mass incarceration is a disaster for Maine’s most vulnerable

This article, by Erica King of the University of Southern Maine, was originally published on the Bangor Daily News opinion page on May 19, 2020. By Erica King, Opinion guest column • May 19, 2020 10:04 am From screen time to food scarcity and health care access, parents and families are dealing with all sorts of hardships […]

Refugee and asylum seekers in Maine are future volunteers

This article, by Mitch Mason of the University of Maine, was originally published on the Bangor Daily News opinion page on May 5, 2020. By Mitch Mason, Opinion guest column • May 5, 2020 6:00 am Marwo had just finished wiping down the counters and putting out dessert at the Ronald McDonald House in Portland on a snowy February […]

Older adults are facing dual public health emergencies

This article, by Lenard Kaye of the University of Maine, was originally published on the Bangor Daily News opinion page on April 21, 2020. By Lenard W. Kaye, Opinion guest column • April 21, 2020 6:00 am By now we all know that adults 60 years and older are at heightened risk of serious, if not fatal, health […]