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Why wind power blows

Why we shouldn't overload our energy basket with wind eggs
The world is looking for a no-brainer solution to the 21st century's impending energy crisis, and wind power seems to provide many of the right answers.

By DEIRDRE FULTON | August 19, 2009

Ask the black woman

Diverse City
I've lived in Maine for seven years and been writing for this fine publication for about five, and during that time I've covered a wide array of subjects on the issue of diversity in Maine.

By SHAY STEWART-BOULEY | August 19, 2009

Photos: Stetson Wind in Maine

Images of Stetson Wind
Photos of Stetson Wind in Washington County, Maine

By MIKE MILIARD | August 19, 2009

My first, um, cornhole

Balls, Pucks, and Monster Trucks
Last month, while at my friends Bill and Sarah Paradis’s Walton Street home for some backyard grillin’ and chillin’, Bill asked if I wanted to play cornhole. I was taken aback. Cornhole? Where I grew up, “cornhole” was a rough synonym for “anus.” I wasn’t sure how to take Bill’s offer. What was he actually asking? Imagine my relief when he explained that cornhole is a beanbag-tossing game, a derivative of horseshoes that has become pretty popular. Pheeew!

By RICK WORMWOOD | August 12, 2009

Secret, unaccountable, and co-opted

If the prison Board of Visitors had done its job, it might have helped prevent several recent tragedies
The state prison in Warren has been hammered in recent months by an inmate murder and other violence, a prisoner hunger strike, legislative investigations exposing mismanagement and poor guard morale, and a request by human-rights groups for a federal probe of prisoner mistreatment.

By LANCE TAPLEY | August 17, 2009

Miraculous Appearances

Phoenix questions prompt action
Two weeks after the Phoenix began its prison Board of Visitors interviews, which revealed the group had not produced annual reports as required by law and had not met with the Legislature's Criminal Justice Committee in years, reports for 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008 suddenly materialized.

By LANCE TAPLEY | August 17, 2009

Granite grind

Same-sex marriage ignites partisan battle in New Hampshire
Much of New England joined the march toward marriage equality this year, but in the comparably conservative Granite State, its legalization has heated up a partisan battle for control of the governorship in 2010, promising that this political war isn't quite over.

By ASHLEY RIGAZIO | August 04, 2009

Just the beginning

The battle for marriage equality really starts now
More than a few people asked us why we are publishing this special section now — now that gay-marriage opponents have filed their People's Veto signatures, now that same-sex marriages will not be taking place at least until after Mainers vote on the issue on November 3.

By DEIRDRE FULTON | August 04, 2009

Our journalism echoes our politics

If the press reflects the times, which way will it go now?
Why won’t the Maine press inquire deeply into major issues?

By LANCE TAPLEY | August 03, 2009

Freelance in Maine

Four decades of advocacy journalism
" Stop the press!" The press stopped.

By LANCE TAPLEY | August 03, 2009

Press Releases: Memo to Rich Connor

Press Releases
Memo to Rich Connor

By JEFF INGLIS | July 29, 2009

Federal investigation requested

More prison turmoil
Stirred into action by the murder of a wheelchair-bound prisoner, human-rights activists have asked the federal Department of Justice to investigate the treatment of Maine State Prison inmates.

By LANCE TAPLEY | July 22, 2009

Me, myself, and race

Diverse City
I have been told by many different people at many different times that I put too much thought into race, that perhaps I overreact and see race as a factor when it might not be.

By SHAY STEWART-BOULEY | July 22, 2009

Cyberchondriacs

Online health info can make you crazy
Last year, a co-worker (who shall remain nameless to save her from additional embarrassment) discovered a bug bite on her leg. It was slightly different than a typical mosquito bite; it was more bruise-like, and a bit painful to the touch. Not having any insect-bite specialists on hand, my colleague turned to the Internet for help identifying the source of her ailment.

By DEIRDRE FULTON | July 22, 2009

Thunder Road

Balls, pucks, and monster trucks
Whether young or old, sick or healthy, celebrities have been dying at a hell of a clip: David Carradine, Farrah, MJ, Karl Malden, Steve McNair, Ed McMahon, Sky Saxon, even Robert McNamara (yet, somehow, Mickey Rooney and Abe Vigoda live).

By RICK WORMWOOD | July 15, 2009

The 12th Annual Muzzle Awards

A look at the dishonorable enemies of free speech and personal liberty in New England.
With the era of repression and secrecy fostered by George W. Bush and Dick Cheney finally over, this should be the best of times for freedom of expression, open government, and civil liberties. Yet change comes slowly.

By DAN KENNEDY | July 10, 2009

Muzzle Awards: Collegiate Division

New England campuses muzzle free speech
In a 1957 Supreme Court decision upholding the free-speech rights of university professors ( Sweezy v. New Hampshire ), Justice Felix Frankfurter quoted prominent South African scholars on the importance of academic freedom.

By HARVEY SILVERGLATE | July 10, 2009

Going Green: July 10, 2009

Smart solar
Maine will never be a leader in wind-energy development, says Richard Silkman, co-founder and -manager of a firm that could revolutionize the way we address energy issues in this state and throughout the region. "We missed our chance," he stated flatly during a presentation at the Maine Audubon Society in June.

By DEIRDRE FULTON | July 08, 2009

Nice to meet you Rich Connor

A few scenes from Connor's first couple weeks at the Portland Press Herald
Rich Connor, the mercurial new co-owner and editor/publisher of the Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram , the Waterville-based Morning Sentinel , and the Augusta-based Kennebec Journal, is a curious figure, who himself seems a good candidate for interesting copy in the coming years.

By JEFF INGLIS | July 01, 2009

Go back in time

Gay and lesbian Mainers revisit the last 25 years
Last weekend was Pride weekend here in Portland, and though rain made its own appearances occasionally, it didn't stop hundreds — even thousands — of people from, well, coming out and celebrating.

By PORTLAND PHOENIX STAFF | June 24, 2009