West End News commentators, op-eds, and more.
If there is any hope to be found in the recent police killings–and subsequent exoneration of the officers involved–of Michael Brown and Eric Garner, it has been illustrate... Read more
A couple of months ago there was meeting put on by our local NAACP chapter at the Portland Public Library to respond to the crisis in Ferguson, Missouri, where a white police officer shot to... Read more
I’m not interested in Elizabeth Warren’s unlikely run for President. Why? She has said she won’t, and that if she does, it will be on a Clinton/Warren ticket. Elizabeth Warren isn’t actually... Read more
To say the Democrats blew it in the midterm elections would be an understatement. The governor’s race should have been theirs to win. Instead, not only was Republican Gov. Paul LePage... Read more
Who knows why people vote the way they do. There are countless potential reasons for every ballot box decision. Patterns can be recognized. There are always surprises. But, your guess is as... Read more
With voters’ attention focused almost exclusively on the congressional and gubernatorial races, many have overlooked the equally important campaigns for the state legislature and Portl... Read more
In my inaugural column, on August 22nd, for the newly re-launched The West End News, I addressed the need for a higher minimum wage—in Maine and nationwide. What I did not touch on however,... Read more
There is good news and bad news on the effort to raise the minimum wage in Portland. The good news is that Portland Mayor Michael Brennan has commissioned a working group to explore the poss... Read more
The concrete plaza in the heart of Portland’s Art District has been scheduled for a facelift for almost a decade. The dust has settled after the June vote on the parks initiative. Many saw t... Read more
What’s Wrong with Camping?
La Vida Local: Irregular Notes on West End Life What’s Wrong with Camping? By Rosanne Graef Homelessness is no...