Al Diamon took GrowSmart Maine to task a couple weeks back. The anti-sprawl, pro-Maine's-future group is having money troubles. Mainebiz reports today that the organization is moving to downtown Portland.

Why, you might ask. Well, it seems, as Mainebiz says, "The smaller and more centralized space will reduce rental expenses and is expected to cut staff commuting costs by thousands of dollars."

Earlier this month, we told you about the key role Maine Senator Olympia Snowe is playing in the healthcare-reform debate.

Unfortunately, the mainstream media isn't telling you the whole story. Here's the lead in today's Associated Press piece on the subject:

"Maine Sen. Olympia Snowe, a key figure in shaping federal health care legislation, says a government-run plan that would take effect if the private insurance market fails to deliver affordable coverage could bridge the partisan divide that threatens to derail President Obama's efforts to reform the system."

Over the weekend, we got the following message from local musician Tony McNaboe. It seemed worth sharing, which we are doing here with Tony's permission:

....This is surreal... Last night on the way back from NH the band and I played Off the wall, Thriller and Bad in their entirety and celebrated Mike's life. We had several hours to take it all in and more than a couple times I fought backs tears.

Stop the presses/electrons/bits/telepathic waves!

Pope Benedict XVI has declared that scientific tests actually prove something! This from a man who disputes the scientific benefits of birth control, and who challenges scientific evidence about homosexuality.

So what, you ask, does the Holy Father agree with scientists on? Actually, now that you mention it, it's hard to tell.

This just (kind of, Friday afternoon) in from the US Department of Health and Human Services, on why Maine needs health care reform:

Congress and the President are working to enact health care reform legislation that protects what works about health care and fixes what is broken. Mainers know that inaction is not an option.

The Washington Post has an interesting article about a bizarre and secretive home/boarding house/"Christian prayer group" in Washington DC to which unfaithful South Carolina governor Mark Sanford and unfaithful Nevada senator John Ensign are connected.

But way back in May 2003, we told you that John Baldacci was connected to it too - he lived there when he was a congressman.

I have discovered why REO Speedwagon, Styx, and .38 Special would go on tour together. (Well, really, I have discovered that someone else has discovered why.)

When I was a kid, I didn't know anybody who devotedly listened to any two of the three (though some radio stations did play all three), and so it struck me as odd to learn they're coming to the Meadowbrook in Guilford, New Hampshire tomorrow night.

I'm not sure why, but the leading paper in the land-locked state of Nevada editorialized about Maine lobstermen and lobster dealers yesterday.

It's under the headline "An economic lesson from the Northeast," but frankly reads as more on point - and more solidly stated - than many local editorials on Maine issues.

Have a read, and see whether you agree that the lobster dealers are trying a new tack to stick it to their suppliers - the men and women we know as lobstermen.

We've all seen the ads on our Facebook pages for the "Acai Miracle Diet" -- so what luck that a local beer now fits into our summer diet plans, with Peak Organic's seasonal Pomegranate Wheat Ale with Acai.

The eco-friendly organic brewery, which is based here in Maine, is capitalizing on the superfood popularity of such antioxidant-heavy fruits as acai (pronounced Aah-sigh-ee) and pomegranate.

Just got a press release from Maine Representative Mike Michaud's office, touting the probable passage this evening of H.R. 1211, the Women Veterans Health Care Improvement Act, which Michaud cosponsored. The bill specifically addresses health care services available to women veterans, who comprise almost 15 percent of the active military.

Last week, Chris Gray and I wrote about the Burma VJ movie (coming to SPACE Gallery tomorrow and Thursday) and the Buddhist monks who formed the center of the resistance movement against the ruling Burmese military junta (they're coming to SPACE Gallery, too!).

On Friday, artist and activist Shepard Fairey posted a new image on his Web site that you'll want to check out.

Just a little late for Summer Preview, I've discovered the ultimate day excursion from Portland. Better than the arcade. Better even than getting stoned in rural Maine. I'll allow this picture to speak for itself (almost):

Um. Trapeze School. Less than two hours away. Terrifying. Exhilarating.

This year's Portland Pride festivities, which start in a matter of hours at the UU Church at 425 Congress Street, are taking place at a time when the GLBTQ+allied community has much to be proud of -- and much work ahead.

"For me personally, this year's Pride holds special significance in the fact that Maine was the first state to pass a Marriage Equality bill through the legislature and have the Governor sign it," says Jill Barkley, a local activist.

More hope for young people thinking of buying a house: The state's housing authority announced a $5000 grant for new homebuyers this week. Combine that with the $8000 tax credit for first-time homebuyers in the national American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (a/k/a the stimulus package), plus some energy-efficiency incentive money, and you've got more than $13,000 available to help pay for a starter home and improvements.

While the Press Herald is reporting today that developer John Cacoulidis wants to buy the real estate owned by the Press Herald and convert one of its parcels into a 30-story high-rise, unfortunately its new regime is allowing its reporters and editors to remain credulous and not check stuff out. (Yes, it's gotta be difficult to call into question a real-estate deal that the union you're a member of needs to solidify its ownership stake.