Republicans and Democrats often argue over whether the media is conservative or liberal. I've always thought that much of this perceived media bias can be explained by corporate consolidation, shrinking budgets and falling ad revenues leading to shallow and sensationalist coverage. A few days ago some attractive vegans proved my point.

PETA, the animal-rights group with a flair for the dramatic staged hour-long protests

On Tuesday, the 2010 race for the Blaine House began with the official announcement of the first gubernatorial candidate, Green Independent Party chair Lynne Williams. Other candidates such as outgoing Attorney General Steve Rowe have made their intentions to run clear, but Williams is the first to make a public announcement. I spoke to the candidate about the

The newly-elected Maine legislature is facing a daunting budget crisis and difficult decisions about where and how much to cut back on state services and whether to raise taxes to close the gap, but that doesn't mean that other issues won't be receiving some legislative attention as well. New bills on a variety of subjects have already been drafted or discussed publicly, and many more will be written and submitted by legislators for consideration before cloture in mid-January.

During the recent election, the Democrats increased their seats in the Maine senate from 18 to 20, giving them a five-vote advantage and solid control of the chamber. Their share of the actual vote, however, only increased by 1.5%.

That's one of the interesting facts that can be gleaned by examining the Secretary of State's official results for the 2008 general election, which are now