How are you all doing? It's been a roller coaster of a month in many ways, and I hope things smooth out a bit in February.
We've had plenty of ICE coverage, all of which you can follow here for free, whether you're a subscriber or not. Larger-scale ICE operations may be cooling off, but we're looking at what comes next and exploring the ramifications in the wake of the federal effort.
On a much lighter note, with Valentine's Day around the corner, check out the play "Still," a tale of long-lost love being rekindled, which the Public Theatre is staging this weekend. And all ages can make V-Day cards at the library over the next two weeks. See more info in this newsletter.
As always, I encourage you to email me with submissions about upcoming events or other community contributions to be included in this newsletter.
Thanks for reading. Until next time,
- Alex Lear |
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| LOCAL NEWS |
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Safiya Khalid, on stage, addresses the crowd last Saturday during the Ice Them Out protest at the Agora Grand Event Center on Bates Street in Lewiston. (Russ Dillingham/Staff Photographer) |
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My friends, I have been schooled.
Anyone who has lived in Maine a while is aware that no matter how much snow falls on us and no matter how cold things get, there is always that one guy running around in basketball shorts.
It's almost always a guy, and it's almost always basketball shorts, according to my exhaustive study of the issue. The fellow in question is usually heavy set and, even though it makes you feel frozen to your bones just looking at him, the cat seems perfectly impervious to the cold.
I spotted such a man outside a convenience store over the weekend. There he was, having a smoke and wearing shorts and a thin hoody while an icy breeze moaned across the parking lot.
I had to know.
"Say, chum," I began. "It's presently 4 degrees out here and a chill wind is blowing. Ain't you cold in those skimpy duds?"
The big man went on to share his thoughts on cold weather dressing at length. While he was a smidge chilly standing outside, he explained, the comfort he felt the rest of the day completely validated his choice in winter wear.
Since he spent 99% of his time in a warm apartment or a heated car, he explained, he felt no urge whatsoever to bundle up in 40 layers like the rest of us.
"Remember," he said in his sage way, "it's much easier to get warm than it is to get cool."
He was practically Yoda. The man articulated his thoughts so eloquently and so convincingly, by the end of the conversation I was tempted to dig out my '70s-style jogging shorts and mesh half-shirt and have at it.
I don't know who this interesting stranger was, but if there is any kind of Big Guy in Shorts association out there, he should definitely be their ambassador. |
Send feedback to Mark | Read his columns on sunjournal.com |
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| COMMUNITY VOICES/AROUND TOWN |
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The Lewiston Public Library invites all ages to 200 Lisbon St. beginning Tuesday, Feb. 2, to create Valentine's Day cards. Free supplies and crafting space will be available through Feb. 14 for adults on the second floor and children on the third. Learn more.
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| THINGS TO DO IN LEWISTON |
"Still," a play about lost love being rekindled decades later, takes the stage at the Public Theatre, through Sunday, Feb. 8. Playwright Lia Romeo will join the Sunday, Feb. 1, post-show discussion. Learn more and get tickets. A free indoor race event for kids ages 2 and older will be held at L-A Harley-Davidson, 839 Main St., today from 3 to 6 p.m. Reserve a spot. Michael Krapovicky, a singer-songwriter and guitarist, performs at the Oasis of Music, 247 Bates St., at 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 4. Admission is free, with donations accepted. Email Greg Boardman for more info. Linda Oh and Melissa Aldana, a jazz bass and saxophone duo, will perform at Bates College's Olin Arts Center, 75 Russell St., from 7:30 to 9 p.m. Friday, Feb. 6. Reserve a spot. The SeniorsPlus Education Center, which has a location at 8 Falcon Road, offers a wide variety of activities. See its offerings for February. |
| VISIT OUR EVENTS CALENDAR
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| THE WAY IT WAS IN LEWISTON |
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Jan. 31, 1956: “Expansion and construction of new facilities, an increase in the number of telephones in use and wider use of mobile telephones spell the story of the 1955 and expected 1956 activities of the New England Telephone Co., both in the Lewiston-Auburn area and throughout the State.
“In Lewiston-Auburn alone there are 18,914 telephones now in operation and that is an increase since the end of World War II from 13,072, the figure from December 1945.”
Click here to read more of this story from 1956. Subscribers enjoy exclusive access to search and browse our digital archives on Newspapers.com. |
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Alex Lear is a lifelong Mainer who has spent about 25 years in journalism, the first 20 as a reporter for newspapers in Damariscotta and Falmouth, and the rest as the Opinions section editor for the Sun Journal. His long-running “Learics” column won first place in the Maine Press Association’s 2023 Better Newspaper Contest. He and his wife Lauren are kept young by their 8-year-old daughter Alaina. Send feedback and suggestions to Alex. You can support this newsletter by encouraging friends and family to subscribe here. Read more news at sunjournal.com.
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