PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • January 1, 2026
A new year provides the chance for a clean slate, and perhaps this time we’ll get one. 1968 seems a moment very much like our own. A crisis of confidence shattered trust in government and in many of our institutions. Yet 1968 and the era it represents was also a spur to social movements. Yes, national politics since then can seem like one great oscillation between the two major parties. But we can see that Maine on the whole has certainly progressed. If you’re seeking an education or an interesting job, there is far more opportunity than there was back then. Maine is also a cleaner and safer state. The difficult part of history is that periods of progress are followed by years of stagnation, then drift. Discontent is the beginning of change. We’ll know soon whether the young will confound their elders, and decide whether this will truly be a new year. ~ Douglas Rooks