Friday, June 9, 2023
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South Portland’s Jaelen Jackson shares the gold ball with fans after the Red Riots captured their second straight Class AA boys basketball state championship. (Photo courtesy Cindy Russell)

Game On: 5 takeaways from Maine’s first normal HS basketball tournament since 2020

It blows my mind to think that the 2022-23 Maine high school basketball season has come and gone. I wrote about the most wonderful...
A yellow-rumped warbler awaits the fate of several environmental bills facing the Maine Legislature. (Portland Phoenix/Nick Lund)

Into the Wild: The best environmental bills in this Legislature

A new Maine legislative session is underway and those looking to protect Maine’s environment are excited about the opportunities. Gov. Janet Mills was reelected...
The book cover for "Saxophone Colossus: The Life and Music of Sonny Rollins" by Aidan Levy.

The secret sounds of Sonny Rollins (and his Maine connection)

Sonny Rollins is one of those rarified artists that even people who “don’t like jazz” could probably identify — as a saxophone player, a...
The members of '90s alt-country band Say ZuZu have reunited for a new album. (Photo: Edwin Remsberg)

Second session: Say ZuZu return after 20 years with ‘No Time to Lose’

When Say ZuZu released “Highway Signs & Driving Songs” in 1995, they were part of a vibrant movement, with bands like Uncle Tupelo (and...
Cheverus junior Mikayla Talbot transferred from Camden Hills for her sophomore year and lives with family in Westbrook so she can compete with the Stags. (Photo by Cindy Russell)

Game On: Cheverus hockey star Mikayla Talbot makes winning decision 

With no girls hockey available for Mikayla Talbot at Camden Hills Regional High School, something had to change to make her dream of playing...
Joe Bearor as Jamie Wyeth and Michael Grew as Rudolf Nureyev stand together in a scene from the play "Nureyev's Eyes"

On Stage: Good Theater two-hander finds beauty in ‘art madness’

The friendship that fuels “Nureyev’s Eyes” involves two very different icons of the art world. Jamie Wyeth (Joe Bearor), third-generation American visual art royalty, is...
Jean-Marcel St. Jacques (b. 1972), "Mother Sister May Have Sat in That Chair When She Lived in This House Before Me," 2014, Wood, nails, and antique hardware on a plywood backing, 84 x 96 in. American Folk Art Museum.

Art Seen: Fun with folk art

The activity piece the Portland Museum of Art provides to those who see “American Perspectives: Stories from the American Folk Art Museum Collection” (through...
Signage and several suits from the Dick Curless exhibit at the Country Music Hall of Fame. (Photo courtesy Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum)

Maine country legend Dick Curless’ newly released ‘Basement Tapes’ demand fresh listen

It’s easy to think of the late Dick Curless, Maine’s closest thing to an old-time country superstar, as a relic of another era. His...
Al Hawkes sits next to audio engineer Todd Hutchisen surrounded by his old recording equipment used at Event Records. The equipment moved to Acadia Recording Company in 2013.

Westbrook country-bluegrass label Event Records gets second life

In that Country Music Hall of Fame exhibit on Dick Curless’ life and career, there are any number of relics with Maine ties —...
Jared Mongeau, Lucious K. Fox, Juliet Moniz (standing), and Savannah Irish work in a "Do You Feel Anger," directed by Christopher Price at the Theater Project in Brunswick. (Photo courtesy The Theater Project)

Sharp ensemble at Theater Project tackles the dilemma of horrifying men

Think you have a tough and thankless job? Consider Sofia (Juliet Moniz). She’s just been hired as an empathy coach at a debt-collection call...