Tom Bell

Portland Press Herald

Latest

Published
February 4, 2013

Long drive for car repair sparks call for legislation

An Aroostook County lawmaker models a bill after a controversial Massachusetts law.
Published
January 26, 2013

State courts to send mental illness cases to FBI background checks office

Mentally ill people who pose a risk to society or themselves are legally prohibited from owning guns under federal law, but Maine for years has been unable to add the names of such people to the national background database.
Published
January 22, 2013

Maine bill would allow teachers to carry guns

Sen. David Burns says his idea is an option, not a mandate, for schools concerned about security.
Published
January 22, 2013

Bill would allow schools to arm teachers

Sen. David Burns, a Washington County Republican and a retired Maine State Police trooper, believes schools are “soft targets” for crazed gunmen because they know none of the teachers are armed.
Published
January 19, 2013

Maine plans measured approach to gun control

On the agenda will be issues like gun safety education, background checks and limits on access for the mentally ill, says a Criminal Justice panel co-chair.
Published
January 19, 2013

Maine legislators introduce dozens of gun-control bills

Gun-control advocates in Maine hope that the public outcry about the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Conn., last month will lead to new state laws that reduce the risk of gun violence.
Published
January 13, 2013

Poll finds support for guns – as well as limits – in Maine

Even in a state with a long hunting tradition and a fierce hold on its gun rights, most residents would opt for ‘reasonable restrictions,’ the newspaper’s survey finds.
Published
January 9, 2013

Mainer chosen as inaugural poet

Richard Blanco will write an original poem to recite at President Obama’s swearing-in ceremony on Jan. 21. His hometown of Bethel is abuzz.
Published
December 29, 2012

Same-sex couples marry in Brunswick

Seven couples take out licenses on Saturday in Brunswick.
Published
December 6, 2012

Piece of USS Arizona marks Pearl Harbor day at Maine Veterans’ Home

Seventy-one years ago today, Japanese fighter planes attacked the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor. The assault claimed the lives of more than 2,500 people, nearly half of whom died on the naval battleship USS Arizona, which exploded and sank after it was hit four times by Japanese bombers. The wreck still lies at the bottom of Pearl Harbor.