Well, it’s official –the California Supreme Court just minutes ago handed down a ruling stating that Proposition 8, the ballot measure that did away with same-sex marriage in California, is perfectly legal. And because Prop 8 amended California’s constitution, it cannot be appealed to the U. S. Supreme Court. The contrast between the chaos in California and the orderly process that led to the approval of same-sex marriage here in Maine could not be more glaring. In Maine, th... Read Full Story

San Francisco Mayor and California gubernatorial hopeful Gavin Newsom describes what he looks for in a friend's wife during a recent appearance on the campaign trail. I ran into my buddy, Eddie Baggeweed, again down at the café the other day. Eddie’s a good guy – works hard, pays his bills, keeps his nose clean – and I always enjoy our conversations. I was sitting at a table with my computer open, reading about how San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom is spending a lot of time running around ... Read Full Story

Why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free? One San Francisco Bay Area publisher has decided to stop giving away the milk. According to a story on the Bay Area’s KGO-TV last night, San Jose Mercury News ownership at the The MediaNews Group is going to start charing online readers at a date yet to be determined. The decision also affects the other publications owned by The MediaNews Group: the Oakland Tribune, the Contra Costa Times and the Marin Independent Journal. Jim Romenesk... Read Full Story

Craig Newmark, the man whose website almost singlehandedly has killed the newspaper industry, outside the San Francisco headquarters of Craigslist.org. In reaction to criticism from law enforcement officials and politicians, Craigslist execs today announced the discontinuation of the site's "erotic services" category. Craigslist has been taking a lot of heat from law enforcement officials and politicians as a result of the recent spate of high-profile crimes connected with the s... Read Full Story

The Meat Puppets release a new record, "Sewn Together," tomorrow. Well, well, well, I just got my copy of Bull Moose Records‘ e-newsletter in my in-box a few minutes ago, and whaddya know — the Meat Puppets are releasing a new record tomorrow — or a new cd, or a new download, or whatever format works for ya, I guess. Personally, I still dig the vinyl: better sound, bigger art and way more fun. The label, Megaforce Records, calls it “12 new songs of pure rock,... Read Full Story

More bad — I mean, really bad — news for the newspaper industry: the Audit Bureau of Circulation put out new numbers this morning quantifying newspaper circulation through March 31. You can read ‘em for yourself here, but the numbers are not good. Overall, newspaper circulation declined 7 percent, “a record pace,” the ABC audit observes. Ad revenues took a big hit as well. McClatchy advertising revenues were down nearly 30 percent in the first quarter alone, and ... Read Full Story

Matt Jacobson, Republican candidate for Governor in Maine. Maine gubernatorial hopeful Matt Jacobson officially began his campaign here in Portland yesterday with an event at the Ocean Gateway Terminal, pretty much right across the street from where I work. I wasn’t able to break away from the office to get over there, but I hear it went well and it got a lot of media coverage, including stories in the Portland Press Herald, the Associated Press, WCSH-TV (NBC), MPBN and WMTW-TV (ABC). J... Read Full Story

Los Angeles Dodgers left fielder Manny Ramirez reacts to the news earlier today that he tested positive for a "performance-enhancing substance." Manny Ramirez, who used to patrol left field for the Boston Red Sox and now plays for the Los Angeles Dodgers, has tested positive for a “performance-enhancing substance” and been suspended for 50 games, effective immediately, according to a story in the Los Angeles Times. Well, Manny, it was nice knowing you. Your career is ove... Read Full Story

Maine Gov. John Baldacci just moments ago signed into law a bill legalizing same-sex marriage in our state. You can read the press release from Gov. Baldacci’s office here. I’ve known the Governor for many years now, having worked my way through college as a waiter at his family’s restaurant when I wasn’t editing the campus paper at the University of Maine or writing freelance pieces for whoever would pay me, and I never thought that he wouldn’t sign the bill if ... Read Full Story

Happy birthday, Karl Marx, born on this day in Prussia in 1818. If he were alive today, he’d be 191 years young! Marx is enjoying a bit of a resurgence these days, what with the global economic meltdown brought about by Wall Street greed and all; Marx maintained that Capitalism was subject to periodic crises of this nature, and clearly he was right. Moreover, it should be noted that although the historical record is unclear in this area, soccer is clearly a Communist sport. Here’... Read Full Story