”¢Thumbs up to the new agreement between Thornton Academy and the University of New England, which will allow high school students to graduate with college sophomore status in the UNE College of Arts and Sciences. As Sen. Angus King said during his visit to the high school last week, students who take advantage of this program will essentially be earning a year’s worth of college credits for free ”“ which is an amazing opportunity considering the cost of college nowadays and the impact of student loan debt. The initiative is expected to really take off within the next few years, as students come up from middle school prepared to enter this rigorous academic program that includes 22 Advanced Placement courses. This is one more great offering that ties higher education into high school education and helps students reduce their costs. Just last year, Thornton began a partnership with the University of Maine to allow qualifying graduates to enter the school as sophomores in the college of engineering. Hopefully, students will understand how much money and time a bit of extra effort can save them, and will participate in these programs, which we hope will be expanded to other area high schools as well.
”¢Thumbs down to the Bloomberg Television report finding that Maine’s Internet service is “among the worst in the nation,” which confirms the recent findings of Maine Internet provider GWI. Fast broadband service is becoming more and more essential to doing business, which means Maine needs to get on board with making significant improvements in order for businesses here to remain financially viable in a worldwide competitive market. Public policy at the state level needs to be altered to allow improvements to this important utility; in the meantime, some municipalities are banding together to launch their own networks, which will make their cities and towns more desirable for business. Gov. Paul LePage, who has made the “business friendly” effort a focus of his administration, should be more proactive in making sure Maine is improving in this realm before we fall too far behind to catch up.
”¢Thumbs up to Joe Doiron of the Great Works Foundation Inc. and the students who are helping him as they pursue a project that would see all of Sanford’s World War II casualties recognized with banners along Main Street next year. 2015 marks the 70th anniversary of the war’s end, making it a perfect time to bring awareness to the ultimate sacrifices of these men, as well as the impact on their families and the community. It’s particularly important for young people to learn about the very real cost of war and bring home the point by connecting it to their own community. Kudos to Doiron for taking on this project, and we hope he receives the support of those in Sanford who have photographs or memories to share. He can be contacted at 351-7797 or jdoiron@sanford.org.
”¢Thumbs up to the Biddeford City Council’s reversal on the proposal to extend Williams Court Park onto the former Holland property. The park extension has been in the works ever since the building was torn down, and there are two good reasons to follow through with it: First, the community that was injured after two young men were shot to death on the site were glad to see the murderer’s house demolished and have long expected the site to be used in a memorial fashion. Rescinding on that plan at this point would be a slap in the face to that entire neighborhood ”“ one that would not be forgotten. Second, the city has already spent money on the engineering and design phase for the park extension, and would lose $15,000 both this year and next if the project didn’t move forward. Changing the plan at this point could also hurt the city’s changes for future state grants, according to city officials. The investment has been made, both monetarily and socially, so this park needs to move forward. Yes, parks cost the city money and they should not be installed at every whim, but this property has special significance and we’re glad to see the council, albeit narrowly, recognizing that fact.
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