The SMCC Beacon

The SMCC Beacon News and Information compiled by the students, for the students. We are Southern Maine Community College's student run newspaper.

Our offices are located in the Captain's House on Fort Rd. We are always looking to hear from our students, if you'd like to get involved contact the Managing Editor, Clayton Hoyle, at [email protected] or contact our adviser, Tim Gillis, at [email protected]

Fighting Oligarchy in MaineOn Monday night Vermont state senator Bernie Sanders rallied in Portland for his Fight Oligar...
05/26/2026

Fighting Oligarchy in Maine

On Monday night Vermont state senator Bernie Sanders rallied in Portland for his Fight Oligarchy tour. Joined by senate hopeful Graham Platner and candidate for governor Troy Jackson, the three discussed the problems facing Mainers and the country at large. The speeches included the topics of healthcare, affordable housing, education, egregious wealth inequality, and other politicians being bought by corporate interests instead of the interests of working class families....

On Monday night Vermont state senator Bernie Sanders rallied in Portland for his Fight Oligarchy tour. Joined by senate hopeful Graham Platner and candidate for governor Troy Jackson, the three dis…

Either You Have It In You or You Don’t (Opinion)We've heard the phrase "he has that dog in him," or seen someone extreme...
05/19/2026

Either You Have It In You or You Don’t (Opinion)

We've heard the phrase "he has that dog in him," or seen someone extremely driven and wondered where they got that from. There are people you see who work hard, and you admire them from a far and think it is just in them. Then there is me right now, thinking I might just be doomed because after a hard year, I do not have that much drive, grit, or motivation for much or to succeed....

We’ve heard the phrase “he has that dog in him,” or seen someone extremely driven and wondered where they got that from. There are people you see who work hard, and you admire the…

Mills Drops Out, Out of State Influences Fund Attack Ads on PlatnerGovernor Janet Mills suspended her campaign on April ...
05/11/2026

Mills Drops Out, Out of State Influences Fund Attack Ads on Platner

Governor Janet Mills suspended her campaign on April 30 after weeks of attack ads against her primary election opponent Graham Platner, but some attack ads are expected to continue due to funding from conservative political action committees. In March of this year, Mills ran a series of ads focusing on her opponent Platner’s past social media comments that focused on her opponent Platner’s past comments from social media....

Governor Janet Mills suspended her campaign on April 30 after weeks of attack ads against her primary election opponent Graham Platner, but some attack ads are expected to continue due to funding f…

Eliot Cutlers Fifth Probation ViolationFormer gubernatorial candidate Eliot Cutler has been accused of a fifth probation...
05/06/2026

Eliot Cutlers Fifth Probation Violation

Former gubernatorial candidate Eliot Cutler has been accused of a fifth probation violation after allegedly refusing to allow investigators into his private electronic devices. Probation officer Sam Payson signed a motion accusing Cutler of keeping encrypted files on his devices which would violate his probation. According to WGME, Cutler was originally convicted of being in possession of child sexual abuse material (or CSAM) in 2023....

Former gubernatorial candidate Eliot Cutler has been accused of a fifth probation violation after allegedly refusing to allow investigators into his private electronic devices. Probation officer Sa…

The Beauty of a Walk-offSomeone I work with sent me this article, and they were wondering what the term “walked it off” ...
05/06/2026

The Beauty of a Walk-off

Someone I work with sent me this article, and they were wondering what the term “walked it off” meant, so I figured I would enlighten those who are curious. ...

Someone I work with sent me this article, and they were wondering what the term “walked it off” meant, so I figured I would enlighten those who are curious.

Investigating Portlands Rough Roads“Four thousand holes in Blackburn, Lancashire And though the holes were rather small ...
05/04/2026

Investigating Portlands Rough Roads

“Four thousand holes in Blackburn, Lancashire And though the holes were rather small They had to count them all” The Beatles wrote this song about potholes in the 1960s, but there are still problems going on today in Portland, Maine. As an SMCC student who commutes to and from campus, it is common to run into cracks and potholes in the road....

“Four thousand holes in Blackburn, Lancashire And though the holes were rather small They had to count them all” The Beatles wrote this song about potholes in the 1960s, but there are still problem…

How Talking Politics Became so HostileA week ago, I had the privilege of talking to a few SMCC students about whether th...
04/23/2026

How Talking Politics Became so Hostile

A week ago, I had the privilege of talking to a few SMCC students about whether they do or do not like talking about politics and for the most part I got the same answer, “it depends.” Andrew Gelinas made the good point that, “it doesn’t necessarily mean you have to talk to someone you agree with… you should be talking to people about subjects you don’t agree on but it’s so hostile.” He’s right....

A week ago, I had the privilege of talking to a few SMCC students about whether they do or do not like talking about politics and for the most part I got the same answer, “it depends.” Andrew Gelin…

Portland: one of the hardest working citiesMaine and New Englanders, in general, have great pride in our sturdy work eth...
04/22/2026

Portland: one of the hardest working cities

Maine and New Englanders, in general, have great pride in our sturdy work ethic and grit. Now that work ethic and grit have been recognized. In a list of the hardest-working cities in the country published by wallethub.com (website for personal finance), Portland, Maine, was named just barely out of the top 25%. Our city came in at 30th, following Boston, MA, in 29th out of a possible 116, also making it the third hardest working city in New England. ...

http://thesmccbeacon.com/2026/04/22/portland-one-of-the-hardest-working-cities/

Maine and New Englanders, in general, have great pride in our sturdy work ethic and grit. Now that work ethic and grit have been recognized. In a list of the hardest-working cities in the country p…

Opinion: Debunking Horseshoe TheoryWhat is horseshoe theory? It’s a simple concept that tells us that if you go far enou...
04/20/2026

Opinion: Debunking Horseshoe Theory

What is horseshoe theory? It’s a simple concept that tells us that if you go far enough left or right on the political spectrum you always end up at the same place. Authoritarianism and fascism. It comes from the assumption that both sides deploy nationalistic, populist, or authoritarian methods in order to achieve their goals. Two of the major comparisons are simple, Stalin’s Russia, and N**i Germany....

What is horseshoe theory? It’s a simple concept that tells us that if you go far enough left or right on the political spectrum you always end up at the same place. Authoritarianism and fascism. It…

Why Does Talking Politics Suck? (Audio Interviews with SMCC Students)
04/16/2026

Why Does Talking Politics Suck? (Audio Interviews with SMCC Students)

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