Opinion

Use of Flock cameras amounts to surveillance

The more we hear about Flock cameras, the less we like them. These cameras, positioned along roadways across the state and country, read license plate numbers in passing vehicles, reporting that and other information in real time to centralized data bases that law enforcement and others can access and share. Some police — certainly not all — neighborhood associations and private property owners argue the cameras, often powered by an attached solar cell, help find the bad guys and that they are, in essence, no different than an officer sitting on the side of the road keeping an ...

Almanac for Aug. 27, 2026

Today is Thursday, Aug. 27, the 239th day of 2026. There are 126 days left in the year. Today in history: In 1883, the island volcano Krakatoa erupted with a series of cataclysmic explosions. The explosions (which could be heard 3,000 miles away) and resulting tsunamis in Indonesia’s Sunda Strait claimed some 36,000 lives in Java and Sumatra. Also on this date: In 1894, Congress passed the Wilson-Gorman Tariff Act, which contained a provision for a graduated income tax that was later struck down by the Supreme Court. In 1964, the film “Mary Poppins” had its world premiere in ...

Editorial cartoon for Aug. 27, 2026

Judge removes a hurdle for Trump mail voting order; new challenge filed

A federal judge Wednesday lifted a major obstacle to President Donald Trump’s executive order limiting mail voting, even as Democratic state officials filed a new court challenge with the midterm elections fast approaching. The fresh round of legal wrangling comes just two days after the ...

Don't fear Flock cameras

We have met the enemy — and it is watching us. There’s a growing backlash against Flock cameras, the automated license plate readers that have become ubiquitous across the country. The cameras take images of license plates, which are then stored in a searchable database that police ...

Almanac for Aug. 26, 2026

Today is Wednesday, Aug. 26, the 238th day of 2026. There are 127 days left in the year. Today in history: In 1944, French Gen. Charles de Gaulle braved the threat of German snipers as he led a victory march in Paris, which had just been liberated by the Allies from Nazi occupation. Also on this date: In 1939, the first televised Major League Baseball games were broadcast on experimental station W2XBS: a doubleheader between the Cincinnati Reds and the Brooklyn Dodgers at Ebbets Field. The Reds won the first game, 5-2, and the Dodgers the second, 6-1. In 1958, Alaskans went to the ...