Latest news with #LeslieBridgers
Daily Mail
29-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Controversial rule at popular Maine children's museum outrages childless local - do you agree with it?
A popular children's museum in Portland, Maine, doesn't allow entry to adults who don't have kids with them, a policy that angered a local newspaper columnist who had been hoping to pay the place a visit. Leslie Bridgers, a writer for the Portland Press Herald, was shocked she was turned away when she tried to buy a ticket for the Children's Museum & Theatre of Maine. She said she had been wanting to go for a while and had passed up multiple opportunities to go with her friends who do have families, mainly because she 'didn't want to have to go at their pace or wind up watching their children.' 'I wanted to check out the exhibits that interested me, skip the ones that didn't and leave when I felt like it — you know, enjoy it the way I do anything as a childless adult,' she wrote in her Monday column. She explained that she finally came up with the perfect excuse to go alone; she could bring her reporter's notebook and write a piece about whether the museum was worth the $18 admission. According to her column, the museum's 'unaccompanied adults' policy was put in place because of 'security concerns' and to prevent adults from taking up tickets on busy days that could have went to children. The museum's executive director, Julie Butcher Pezzino, said she was 'a little surprised that this was a news story' given that this kind of policy is very common for children's museums around the country. Pezzino also told she wasn't aware of any 'security concerns' that led to the museum disallowing adults without children. In fact, that policy has been in place there for last six or seven years, she said. 'We focus on children who come with their parents or guardians,' she said, adding that 'there was no particular incident' that spurred the museum to bar childless adults. 'It was more in keeping with what other children's museums were doing at the time,' Butcher Pezzino explained. In her column, Bridgers even noted that other kid-friendly attractions around the country, including LEGOLAND Discovery Centers, children's rooms at libraries and playground areas at parks, often have policies that ban childless adults. In her attempt to find a reason for her local children's museum not letting her in, Bridgers stumbled upon a 2015 law review article in the National Recreation and Park Association's magazine. It talked about how in Hollywood, Florida, local government officials banned adults unaccompanied by minors from entering or remaining in a park playground area. The article claimed that one Hollywood commissioner wondered if the new rule 'might draw legal challenges' but claimed it 'will put a little dent into getting rid of the undesirables in the park.' Another commissioner then reportedly argued that the ordinance would protect kids from sex offenders 'that have not been caught yet.' Bridgers took this to mean that playgrounds in Florida (and the museum in Maine) have adopted discriminatory policies that profile people based on how 'creepy' they look. 'In other words, because you can't ban someone for looking creepy, then why not adopt rules (with backhanded reasoning) to keep away categories of people who you think are most likely to be,' Bridgers wrote. She further claimed that the no childless adult policy 'sounds kind of like' how the Trump administration terminated a $250,000 grant to the children's museum that would have been used to fund programs teaching kids about the history of the Wabanaki, a Native American tribe that is primarily in Maine. The museum clarified that adults can attend certain events on their own, including theatrical performances, staff-led tours by appointment and its Imagination Ball fundraiser on May 9, with tickets starting at $125. Butcher Pezzino said she was disappointed in Bridgers' article for not putting enough emphasis on the tours open to adults and not mentioning the museum's annual Halloween event that's for people 21 and older. Bridgers briefly mentioned the Halloween party, not by name though, and linked back to a previous article that covered the 2022 event, which reportedly drew 300 costumed guests. 'I also was aware of the adults-only parties at the museum, but I wasn't interested in making a social outing out of it either. Even though I knew it might be awkward, I just wanted to walk around on my own,' Bridgers wrote.
Yahoo
28-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
FAQ: Changes to the Sun Journal print editions
Mar. 27—Changes are coming to the Sun Journal beginning Tuesday, April 1. Below you'll find answers to questions about how you get the newspaper, new sections and features inside its pages and other platforms to check out for stories from our journalists. The Maine Trust for Local News is making these updates to ensure long-term sustainability and focus investments where they matter most — in local journalism and coverage. Transitioning weekday print delivery to U.S. Mail, refreshing sections and consolidating syndicated content like puzzles and comics are part of a broader effort to adapt to changing reader habits, reduce costs and strengthen the quality of community and statewide coverage. These shifts allow the organization to prioritize its mission of delivering trusted, community-focused journalism across both print and digital platforms. We'll be able to better deliver the stories, voices and local news that matter to you. The Tuesday through Friday newspaper will now be delivered by mail. The majority of households within our delivery footprint will have home delivery on Sunday. Delivery deadlines will be extended to 11 a.m. on Sunday to accommodate longer and larger delivery routes. There will be no print edition on Saturdays. However, we will offer comics, puzzles and TV listings as ePaper pages online. For Saturday news coverage, we encourage you to check out our sister publication, the Portland Press Herald, at Your subscription entitles you to access the websites and ePapers of and as well. Tuesday-Friday will continue to be available at select newsstands (Lewiston, Auburn, Lisbon, Lisbon Falls, Mechanic Falls, Minot, Oxford, Poland, Sabattus, Turner). Sunday will continue to be available at newsstands within our home delivery footprint. On Thursdays, readers will receive the "Go" entertainment section, featuring "Best Bets" event lists, interviews with Maine artists, musicians and celebrities, and ideas for planning your weekend. Each issue includes a column from culture writer Leslie Bridgers, "Screen Time" from film critic Dennis Perkins and archival "Throwback Photos." On Sundays, readers will receive three new sections: — Audience, with features on Maine culture, arts criticism, book reviews and poetry — Food & Dining, which includes recipes, food and gardening features, and restaurant reviews and news — Opinion as its own separate section, with additional pages of letters and columns from around the state The new focus for the Opinion section will be local and statewide, prioritizing letters and columns about Maine. We are stepping away from syndicated national columnists and will share state and local-focused letters from all parts of the state. Soon we will introduce our new statewide politics columnist, whose columns will be included in this section. Sun Journal readers will have access to 11 new comics moving forward. These include: Rhymes with Orange, Adam @ Home, Big Nate, Close to Home, Get Fuzzy, Non Sequitur, Pearls Before Swine, Pickles, Pooch Cafe, Red and Rover and Arlo & Janis. We are discontinuing Marvin, Hi and Lois, Sally Forth, Crankshaft and Rose is Rose to make room for the new comics. Coming in May will be a daily version of the locally produced comic Anvil Falls from Ernie Anderson. Sun Journal readers will see an expanded TV listing schedule and a new advice column from Carolyn Hax, along with an additional sudoku game. Dr. Keith Roach will no longer appear. Sun Spots will now be featured in the Local section. You can find more local coverage at and in our newsletters, including the newly launched Auburn Now and Lewiston Now. For coverage consideration, email: news@ Local news, legal notices and obituaries can now be found in the first section of the Sunday newspaper. In addition to a fuller local section, you will receive the Maine Sunday Telegram, with the Maine New England, Audience, Food & Dining and Opinion sections. If you have questions you don't see answered here, fill out the form below, or email us at: news@ Copy the Story Link We believe it's important to offer commenting on certain stories as a benefit to our readers. At its best, our comments sections can be a productive platform for readers to engage with our journalism, offer thoughts on coverage and issues, and drive conversation in a respectful, solutions-based way. It's a form of open discourse that can be useful to our community, public officials, journalists and others. We do not enable comments on everything — exceptions include most crime stories, and coverage involving personal tragedy or sensitive issues that invite personal attacks instead of thoughtful discussion. You can read more here about our commenting policy and terms of use. More information is also found on our FAQs. Show less
