Lawyers’ interpretations and arguments figure prominently in some of this week’s stories, namely the Maine Yankee appeal hearing and Alna’s on the selectboard’s settlement with a resident over a boat ramp. We appreciate the remarkably understandable phrasing attorneys tend to use with local and state boards, some of which also include lawyers or retired lawyers.

It makes writing the coverage fairly straightforward, for such involved topics as nuclear waste, shoreland zoning and more.

We also appreciate the non-lawyer public officials who make sure the public, including the media, understand what a board or committee is discussing. In Wiscasset, for example, Town Manager Dennis Simmons and Superintendent of Schools Kim Andersson are both good communicators, thank goodness, as they regularly have some of the most important information we want to get out to readers. And perhaps best of all, they answer our questions as quickly and fully as they can.

Both would probably make good lawyers, but we will not encourage a career change because then we would not have them an email away to answer our questions about Wiscasset and its schools.

Week’s positive parting thought: The Patriots have improved their record.