The winter of 2008-09 will be brutal for many Mainers financially. A combination of record-high heating-oil and other energy costs and a tough economy, in Maine and nationally, could push some people over the edge financially.

The Kennebec Journal and Morning Sentinel staffs have been talking a lot about energy and gasoline costs. We've done many stories on this topic already. We also have run informative articles from our sister paper, the Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram, and from the Associated Press and other wire services to which we subscribe.

The winter of 2008-09 will be brutal for many Mainers financially. A combination of record-high heating-oil and other energy costs and a tough economy, in Maine and nationally, could push some people over the edge financially.

The Kennebec Journal and Morning Sentinel staffs have been talking a lot about energy and gasoline costs. We've done many stories on this topic already. We also have run informative articles from our sister paper, the Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram, and from the Associated Press and other wire services to which we subscribe.

You'll find out this Sunday.

Morning Sentinel reporter Alan Crowell has been working on a story about how declining student populations in some of central and western Maine's smallest towns are forcing major changes.

In some cases, programs like Head Start are affected. Students from different grades sit in the same classrooms with the same teacher.

Are you driving a smaller car or truck?

Are you braking easier and accelerating more slowly?

Are you carpooling?

Are you cutting back in other areas -- food, travel, clothes -- because it takes $55 to fill up the tank?

As you may have seen, we're well into a three-part Sunday series comparing Augusta as a capital city to Concord, N.H. and Montpelier, Vt. We spent considerable time and money reporting this series late last year and early this year.

Personally, I'm really proud of the work that reporter Keith Edwards, photographer Joe Phelan, City Editor Tarcy Hineline and designer Sharon Wood have done with this. I'm also proud to work for a company that supports this kind of journalism and the travel and other expenses that go along with it.