BANGOR—Maine seafood processors gathered in Bangor in late November for the unveiling of a seafood extracting machine invented by Chinese entrepreneur Zhou Peng Fei. The blue device, the size of a large suitcase, was a scaled-down model of the room-sized machine in China which some believe will more efficiently extract chunk meat from green crabs
Pingree’s York River bill closer to final passage
U.S. House and Senate leaders have agreed to include legislation originally written by Congresswoman Chellie Pingree, D-North Haven, in a major defense spending bill that is expected to pass Congress this week. Pingree’s bill—the York River Wild and Scenic River Study Act—would create a 3-year study to determine if the river could be included in
Swan’s Island ferry service stumbles through Thanksgiving
SWAN’S ISLAND—Imagine being stranded on the island, not knowing when you could leave again. Or worse, being stranded on the mainland with a car full of groceries and no way to get home. A series of recent events have left us guessing about whether or not the ferry, or which ferry, would be running. Between the recent
Change is evident in Maine waters, even to this recreational fisherman
I was brought up to respect the people who work on the water; whether they build, harvest, transport or protect, those of us who are recreational water users should always remember that we are playing and they are working. Much of my experience as a boater has been along the New England coast or the
Downeast jam: Making music a way to bond in new community
Gathering places in rural communities have always fascinated me. I can recall a few when I was growing up in Virginia, one of which was the general store where my great uncle Rolie would gather regularly with his pals over coffee, and more than likely, exaggerated conversation. I liked the general store not for the
The promise of an aging population
I commend The Working Waterfront’s December/January editorial (“Problem to solve? Put the old[er] folks on it”) for praising two entrepreneurial retirees, Richard Cadwgan and Frank Mundo, who founded WindowDressers to help Mainers reduce their heating costs by insulating windows. But the editorial is marred by negative stereotypes: “…people in their 60s and 70s don’t start
Rethinking our relationship with the ocean…
“Unstable” was the term used to describe the West Antarctic ice sheet by Ohio State University glaciologist John Mercer back in 1968. “Unstoppable” is the term used now. The term refers to irreversible melting of the ice sheet, which is seen as the single largest threat for rapid global sea level rise. A study led
Chebeague to study uses of Sunset Landing site
CHEBEAGUE ISLAND — A parcel of land that attracted housing developers in the early 20th century may, a hundred years later, serve the town as a new ferry landing site. The town will use a $20,000 grant from the Maine Coastal Program to study and assess possible uses for the parcel, known locally as Sunset
Island life seeps into Judy Weber’s poems
MONHEGAN PLANTATION — It’s a cliché fantasy we’ve all heard, maybe even indulged in ourselves—move to an island year-round, soak up the rhythm of the seasons, the quiet, the isolation, and write the great American novel. Judy Weber—who writes under the name Judith Ponturo, her maiden name—moved to Monhegan year-round in 2006 after visiting the
Building it by hand: Memoir of a house a wide-ranging exploration
The House With Sixteen Handmade Doors: A Tale of Architectural Choice and Craftsmanship By Henry Petroski With photographs by Catherine Petroski New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2014 Hardcover, 297 pages This is a difficult book to describe. Its title suggests connections with architecture and hand-made things; these topics are present and since Henry Petroski