Articles
Visa debate creates labor shortage in seafood, tourist industries
Geddy’s Pub in Bar Harbor has an international flair in summer, but not because of the menu. Eastern European workers make up 40 to 50 percent of the summer workforce, said manager Sam Richardson. “We have a very international staff,” Richardson said. His workers come through a visa program known as H-2B, which provides temporary
Belfast waterfront is searching for a buyer
Developers recently dropped plans to construct high-end condominiums at a vacated seafood factory on Belfast’s waterfront, leaving residents with mixed feelings and the local fishing community in limbo. It is the second time such a development scheme has fallen through since Stinson Seafood closed in 2001. Westport Capital Partners proposed to construct between 40 to
Ocean Disposal No one cares much for Penobscot Bay’s dump, but finding an alternative could be tricky
For the third time in ten years, a plan to dump dredged material into Penobscot Bay between Rockland and Vinalhaven was drastically scaled back after meeting stiff public resistance. Cianbro Corporation has dropped plans to dispose of 32,000 cubic yards of Penobscot River sediment into a disposal site some four and a half miles off
Proposed centers would help former inmates adjust
When their jail terms are up, inmates at Ellsworth’s Hancock County Jail are released at 6:00 a.m. Getting out of jail usually isn’t carefree, said Judy Garvey, director of Volunteers for Hancock County Jail Residents. Most former jail residents still must deal with the addictions and mental conditions that helped land them in jail. Many
Belfast hopes to turn corner on big box debate
After eight years, two referendum votes, one reported bribery attempt and countless hours of public debate, Belfast may have found consensus on whether to allow a big-box store in city limits. Or maybe not. Recently, the Belfast City Council voted unanimously to rezone land off Route 3 for development of a single retail store that
Coastal Communities Trimming Energy Use
Kittery residents are organizing yet another “lose to win” campaign, but instead of reducing waistlines, this time volunteers are targeting energy use. By signing on to EPA New England’s Community Energy Challenge, Kittery has pledged to reduce municipal energy use by 10 percent or more. Kittery town manager Jonathan Carter said town officials were already
Right whale protection measure runs afoul of White House
A proposed rule that would impose ship speed limits in North Atlantic right whale habitat is being challenged by the shipping industry and blocked by the White House. The rule would restrict ship speeds to 10 knots for most ships 20 meters or longer during key whale migration periods. The speed limit would have no
“Green” housing slow to catch on in Maine
Tom Potter had a steady construction job in New Mexico, but he didn’t like the way homes were being built. “Nothing green, nothing efficient,” he said. “I said to myself, `There’s got to be a better way to build things.’ ” After moving to Maine, Potter began his own green home construction business in Rockport.
A Young Band Beset by Varied Challenges
As I drove to WERU’s Full Circle Fair music festival in Blue Hill, my 22-month-old daughter looked sleepy. By the time I reached the parking lot, she was out. Going by the rule that you never wake a sleeping toddler, I was still in the parking lot when Pattycake 600, the first band, took the
In Franklin, small is beautiful
Fifty-seven hundred square feet — the size of a recently-built house in Utah for a family of four, as reported in The Bangor Daily News. MDI architect John Gordon thinks such a home might be a tad big. “Just insane,” Gordon said. Gordon could be said to work at the opposite end of the spectrum