Articles
Mega-Confusion – Homeland Security rules ensnare foreign-flagged yachts, Maine marinas
Chris DiMillo, owner of DiMillo’s Marina in Portland, had an unpleasant surprise this past July 15. His upscale operation, which caters to pleasure boats and yachts, learned from the Coast Guard that a new arrival was not authorized to stay at the port facility. The boat, PERFECT PRESCRIPTION, fell under a section of new maritime
After lengthy process, Cliff Island gets a barge landing
Cliff Island residents voted Aug. 11 to approve the location of a barge-landing site. In Casco Bay, Peaks is the only island community that is serviced by a car ferry. For the surrounding islands, transporting materials, equipment, and service vehicles requires the use of a barge. Landing a barge on an island, and transporting vehicles
Fishing or Transport? – It depends on the meaning of “or”
Sometimes something as small as a single word in a law can affect one person’s livelihood. Such is the case for Maine native J. Coburn Drisko, owner of Drisko Lobsters, Inc. in Lincolnville. This past July, the United States Coast Guard informed Drisko that he was in violation of federal regulations by using a foreign-built
A Maine author teaches the world about fishing
The Dry Dock Bar in Portland was a bit more crowded than usual on July 6. In addition to the typical blend of tourists, fishermen and islanders enjoying a drink along the waterfront, the bar was full of people hugging copies of a new hardcover book. Maine author and fisherman Linda Greenlaw was holding a
Cliff Islanders join in friendly competition
On the Fourth of July, Cliff Island celebrated the 30th annual ACE (Athetics, Conservation, and Education) Olympics. ACE is an island organization created 27 years ago to serve community needs. It now supports a variety of programs including the annual Olympics. Earl and Judy MacVane conceived the Olympics 30 years ago as a way to
Two-Way Teaching: On Cliff Island, college students and island kids teach each other
What does it mean to be an islander? What defines island culture, community, and interpersonal experiences? How do island students learn about their culture, and how can they pass on their knowledge to outsiders? Moreover, what happens when college students attending a prominent liberal arts institution enter in collaboration with elementary students attending a one-room
Small Towns, Big Decisions:As LNG developers roam the coast, communities ponder their futures
Steve Little, President of the Cliff Island Association, was surprised by a phone call at 7:15 a.m. on Wednesday, May 7. Roger Berle, fellow Cliff Island resident and chairman of the Maine Islands Coalition, called to inform Little that neighboring Hope Island was a potential site for a Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) terminal. The previous
In Some Schools, the Neighborhood is Part of the Curriculum
A recent Friday morning found the Cliff Island School busier than usual. The seven students, grades first through fifth, buzzed with nerves and excitement as they prepared for a special visitor. In the back of the one-room schoolhouse, an anthropology class from Bowdoin College looked on. When the guest, a local lobsterman, walked in the
Scaling Up the Schools: On Islands, Bigger Doesn’t Mean Cheaper
Citing anticipated declining student populations and high per-pupil costs, Maine Gov. John Baldacci recommended the consolidation of school districts and unions in his Jan. 20 State of the State speech. The governor has cited eight school administrative districts with fewer than 250 students as ideal areas for consolidation. Four of these districts – North Haven,
The Test that Failed
On Oct. 24, Islesboro and North Haven residents opened their Saturday newspapers to read their schools had been identified by the state as “in need of improvement.” The list of 142 Maine schools, created as part of the federal No Child Left Behind act, identified schools that failed to make “adequate yearly progress” (AYP). Headlines