Articles
A love affair with a coastal town brings out its best
BELFAST — A Waldo County weekly newspaper columnist once described Mike Hurley as a cross between the Grateful Dead’s Jerry Garcia and boxing promoter Don King. That’s about right. Hurley’s got the hippie resumé—attended the Woodstock festival, part of the back-to-the-land movement—and the flamboyant impresario skills that today are called guerrila marketing. He’s run several
Lobster landings, boat price both up slightly in 2013
AUGUSTA — Lobster, the state’s most lucrative fishing sector, saw a continuation in 2013 of some of the troubling trends that have plagued the industry in recent years. According to the state Department of Marine Resources (DMR), 125.9 million pounds of lobster were landed last year, making it the second highest total since DMR and
Penobscot River closed to lobster, crab harvest
AUGUSTA — State officials have closed an area of the Penobscot River to commercial fishing after mercury was found in lobster and crabs caught there. The Department of Marine Resources announced the closure on Feb. 18, to be effective Feb. 22. The closure will be in place for at least two years. The mercury is
North Haven’s Waterman joins 1,000-point club
NORTH HAVEN — Even the opposing team’s fans erupted when Avery Waterman scored his 1,000th point. The North Haven Community School junior point guard likely will remember the moment for the rest of his life. “I think I got it off a steal,” he said modestly. Dribbling down the court at the head of the
For Long Island’s Melanie Floyd, Casco Bay offers opportunity, not limits
LONG ISLAND — Locals say there are 250 year-round residents on this Casco Bay island. “I think they’re being very optimistic,” says Melanie Floyd, an island native whose parents and grandparents have ties to the island. “It’s more like 200,” she says. The sun is bright, but an unrelenting wind makes the air feel much
What causes ‘sea smoke’?
Maine is back in the deep freeze this week, with temperatures at dawn a few degrees either side of zero. Along the coast, we’re seeing a phenomenon over the waters of Penobscot Bay that often coincides with that frigid air, known locally as sea smoke. “It’s actually called Arctic sea smoke,” explained meteorologist Ken McKinley
On the record with… LifeFlight’s Tom Judge
CAMDEN — It’s one the few good things the Vietnam War brought us. When medics and doctors returned from the conflict, they shared what they had learned—lives could be saved when helicopters transported patients from battlefield to hospital. Maine, said Tom Judge, executive director of LifeFlight of Maine, was the last of the lower 48
Maine PUC OKs Monhegan wind project
AUGUSTA — The Maine Public Utilities Commission in a 2-1 vote on Jan 14 approved terms for a project that would put two floating wind turbines off Monhegan Island as part of a test for the new technology. Permitting and other hurdles must be cleared before the turbines are built. The PUC approval was needed
Fishing for tourists: an option for diversifying
BELFAST — The concept is simple. Instead of glaring at tourists taking photos of you unloading your gear on the town landing, take a few of them out to haul with you. And charge them. This scenario may be oversimplifying the idea, but there is ample evidence that fishing and tourism can find common ground.
Monhegan voice in UMaine wind project muted, for now
MONHEGAN PLANTATION — The prospect of 50 floating wind turbines off the shores of this tranquil island, known for its art, hiking trails and dramatic black rock cliffs, has residents concerned. Worse, said resident Tara Hire, it has many folks feeling they can’t have a voice in decisions that may lead to that floating wind