Coverage of Washington County is made possible by a grant from the Eaton Foundation. Ten days before last Christmas, Rhonda French of Jonesport had a Dickensesque problem. Each year, French runs an organization that provides Christmas gifts for needy children in Washington County called “Let’s All Have a Merrier Christmas.” Normally, she would have her
After delays, work underway on access for Chebeague ferry landing
For years, access to the Cousins Island wharf in Yarmouth, the landing site for the Chebeague Transportation Company ferry, has been difficult, plagued by a steep, narrow road with poor visibility. The road can barely accommodate a shuttle bus and a few cars. In winter, the incline is often icy, making vehicle and passenger travel
Lubec inn combines hospitality with working waterfront
The east coast is dotted with decrepit vestiges of its once-vast industrial base, including shuttered former seafood-processing plants. Few visitors can expect cozy couches and spacious kitchens when they pick through the rubble of the industrial revolution. But the experience at the Inn at the Wharf in Lubec is different, enough so that it’s good
Venturing: Drink Up!
ORANJESTAD, ARUBA -It’s fitting that this island community’s electricity and water plants are next door to one another. Pipes bring seawater into an oil-fired generating station where it’s boiled and converted to steam to run electrical turbines. Cooled, re-liquefied without its salt content and then filtered through coral sand, the steam becomes fresh water that’s
Modern technology used to save designs of old boats
Despite great interest in wood boatbuilding as a form of craftsmanship, it’s a sad fact that the number of older boats, including many built of wood, is declining as these vessels age or fall into disuse. Relatively few classic yachts, old workboats and small craft are preserved, sometimes by conversion to new uses; most older
Wind power experts visit Vinalhaven to assess noise situation
Some of the nation’s top experts on wind turbine sound issues spent two days on Vinalhaven last month in order to learn more about the noise issues raised by neighbors of the Fox Islands Wind project. The group represented researchers affiliated with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), General Electric, and Acentech. Since
From the Deck: Eclipse
Back in 1932 when I was only 15, astronomers predicted a total eclipse of the sun. The moon was to pass between the sun and the earth and for a moment cover completely the face of the sun. My father decreed this to be an event of historic, cosmic significance that would not recur in
Vegetable Corner: a mecca for local food
Twenty years ago, a young Hannah Tetreault and her friend sold strawberries and blueberries off of a card table at the intersection of Mountain and Harpswell Neck roads in Harpswell. Business boomed. Before long, her parents, Ray and Violet Tetreault, started adding vegetables from their garden. Then they brought in corn and produce grown by
Field Notes: Privatizing the ocean’s fish
If you care about eating fresh fish or about having fishermen support your community economy, then please read this. One of the tragedies of fisheries management is that it is so complicated that it alienates the people who should be the most involved. In this column I attempt to explain one way of understanding what
Objects in Mirror: Hostages to fate
If you are lucky enough to have children—John F. Kennedy called them “hostages to fate”-who actually tell you what they are thinking and doing, you know that after a certain point usually between middle school and high school, your opportunity for influencing them substantially decreases. How many times have parents said, “I can’t wait until