Ever since the acrimonious split between the City of Portland and the owners of the cruise ship Scotia Prince that started in 2004, the ferry service to Yarmouth, Nova Scotia has had a difficult history. Now the Canadian government will no longer provide the $6 million subsidy (in Canadian dollars) that Bay Ferries Ltd. says
By taking test, you can help broadband mapping project
Maine residents have a chance to shape the future development of broadband service, according to a press release. The U.S. Commerce Department’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NITA) on January 12 awarded the ConnectME Authority about $1.3 million for broadband data collection and mapping over a two-year period and almost $440,000 for broadband planning over
More focus on networking at annual fishermen’s forum
Things are changing at the Maine Fishermen’s Forum this year. Not only has the schedule changed, condensing the bulk of events to the first Friday and Saturday in March, there will be changes to the content as well. The forum will be held March 4-6 at the Samoset Resort. After a difficult year across Maine’s
Inactive Matinicus Rock weather station to be fixed
For years, Penobscot Bay fishermen and other boaters have relied on a government-run weather monitoring station at Matinicus Rock. It spewed out data available via Internet on any home computer, and many lobstermen checked it before heading out to sea or, depending on conditions, deciding to stay home. Last year, the station went off line.
Performance center brings entire community together
When Suzy Shepard, Stonington hair stylist and fisherman’s wife and mother came to the first tryout for Fiddler On The Roof back in 2000, she never planned to try out for a part. Shepard saw the ad in the local paper, Island Ad-Vantages, and was curious because she knew the story of the musical. “I
Winter on Chebeague means skating at Sanford’s Pond
To most people, winter in Maine means sub-zero temperatures, shoveling driveways and being cooped up in the house for days on end. To the kids of Chebeague Island, winter means sledding on Thompson’s hill, a little snowmobiling and, most importantly, skating on Sanford’s Pond. For nearly three decades, the pond has been a part of
Providing housing and loans to Isle au Haut residents for 20 years
When a young islander came to Isle au Haut in the late 1980s, he became worried about the island’s future. “When I moved to the island in late 1988 the community had 35 year-round residents and one kid in school,” recalls Matthew Skolnikoff, one of the founders of the Island Community Development Corporation (ICDC), and
Navigation system to be turned off, what will be GPS back up?
In early January, the Coast Guard and Department of Homeland Security announced that after February 8, Loran-C would be turned off and unavailable for navigation. The next day, Canada announced that its Loran-C system would be shut down by October 1. What have we lost? Not much on the local scale, but possibly a lot
For Matinicus students, leaving home comes early
From the time they are big enough to ride a wobbly bicycle a quarter of a mile until they are, in some cases, capable of running a boat to the mainland, Matinicus kids assemble daily in their one schoolroom. Preschoolers look forward to it. Students learning the alphabet work beside teens working on algebra and
Challenges of island government appeal to new town manager
“I enjoy town administration because it’s never boring and sometimes affords the opportunity to be innovative; that could be particularly true here,” says Islesboro’s new Town Manager Jeffrey Grossman. When asked what attracted him to the position in Islesboro, Grossman replies, “I liked the thought that some problems which might be solved simply in other places