Long Island voters approved funding for the new position of town administrator at its annual town meeting on May 9. The vote marks a turning point for the town-it’s the first time voters have approved the hiring of outside support to assist in town government since its secession from Portland in 1993. There were 17
Rockland’s Apprenticeshop builds ‘sailing Swiss Army Knife’
With doom, gloom, layoffs and float rope being the topics of conversation along the working waterfront this spring, it appears the students at Rockland’s boat-building Apprenticeshop are having an inordinate good time. Instructors and students are weeks away from the launching of two identical 28-foot sail-training luggers. The boats meld together traditional lapstrake construction with
Canadian lobstermen face ‘total disaster’
It will come as no surprise to Maine lobstermen to learn that falling prices have created a crisis for Atlantic Canada fishermen, from Quebec to New Brunswick. The situation was summed up by Earle McCurdy, President of the Fish, Food and Allied Workers (FFAW) in Newfoundland and Labrador, “We’re facing a total disaster.” Ed Frenette,
From Swan’s Island to Texas, with love (and a little help from Facebook)
Islands are often described as being close-knit communities, places where everyone knows everyone else. In times of trouble, islanders rally together to support one another, showing the positive side of a close-knit community. Old-fashioned traditions that the rest of the world has left behind still exist on islands. So social networking Web sites, where disconnected
Fishing nets on display help bring history alive at new exhibit
“I’m really excited about that kind of display,” said Dana Morse, about the model and full-size trawling nets on view in the new fisheries exhibition at the Maine Maritime Museum, in Bath. Morse is the extension associate for the Maine Sea Grant program. “I don’t remember any kind of other display like that being at
Column: Parallel 44
Those who care about being able to track the relationship between money and politics have something to cheer about. As I reported this winter (“Destroying the Candidate’s Paper Trail,” Working Waterfront, February-March 2009), clerks in Maine’s largest towns and cities have been destroying the campaign finance disclosures of municipal candidates in as little as two
Island Institute thanks its supporters during difficult times
As many of us are all too painfully aware, these are challenging economic times for organizations, communities and families. The Island Institute is no exception. As the deepening global recession has placed an increasing strain on our island and other coastal community constituents, we have been concerned about our ability to keep up with the
High-speed Internet still a problem for many coastal businesses
Joan Herrick, of Northport, has waited as long a half hour for a website to load on her computer while researching patterns for her home-based quilt-making business. Food historian Sandy Oliver often has time to wash the dishes in her Islesboro home while downloading a document from the Library of Congress. Jennifer Bichrest, owner of
Company turns discarded rope into doormats
When new federal rules required fishermen to swap floating rope for sinking rope-to protect endangered right whales-the brightly colored floating line piled up on the dock. But what can you do with a mountain of discarded line? The answer, clearly, is to make doormats. “It’s taken off. We can’t really keep up. They’re flying out
Island students enjoy a magic opera
Magical instruments. A wicked queen. An imprisoned princess. A courageous prince. Will Prince Tamino’s magic flute be enough to protect him on his quest to save the lovely Princess Pamina? So begins the ultimate adventure opera, Mozart’s “The Magic Flute.” Through the generosity of an anonymous donor, who began attending the opera with parents at