At Cornell University, I majored in psychology and sociology, but I was learning so as to teach. Upon graduation in 2005, I planned to start a new school. But I needed to learn how to teach, and for that I needed experience teaching. I applied for a job as the Vocational Technology instructor on Vinalhaven,
Traffic Lights come to Vinalhaven
There’s a first time for everything…and hopefully a last. Construction workers erected two temporary traffic lights on Main Street, Vinalhaven, to direct traffic during some road work on the bridge. Islanders have been photographing the lights to document Vinalhaven’s first stop light.
Lack of ice diminishes seal hunt, but the debate goes on
Controversy about the Canadian harp seal hunt has raged since French movie star Brigitte Bardot hit the ice floes for the cameras in the 1970s to call attention to the bloody slaughter of white baby harp seals. Clubbing of the white-coated babies ended in 1987, but a seal hunt still takes place annually on the
Gymnastics proves popular on Long Island
Not even a freak April snowstorm could keep Long Island’s children from showing off their gymnastics skills. Islanders of all ages turned out on a stormy night to see an exhibition by the recreation department’s after-school gymnastics program. Culminating twelve weeks of practice, the event featured balance-beam performances, tumbling, somersaults, cartwheels and even flying leaps
Balancing Act Help one business and you make another one mad
Harmon’s Tires in Ellsworth is the kind of business most Maine communities would like to keep. Locally and family-owned and operated for 61 years, it employs 18 and has become a fixture in the city’s commercial district. But city officials recently announced a proposal to move a traffic light providing direct-access to the tire center
Newfoundland’s FPI remains in limbo; strike looms
The fate of the largest seafood company in Newfoundland hangs in the balance, and the outcome of its current situation may determine the economic future of at least seven small communities — their fishermen, plant workers and possibly the viability of some of the towns themselves. Fishery Products International, Ltd. (FPI) based in St. John’s,
“Best Fishing I’ve Had in a Long While” Mud walkers move in on co-op’s pound
Discovery Channel’s TV show “Dirty Jobs” has nothing on the job of the mud walker. As low tide approached, more than a dozen lobstermen and sternmen, dressed in oilskins, fishing boots, and heavy gloves, methodically combed the inside of the lobster pound at the Swan’s Island Fishermen’s Co-op. The pound, a 400- by 350-foot enclosure,
Small Wonder North Haven breaks ground for its new school
While the rest of Maine is in the midst of a wrenching political debate over consolidating school districts into larger, arguably more cost-efficient administrative units, the small year round community of North Haven is trying to build a new $7.5 million high school, middle school and elementary school all rolled into one. Perhaps no other
Green and Affordable
A “green” subdivision planned for Mount Desert deserves positive mention. Its architect, who won a statewide green housing design contest, says there’s nothing cutting-edge in his Mount Desert project; just fundamental good building practices and small design changes. But the little changes add up to a lot: solar orientation for the houses instead of lining
California becomes first state to designate large marine protected areas
State officials in California have approved sweeping expansions of the state’s marine protected areas, closing or restricting fishing activities in a total of over 200 square miles. This legislation, authorized by the California Marine Life Protection Act of 1999, places California in the forefront of states taking action to restrict fishing activities in near shore