When my down-the-road neighbor Lydia Rolerson was a child, there were lots of dandelions on our island, many more than today. Land had been cleared for agriculture, so there were expanses of grass where dandelions could poke their sawtoothed leaves out of the ground as soon as it warmed enough to encourage growth. And when
North Haven approves paving, halts subdivisions
An unseasonably warm day didn’t keep North Haven residents from coming out for the annual town meeting on March 11. Over 80 people attended the meeting at the town’s Community Building. It was a true community affair with North Haven Community School seniors selling homemade soups and desserts at lunchtime. Voters approved a $1,168,820 budget,
“More attitude!” Coastal kids travel long distances to play in Bangor’s youth orchestra
Symphony orchestra conductors bring to mind flamboyant behavior and flowing hair. But Brad Mutzenard takes another approach. This down-to-earth, straightforward, humorous but utterly professional conductor of the Bangor Symphony Youth Orchestra [BSYO] is more likely to lighten a musician’s embarrassment at making a mistake by joking about it and to reward successful playing by tossing
High Seas Task Force issues report on world overfishing
The HSTF member nations are Australia, Canada, Chile, Namibia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom, as well as directors-general of World Wildlife Fund International, the World Conservation Union and the Earth Institute. It was formed in December 2003 to “develop an action plan to achieve comprehensive solutions to the global IUU fishing problem.” Loyola Hearn,
Mud Season
Regular readers of Vinalhaven’s weekly paper, The Wind, are avidly following the ad campaigns that broke out this winter between two competitor purveyors on the island. Island Spirits had enjoyed a niche all to itself, both in clever ad copy and in the sale of gourmet specialties. But Fishermen’s Friend has entered the fray, not
Cranberry Report: Cold Swimming, Contested Election
Between mid-February and mid-March, residents of the Cranberry Isles experienced some very warm days among the usual wintry ones. When air temperatures hit the high 40s on Feb. 16, nine people decided it was a good day for their February “dip of the month.” Jane Grover, Lindsey Eysnogle, Cindy Thomas, Gretchen Van Dusen, Richard Ramsey,
Swan’s Island passes school budget, adopts subsidy policy
Swan’s Island held its annual town meeting on March 6 to discuss 42 issues on the warrant. The meeting started at 9 a.m. and concluded by 5. Many residents stayed for lunch served by People Interested in Kids (PIK), which used the opportunity to raise funds for the annual community Christmas Party. The meeting opened
CAT to Prowl Portland Harbor
Bay Ferries has announced plans to move the Cat high-speed ferry from Bar Harbor to Portland for summer weekends in 2006. The Cat will offer daily ferry service from Portland to Yarmouth, Nova Scotia on the weekends while still maintaining its Bar Harbor-to-Yarmouth weekday schedule. Don Comier, vice president of Cat operations, says Portland offers
Sudden Sea – The Great Hurricane of 1938
When New England Looked Like New Orleans The death toll alone made the hurricane that struck New England without warning in 1938 a shocker: 682 people died and another 1,754 were seriously injured. “Maine was the only New England state without a fatality,” R.A. Scotti writes. “Eighty-eight died in Massachusetts, ninety in Connecticut, twelve in
Wrong Crab
To the editor: You probably already know this by now, but the crab shown in the picture in your “Aliens Invade!” article is an Asian shore crab, not a green crab. Elizabeth Stephenson Darling Marine Center Walpole