Where are the herring?

To the editor: I am wondering why, with all of the herring being caught off the coast of Maine, I am unable to buy ANY. Living near Portland, I have asked every store that sells fish; they say they do not get any. Earlier on, when the sardine packing plants were operating, they used to

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Islands Community Medical Center takes on new staff

The Islands Community Medical Center (ICMS) on Vinalhaven this month bid farewell to Dr. Rick Donahue after a ten-year tenure. The center plans to replace Dr. Donahue with two new staff members: a physician and a family nurse practitioner, reflecting an expanding role for ICMS in offering comprehensive on-island family-practice care. Lt. Commander Daniel Aronson

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Fire Departments

Ask anyone to name important community institutions and it won’t be long before they name the local fire department. It’s what protects us all from disaster, the first responder. When the World Trade Center was attacked, it was firefighters who responded, and many of them lost their lives in the attempt to rescue people. An

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Grow Your Own

A program to educate individuals about shellfish aquaculture has quietly gotten underway in Damariscotta and Blue Hill. It’s not a training program for commercial growers; instead, it provides an opportunity for ordinary citizens to learn about shellfish biology and husbandry, predators and diseases, environmental impacts and regulations. The program, Muriel Hendrix reports elsewhere in this

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LNG and Leadership

The current round of proposals to build LNG terminals, and the state’s response to them, is reminiscent of Maine’s flirtation with oil refineries a quarter-century ago. Back then, developers would poke their heads up here and there, counting on support from people in need of jobs, business-oriented citizens, tax-conscious politicians and local officials. Over about

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Hot Pursuit

In the last days of July, 1914, Europe resounded with saber rattling, mobilizations, counter mobilizations and ultimata back and forth – and with sincere efforts for peaceful solutions to insoluble problems. However, no one was at war when the North German Lloyd liner KRONPRINZESSIN CECILE sailed from New York for Southampton, England. She carried 1,1216

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Group tours Casco Bay island libraries

On May 13, about 25 island librarians and island library supporters embarked on a daylong tour of the libraries of Casco Bay. Organized by the Island Institute Senior Fellow Dana Leath, the day was intended as a way for island librarians to gather ideas, create connections and appreciate each other’s hard work. Librarians from Peaks,

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