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letter to the editor

Dear Senator Collins,

As we well know, Senator Margaret Chase Smith stood up to Senator Joseph R. McCarthy and brought to a close his unjustified, unconstitutional…

From Washington, D.C.
Jared Golden

U.S. Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine's Second District, circulated the following update from Washington, D.C.

Welcome to my weekly rundown, the latest on what I’ve been working on for…

From Washington, D.C.
Senator Susan Collins, R-Maine

The following was circulated Feb. 7 from the office of Senator Susan Collins, R-Maine.

I am sending this bulletin to folks throughout Maine to share some important news: The…

opinion
Pilot

On February 20, 2024, Governor Janet Mills announced that the State would pursue developing a commercial-scale floating offshore wind manufacturing, assembling and launching facility on…

A Bird's Tale
Barn swallows build their nest of mud and grass and often anchor it against a beam within a barn or other building to which they have access. This is a young bird getting ready to leave the nest. Photo by Courtney Celley/USFWS, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

A few days ago, on one of the bitterly cold days we have recently endured, we looked out of the kitchen window to see a bird flit past the window and into the open garage. It was likely a…

Rockland Rotary President Mike Flanagan (L), presented Rockland Rotarian Ken Gricus (R), with a special award honoring his 52 years as a Rockland Rotarian, with 50 years of Perfect Attendance. (Photo courtesy Ferolyn Curtis)

Ken Gricus recently received a special award honoring his 52 years as a Rockland Rotarian, with 50 years of Perfect Attendance.

Gricus joined Rockland Rotary in 1972 at the invite of Ed…

letter to the editor

EMERGENCY! Elon Musk's team has taken control of the U.S. Treasury, which is the checkbook for the entire federal government. 

This includes ALL expenditures including…

letter to the editor

The following letter to the editor was originally submitted to the Thomaston Select Board.

I am writing to express my deep frustration and, quite frankly, disgust with the current…

A Bird's Tale
The mallard flock rushes in for a bread hand out. Can you spot the northern pintail among them? (Photo courtesy of Jeff Wells)

Sure, they’re common. Some would even say they’re a water-loving version of a pigeon, the way they rush in to feed in droves for handouts of stale bread. Still, on a cold winter day against a…

letter to the editor

In your January 18 article on Nordic Aquafarms abandoning its planned $500 million industrial fish farm in Belfast, Nordic is quoted as saying that, “While a few may view this as a victory, we…

letter to the editor

I am writing to express my  gratitude to an unknown Good Samaritan who came to my aid on August 15th in Rockland, Maine. On that day, I had a fall, and the kindness and assistance of…

Letter to the Editor
Team Alpine celebrates the campaign reaching 90% completion in October 2024. (Photo courtesy Trekkers)

In a heartwarming display of community spirit and dedication, Trekkers, a leading youth mentoring organization, proudly announces that it has met its $2.5 million capital campaign goal. This…

letter to the editor

The Town of Thomaston is…

A Bird's Tale
The yellow-billed loon in breeding plumage is a stunner. Maine is lucky to have had one documented record of this species that normally occurs in winter along the coast from Alaska south to Washington State. (Photo by Ryan Askren,  USGS, Alaska Science Center, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)

What bird is more iconic here in Maine than the common loon? In summer, there’s nothing more stirring than hearing the wailing cry of a loon echoing across the still waters of a Maine lake on…

letter to the editor

We would like to thank the students from Waldo County Technical Center Graphic Arts program, and their teacher, Hillary Steinau, for the beautiful posters honoring Dr Martin Luther King Jr. that…

letter to the editor

In a time when people are struggling financially to find housing, put food on the table, and meet their basic needs, it would be easy to find money and keep it.

letter to the editor

With the death of President Jimmy Carter, the nation mourns the passing of a truly praiseworthy life. As this sad occasion unfolded, and heartfelt tributes poured in, it also became a…

A Bird's Tale
Surf scoters are just one of the stunning waterfowl species that can be seen along the coast during our Maine winters. Photo by Becky Matsubara, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

We are fortunate here in Maine that winter brings an abundance of waterfowl, including some species that can’t be seen in many other states. Common eiders make their downy nests on the ground…

letter to the editor
USDA wind turbines north haven

The U.S. Department of Agriculture, Rural Development has granted $8.7 million to the Fox Islands Electric Cooperative to repower and upgrade its 4.5-megawatt onshore wind farm, as well as…

Author talk, Rockport Public Library, Jan. 15, 1 p.m.: 'Quiet Thoughts for a Noisy World'
The author, who finds much of his inspiration from the sea. Photo courtesy Michael Paul Lund.

ROCKPORT—Author Michael Paul Lund spent many years seeking the answer to the age-old question, "Who am I?" After studying and listening intently to others, he found his path and stopped being a…

letter to the editor

I’m writing in case it helps some decide how to vote on the upcoming $7.3M CSD bond issue. I will be voting in support of the bond. But two weeks ago I was going to vote against it. What changed…

letter to the editor

On January 14 voters in Hope,…

A Bird's Tale
Among the fresh, new avian volumes this year is one co-authored by the authors' old friend from their days at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

Depending on your point of view, the number of new books on birds published each year is either a fabulous blessing or a confusing babble. Maybe a little of both.

We, personally, love to…

letter to the editor

Residents of Midcoast Maine came together on December 25 to celebrate community, good food, holiday music, and generosity.

People gathered at St. Peter’s Episcopal…

letter to the editor

Over the next few weeks, the Senate will consider President-elect Donald Trump’s nominees for key Cabinet positions, which require Senate approval.

If you are as appalled as I am by the…

Each and every one of us can have a positive impact on those around us
Gratitude ticket raffle winners: Ryman Ames-Allan, Noa Silverstein, Zion Peart, Katie Davis, Emmett DeYoung, Logan McRae. (Photo courtesy Thomaston Grammar School)

THOMASTON — Several students at Thomaston Grammar School were recognized for having gratitude at a school-wide assembly on January 10.

Students receiving the Gratitude Award were: Violet…

letter to the editor

The January 14 Five Town CSD bond referendum for $7.3 million includes $2.6 million for an artificial turf field. Artificial turf is a chemical-laden amalgam of used tires that sheds microplastics…

letter to the editor

The recent election and its implications gain gravitas as the inauguration of Donald Trump approaches. The same could be said of Harris had she been elected. But that didn’t happen.

Why…

letter to the editor

Thank you to a friend for shaking me out of my holiday haze and sending the YouTube video of the school board hearing the other night. I promise you it is not a waste of time to listen to it.…

letter to the editor

As reported in the New…

letter to the editor

I went to the Five Town CSD School Board meeting last night along with 30 or so other  exhausted taxpayers wondering what the Board was going to say about the $7.3…

letter to the editor

I've just returned from the board meeting held tonight at Rose Hall Board Room in Camden to speak about the 7.3 million bond referendum that is to appear before all voters on January 14 from…

A Bird's Tale
Maine's coast supports a large proportion of the wintering population of the eastern North American population of harlequin duck although the largest numbers are in remote parts of the coast like the area around Isle Au Haut off the Blue Hill Peninsula. Photo by Peggy Cadigan courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

This column arrived too late for print in the Jan. 2 issue.

It all started with a discussion of harlequin ducks.

With a few days off at the holidays, we were thinking…

Letter to the Editor
The Trekkers Bus. (Photo courtesy Trekkers)

ROCKLAND — Trekkers, a youth mentoring organization serving Midcoast Maine, is excited to announce the addition of new members to its Board of Directors. These new members represent a group with…

A Bird's Tale
The authors were delighted to see a flock of American robins during a quick trip to the Big Apple recently. Courtesy of Allison Wells

It was New York City or bust for us last week when we did a whirlwind road trip to Manhattan for an overnight to pick up our son who lives there along with his girlfriend and two cats. We arrived…

Welcome Home, Washington
DOT Washington Sign Town Line Sign with Welcome Home sign posted under it

Thank you to the vandals who added a wooden “Welcome Home” sign to the town line sign bordering Union on Route 17. It brightens up the drive.

Last Tuesday was the planning board hearing…

Letter to the Editor
(Photo courtesy Brenda Thomas)

The Farnsworth Art Museum’s annual Share the Wonder holiday event was made even more special this year as RSU 13’s South School 4th grade students and teachers…

A Bird's Tale
Northern cardinals were abundant during the Christmas Bird Count this past Saturday. Courtesy of Allison Wells

On Saturday, we celebrated the start of the holiday birding season: the first day of the official National Audubon Society Christmas Bird Count (CBC) period! From Dec. 14 through Jan. 5, tens of…

'I asked her if a sidewalk would help and she raised her hands in the air, as if gesturing toward the heavens'
Michelle Bishop operates her powered wheelchair on John Street in November 2023

I heard the sirens and watched the fire department pass by my house on Mechanic Street a little after 8 a.m. on Wednesday, December 4. I often see them return to the station quickly and feel…

Letter to the Editor
Anthony Diaz poses with Santa during Thomaston Grammar School's annual Cookies with Santa event. (Photo courtesy Thomaston Grammar School)

Thomaston Grammar School held its annual Cookies with Santa Event on Saturday, December 14. The event is put on by the Friends and Family of Thomaston Grammar School group. TGS students and their…

letter to the editor

I, too, question the timing of the upcoming Five Town CSD school bond vote and scheduled public hearing when all the items being addressed are long standing ones the district has been…

letter to the editor

'Aliveness' a force of nature that cannot be stopped, I’m remembering. 

When even a tiny movement occurs that reveals a way to act with agency towards aliveness,  people of all…

A Bird's Tale
The presence of golden-crowned kinglets is more often revealed through its rapid, high-pitched calls, but in seeing one up close, their beauty is spectacular. Photo by Rhododendrites, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Here in Maine, come winter, most of the smallest birds leave us. Ruby-throated hummingbirds are long gone (although a rare rufous hummingbird has been surviving at a hummingbird feeder in Port…

opinion
ballot box

On Tuesday, December 3, the Camden Select Board, by a 3-2 vote, countersigned the Special Town Meeting Warrant called for by the Five Town Community School District for January 14, 2025.  I spoke…

A Bird's Tale
The authors created "Maine's Favorite Birds" for anyone with a passing interest in birds, a curious mind and loves to learn, or who loves beautiful and artful illustrations. Down East Books https://www.downeastbooks.com/9781684752119/maines-favorite-birds/.

If you’re reading this column, you probably don’t need any convincing that interest in birds and birding is skyrocketing. Take, for example, the seemingly increasing use of bird-…

letter to the editor

I am writing to share an urgent challenge facing the YMCA’s summer camp program and to ask for the community’s support. Last week, we were notified by the Town of Camden that the Snow Bowl will…

A Bird's Tale
A flock of tundra swans in their normal wintering range along the coast of North Carolina. A tundra swan made a rare visit to Maine recently. Photo: Allie Stewart/USFWS, courtesy Wikimedia Commons

All-white birds are not something we see very often in Maine. Egrets are all white, but they’re not exactly “great big,” not even the “great egret.” There are only a few options for what a…

opinion

The recent announcement by Conservation Law Foundation that they intend to sue Cooke aquaculture is a surprise given the fact that they worked closely with the salmon farmers to develop the…

letter to the editor

Maine’s pristine coastal waters have long supported local communities, from fishermen and lobstermen to tourism-driven businesses reliant on healthy ecosystems. But a growing threat lurks beneath…