I can't be the only one who sometimes has to do a little last minute cramming before a vote. As Camden residents prepare to vote on the removal of the Montgomery Dam, it's clear that many people made up their minds a long time ago, but I know some of you are just trying to figure out the basics. There's a lot of back and forth everywhere  and most of it gets into the weeds, so I will try to answer the most prominent questions I'm receiving here quickly.

1. This proposal is essentially asking if Camden residents agree to remove the dam and restore the free flowing river as long the whole thing

Just a few weeks after launching its brand-new Pediatrics Program, the Knox Clinic is already receiving glowing feedback from patients and families.

Parents have been especially touched by the warm, welcoming environment. One mom shared, “It’s calm, welcoming, and feels like a home,” while another remarked, “Wow, this is the best doctor’s office we’ve ever been to. It’s bright and inviting.”

The early success of the program is a testament to the vision and dedication of Rachel Wilcox, PNP, and Jess Bowen, RN, who have been instrumental in shaping both the physical space and the culture of

I am interested to have information on the actual Montgomery Dam removal work.

How would it affect Main Street businesses, especially those on pilings?

What would be the impact level of dirt, dust, debris, trucks on the area?

How long is the actual work projected to take?

We should know more about the whole process to evaluate removal.

Karen Hull lives in Camden

When it comes to the June 10 vote on whether or not to save the Montgomery Dam and Falls, there are still a lot of unknowns.  For example:

What happens if … the dam is removed and alewives don’t swim up the new passageway into the Megunticook River?  After all, getting alewives (and/or other sea-run fish) into the Megunticook Watershed is a key requirement for obtaining federal grants to remove or re-engineer six other dams on the river.

What happens if … we don’t get those federal grants or other funding for river restoration, which could cost as much as $35 million?  Who’s going to pay for

As business owners, we have 211 years of collective experience and service to the Camden community. It's been an honor to watch generations of families grow up and visit our unique town. Just like our businesses, the waterfall and millpond at the heart of Camden were built by local hands from local materials. It was designed to integrate seamlessly into Camden Harbor and Park. They are a community resource for people of all ages and incomes to enjoy. This is why we support its preservation.

Camden’s vitality and the preservation of our cherished heritage are at a crossroads. The Montgomery

Hello Fellow Taxpayers,

With the up coming votes on the Hope 2025-2026 budget, I wanted to share with you some information you may find handing in making your decision at the polls/floor of Town Meeting. 

The Town has completed its revaluation resulting in the valuation of the Town’s valuation almost doubling in value. (Previous $216,716,000 to $411.400,580). This lowers the mill to 10.17 for the 2024-2025 Town Fiscal year. 

Please keep in mind that while the valuation has increased and the mil rate coming down, it is not known what impact the revaluation will have on individual property

Communities like Rockland welcome all sorts of people; year-round and seasonal, new and native, retirees, young families and folks working hard to make a life here. This variety in our population is what makes Rockland a wonderful place to live. 

One thing everyone shares, however, is the need for a safe, secure place to call home. This is especially true for our hard-working neighbors who we all depend on to keep the Midcoast running smoothly: nurses, cops, firefighters, teachers, tradespeople and small business owners. Given the rapid increase in property values we have experienced since

She’s a genre blender. Innovator. Three-time Grammy winner. Gotta be Alison Brown. If you missed Alison and the Band last June, I advise you not to make that mistake again: They are returning to the Opera House Friday the 13th - yes, this month, for a 7 p.m. show. Got tickets? No? You best get on that.

Discovering Alison Brown and her music last year (yeah, yeah ... hey, better late to the party than never arriving, right?), I felt like I was hearing the banjo for the first time. It's a combination of Alison's writing and playing, obviously, but it's also the musicians in the band she's

Choices: 

Those supporting removal of Camden's much-loved Olmsted-designed dam and waterfall maintain that alewives routinely made it up the Megunticook River to spawn in the centuries before Anglo settlers came to the region.

The long explanation accompanying Warrant Article 7 on the ballot tells us of the many Megunticook River Citizens Advisory Committee (MRCAC) meetings held over two years, the newsletters, the online survey responses, and all the interactions with standing Camden committees—including the Camden Library Board of Trustees.

A wealth of detail unfolds: "10 expert-led online

Rockport’s municipal budget, as proposed by the Rockport Select Board, is about $12,600,000.  Our 2023 municipal budget was about $7,700,000. This new proposal is about a stunning 63% increase over the budget four years ago, a trend we oppose.

Compare Rockport's increase to other  area towns over the same time frame:

Rockport 63%

Camden 52%

Belfast 32%

Rockland 24%

Costs, in general, have increased over this time frame and contribute to everybody's expenses, towns’ included. We believe, however, that a larger cost-driver for Rockport, compared to other towns, is our current town government

ROCKLAND — I was part of a three-year in-depth analysis of the potential for Camden Street, in Rockland. Experts were hired with multiple grants secured by Jane Lafleur.

Concept drawings are in Jane’s report of 2013 (see attached PDF). Tax benefits from a consultant stating the developments to Camden Street were projected to be seven times the existing tax revenues compared to the core downtown tax incomes.

The plans showed that the feel of Camden Street shifted away from a highway, a blighted neighborhood, and endless big box parking.

Improvements to Camden Street to transition its

This week, Rockport residents received the newest edition of the town’s Rockport Resource newsletter, which always provides a helpful indication of what the Rockport Select Board wants the town’s voters to do. If the Board wants voters to adopt a series of restrictions on short-term rentals, for example, we’re treated to pages of arguments making that case. If the Board would like to spend millions on a new wastewater system, we’re encouraged, in the pages of this taxpayer-funded newsletter, to support the Board’s position on that issue.

What the Board makes clear in this newest edition of

Each year, on June 14th, we pause to observe Flag Day, commemorating the day in 1777 when the Continental Congress officially adopted the Stars and Stripes as the flag of the United States. More than just a piece of fabric, our flag stands for something far greater — it represents the ideals upon which this great nation was built: liberty, unity, sacrifice and hope.

These ideals were certainly at the forefront of President Truman’s thoughts as he stood at attention watching the U.S. Flag being raised in Berlin, Germany, on July 20, 1945. He wasn’t observing the hoisting of just any flag

Chrisso Rheault endorsement

As leaders of Megunticook Riverkeepers, it is crystal clear to us that Chrisso Rheault will make thoughtful contributions to the range of important issues confronting Camden, which is why we strongly support his candidacy for the open Select Board position.

A Camden-Rockport native, Rheault has served on the Planning Board for four years and was on the Zoning Board of Appeals prior to that. He has demonstrated his qualities of calm communication, open mindedness, and an appreciation of Camden history. 

Chrisso Rheault has also made clear that he supports the

Current Maine law allows the state to delay payments to our struggling hospitals for MaineCare (Medicaid) for up to 12 months. A new bill, LD 331, would require 75% of the bills be paid within 90 days. 

Last week in Augusta, Rep. Bill Pluecker, Rep. Ann Matlack and Rep. Vicki Doudera voted against the measure to pay Maine hospitals in a timely manner. Senator Pinny Beebe Center also voted against it. With so many hospitals failing and closing around our state, we should ask them why they voted in opposition to this reasonable proposal. 

Another common sense bill, LD 1586, failed along party

Two candidates are vying for an open seat on the Camden Select Board. I've looked at both, based on their public statements. Both are good-hearted and mean well for our town but it’s easy to see that the best qualified is Chrisso Rheault.

With his dedication to the health and resilience of his home town, Chrisso has worked long and hard in a variety of public volunteer positions, including the very tough one of serving on the Budget Committee, which he has done for four long years, and on the Zoning Board of Appeals before that.

He’s also a strong proponent for the Snow Bowl, one of Camden

In consideration of recent discussion surrounding the Montgomery Dam in Camden and public interpretation of various letters and statements, the Penobscot Nation Dept. of Natural Resources wishes to clarify its position and involvement in regional fish passage and restoration projects.

On June 10th voters will determine the fate of Montgomery Dam. As we all know, Article 7 has been very contentious; there are so many conflicting sources of information and advocacy, and so many different lenses through which one can consider the issue: economics, ecology, climate resilience, architecture/aesthetics, etc. 

Camden's Historic Resources Committee (HRC) was created in 1992 to preserve the buildings and sites that give the town its unique character and embody its storied past. Though the Camden Code defines one of our duties as "to recommend methods and procedures necessary to

As a retired teacher, my goal in the classroom was to make the history of humanity accessible and meaningful. It was a 45-year process of continually asking questions, both of myself and to stress to the students the necessity of always contemplating another question about who we were — and are.

It is a disservice to simply offer a story about the individuals who made it into the history books without an investigation of the historians who remember them. After many years of fits and starts, and too many mistakes, we learn that any story is just a specific collection of facts and documented