There is a seasonality to the news in Maine…not surprising when we remember how intimately connected we all are to the land, the sea and the weather. Many of the stories in this month’s Working Waterfront (our winter double issue) reflect these ties between events and the calendar: how the right whales that visit the Bay of Fundy in the fall affect lobster fishermen; how hard it can be to harvest Maine-farmed oysters for the lucrative holiday market; how islanders voted in this fall’s elections. On top of all this we have the seasonal stories we simply do because they’re useful for readers at this time of year: extra book reviews, holiday gift ideas the stores may not tell you about.
The news may not be predictable in an exact sense, but if you watch it long enough you can see the patterns, year after year.