Since 1996, a buoy in Penobscot Bay has provided up-to-the-minute data on currents, temperature, salinity, wind and waves to anyone who needs it. Turns out, a lot of people need it. The owner of a small sailboat checks it to judge the safety of local cruising conditions in Penobscot Bay. A marine patrol officer monitors
City of Portland to vote in October on fate of proposed Diamond Cove inn
A decision on the controversial inn proposal for Diamond Cove has been postponed until October. The Portland City Council decided, after a long hearing on Sept. 3, to move the decision on the project to its Oct. 6 council meeting. This comes after a new group, the Friends of Great Diamond Island, filed a lawsuit
North Haven excited by opening of new school
On September 8, 2008 North Haven will open its new school for the academic year. With a population of 67 students and 14 full-time teachers, the North Haven Community School is the smallest public K-12 school in the state. As I walked around the campus recently with long-time principal Barney Hallowell, the finishing touches were
Celebrating 60 years, Farnsworth looks to the future
In August, the Farnsworth Art Museum in Rockland officially celebrated its 60th anniversary, but the museum employees don’t seem to be in the mood to linger on the past. They’re too busy shaping its future. “It’s not about the past 60 years, it’s about the next 40,” said David Trope, marketing coordinator for the museum.
Visiting students learn about Maine through lobsters
In late July I was invited to speak on some aspect of U.S. culture to a group of Latin American university student leaders. I chose to speak on the lobstering industry in Maine. As a summer resident of Friendship for the past 47 years, I know something about lobstering, especially since my husband Jim and
CREST summer program doubles in size
The Island Institute’s 3rd Community for Rural Education, Stewardship, and Technology (CREST) Summer Institute was bigger and better than ever! CREST doubled in size this year to include 96 6th -12th grade students and 55 teachers from 16 island and isolated coastal schools. The schools that sent students included Deer Isle Stonington Elementary and High
With winter coming, islanders plan heating help
The extraordinarily high cost of heating oil will affect everyone in Maine this winter, and islanders are no exception. Their costs, in fact, generally prove to be higher since island oil companies must pay additional transportation costs to deliver the product by ferry. On islands along the coast, various groups are already preparing to help
The Long View: Lobsters–the rest of the story
A deep sense of unease pervades the waterfronts of Maine’s 145 lobster villages scattered between York Harbor and Eastport. During the past four years lobstermen have been squeezed by continuously declining harvests and declining prices – not how the laws of supply and demand are supposed to work-while also trying to adapt their businesses to
Portland’s eastern waterfront: ambitious projects now on hold
An aura of mystery shrouds the city block on Portland’s eastern waterfront where Jordan’s Meats is closed and the weeds grow profusely beyond the chain link fence. It’s been two long years since the Procaccianti Group abandoned their plans to transform the site into a $110 million Emerald City-a 223-room hotel, 97 luxury condominiums and
Takeover of Diamond Cove
I wanted to thank you and the Island Institute for working to protect the islands, simple as that. It’s a shame that what’s going on at Diamond Cove amounts to nothing short of a takeover of the place by commercial and investor interests. The idea of a place where people actually live, as opposed to