Our state, with only two congressmen and four electoral votes, is usually ignored in national politics, but not this year. With the presidential race in a dead heat – and the Congress narrowly divided – both parties have been spending madly on advertising here, while the President, his wife, daughters, dad, and running mate have
The Long View – Sorting Out the Tax Mess
Maine is a state of small towns – 497 to be exact. Geographically speaking, all of the rest of New England can fit inside of Maine. Our 7,000 miles of saltwater coastline is compressed into 250 air miles as the crow flies from Kittery to Eastport. Throughout Maine’s history, communities along this highly indented coastline
A Plum Orchard, Courtesy of the Federal Government
CRANBERRY REPORT Folks on the island have taken advantage of the beautiful fall days to pick the last of the berries, harvest their gardens and put them to bed for the winter. Lil and Richard Alley picked 68 quarts of blueberries and 65 quarts of blackberries this year from the patch between their house and
“Not a Promotional Brochure” -Downeast towns confront “tension” between newcomers and working residents
Most of the scenes are foggy. The people pictured are hard at work. The text is straightforward: “this is not a promotional brochure … like songbirds, diesel engines all have their own unique sounds … a working waterfront … is not a place of manicured lawns and carefully landscaped gardens…” In eight color pages, the
Vinalhaven school’s boatbuilding project forges ahead
For nearly a year now, the Vinalhaven High School marine technology classes have been refurbishing a 30-foot Al Mason-designed steel sloop. To help the classes stay on track for a May launching, teacher Mark Jackson enlisted the help of Island Institute Fellow Kurt Lynch. Lynch, who hails from Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina, was just finishing a
SHAMROCK: “A Glorified Collections Case”
For most of the summer an empty container vessel has been riding at anchor in Portland harbor. In July, U.S. Marshals arrested SHAMROCK for defaulting to its creditors. SHAMROCK was the only container ship to service Portland. Container cargo shipments in and out of the port stopped with its impoundment, a blow to Portland’s International
Stratton Island Seal Deaths Still Under Investigation
The discovery in August of 27 dead harbor seals stranded on Stratton Island (in Saco Bay) prompted the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to reopen a previous investigation to determine the cause of unusual seal deaths along Maine’s coast. NOAA officials began looking into the problem last fall, after 66 adult harbor seals were
Portland Fish Exchange – Fuel prices, lower volume hurt fishermen’s bottom line
The federal fishing regulations in force since last May 1 continue to challenge fishermen, fish markets and fish policy makers. Known as Amendment 13, the regulations severely restrict effort on groundfish stocks traditionally fished by New England fishermen. Hank Soule, manager of the Portland Fish Exchange, reports that fish prices since May 1 average out
“A lot of traps lost” – PEI fishermen blame cruise ships for trap losses
Prince Edward Island lobster fishermen say they’re facing a new threat to their livelihoods – cruise ships in the Northumberland Strait. “They’re tearing up our gear,” says Keith Paugh, president of the Prince Edward Island Fishermen’s Association and a fishermen who has lost gear himself. “But others have lost a lot more than I have,”
New Principal, Teachers at Islesboro’s School
Islesboro Central School ushered in the new school year by welcoming several new students – bringing total K-12 enrollment to 86 – and several new staff members as well. With former ICS principal Jon Kerr now teaching science at Camden-Rockport High School, Michael C. Wright has stepped in as Islesboro Central’s new principal. Wright was