Another Bad Idea

What’s remarkable about the federal government’s continual rumbling about making the Post Office “run like a business” is that this ridiculous idea lives on and on. The postal system was set up in the days of George Washington and Benjamin Franklin not to make money, but to bind the country together. It’s part of a

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Vinalhaven School

After a seemingly endless number of years in its inadequate “temporary” building, the Vinalhaven school is finally moving into a well-designed, appropriate new facility. This day has been a long time coming, and is a tribute to the tenacity of the Vinalhaven community, its school administration and the many donors who made it possible for

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Where are the Land Trusts?

To the editor: I’ll bet you that the average person working the waterfront spends 800 percent of their time worrying about their business. That leaves very little time for discussion about the issue of their dwindling resources, and the battles required to reverse the trend. I read more and more about the issue of the

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Bingham’s Purchase

To the Editor: Colin Woodard in Parallel 44 (WWF Aug. 2003) states that William Bingham “acquired 3.5 million acres of Hancock and Washington counties from Henry Knox.” It appears Woodard is continuing to rewrite America’s history (see letter by Mark P. Reed in above referenced WWF/II News). The facts are that Bingham purchased 1,255,112 acres

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Who Speaks for Chebeague?

To the editor: I am writing in response to letters written by both Beverly Johnson and Bette Tellinghuisen printed in the WWF’s August issue. The aforementioned letters were responses to a letter written by Steven Parker titled “Right Spokesperson?” After reading Mrs. Johnson and Ms. Tellinghuisen’s replies to the editorial I felt compelled to respond

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Out of Touch

To the Editor: In his July 2003 [letter] “Right Spokesperson?”, Mr. Parker reveals he is uninformed and out of touch with the issues and concerns shared by many Chebeague Island residents, one of which is property assessments and related taxes. Despite his connections with the island, Mr. Parker apparently has little knowledge of Mr. Hill’s

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Let the Fund Raising Begin!

An auction held Aug. 10 on Diane and Don Pendleton’s property to benefit the Beacon Project was a huge success, raising $22,000 from sales of furniture, rugs, accessories, paintings, antiques, jewelry and other small objects. Co-chairs Diane Head, Libby King and Ginny Hall praised community members who donated pieces. Under the bidding tent the atmosphere

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Barberry threatens Monhegan’s forest

After more than a century of clearing for agriculture, browsing by deer and die-offs related to disease, Monhegan Island’s forest appears to be regenerating with a healthy mix of hardwood and softwoods. At the same time, a University of Maine forest ecology professor told a recent island meeting, an invasive non-native plant known as Japanese

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Gray Zone dispute: no end in sight

“Speaking as John Drouin, Cutler fisherman and an individual, I have to say that I want the Canadians out of the Gray Zone. They just don’t understand the historical nature of the fishery. As a representative to the [Gray Zone] working committee, I had hopes of coming out of these meetings with a co-management plan.”

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