Bingo challenge raises money for town

The Cranberry Isles Heritage Campaign hosted an inter-island bingo challenge on Valentine’s Day. The event served to initiate the first local fundraising effort to offset tax increases resulting from a recent Cranberry Isles land purchase in the town of Manset. The simultaneous games of bingo raised money through pledges and silent donations from both Little

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Three-course dinner theater plays Vinalhaven

Ever wonder what a mixture of Scooby Doo, the Food Network, and Monty Python would look like? Vinalhaven High School’s sophomore English class gave a glimpse on Saturday, Feb. 8, with their dinner theater production of “Oh Crêpe!” at Vinalhaven’s Union Church. The original play, written by sophomore Nathan Wiley, takes place in Paris and

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Southern New England lobsters in decline

Lobstermen and regulators are equally concerned about a continuing decline in lobster harvests in southern New England, but harvesters say they shouldn’t bear the brunt of blame for the sharp drop in stocks. The decline has been steady for the last three years for which final landings figures are available – 1999 through 2001 –

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Institute seeks herring spawning information

The Island Institute in Rockland is beginning a project to document inshore historic herring spawning sites. Any fisherman with recollections of herring spawning sites within about five miles of shore is encouraged to call Benjamin Neal, Marine Programs Officer, at 594-9209 ext. 102. The herring resource has seen a significant increase offshore, but in the

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John Wulp

John Wulp: A man of many resurrections Introduction by John Guare New Canaan, CT: CommonPlace Publishing, 2003 “Looking back now, I often feel that instead of living my life, I survived it.” So writes North Haven islander John Wulp in the autobiographical essay that is the central text of this handsome monograph devoted to his

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It’s all in a name

You’d think with a last name of Roberts that Robert would be a poor choice for a first. And you’d think too that Robert Roberts might have chosen a name other than Really for his own boy. But that was it, the boy’s name was Really Roberts. The story that went around most of course

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Tidal envy

The Bay of Fundy has the biggest tides in the world. Everybody knows that, right? After all, thousands of tourists come to see them. But it’s not necessarily true, say scientists at the Canadian Hydrographic Service (CHS), a division of the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans. In response to highest-tide claims by residents around

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Shortfall brings cuts in DMR budget

For the Department of Marine Resources (DMR), Maine’s $1.1 billion revenue shortfall translates into a $1.9 million cut in the department’s budget for 2003-2004. According to DMR Commis-sioner George Lapointe, a cutback from $10.9 million to $9 million means that programs paid for out of the general fund – the Marine Patrol, and public health

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Sea urchin news isn’t good

More than 35 sea urchin harvesters, most from Washington County, crowded the Orland Town Hall for a Feb. 13 meeting of the Sea Urchin Zone Council (SUZC) to protect their interests, amid rumors about a possible closure of the fishery in the 2003-2004 season in both Zone 1 and Zone 2. Zone run runs from

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