Articles
Ferries and fuel: Getting there just got harder
Residents of Swan’s Island, Vinalhaven and Islesboro are frustrated about a proposed 12.5 percent hike in all ferry fees, and feel they weren’t given a chance to voice their opinions about the increase. The new fees will be in place June 1, unless David Cole, the state commissioner of transportation, decides the increase is unwarranted.
Chebeague Island appoints temporary administrator, mulls changes to post
After the Town of Chebeague replaced its first town administrator in March, the Board of Selectmen may think again about how the position is structured, according to a selectmen. Scott Seaver began the job as Chebeague Island’s interim town administrator April 1. Seaver took over for Ron Grenier, who resigned March 15. Seaver’s contract is
Nuts and BoltsChebeague residents build a new town, almost from scratch
Ten town officials need to be elected, 31 town officials hired and approved and over 110 warrant articles voted on-and that’s just to get things started. On July 1 Chebeague Island becomes Maine’s newest town. No one on this island with a year-round population of 350 is moving anywhere, and yet their political future will
Peaks secession movement encounters choppy water at the legislature
Although a two-year effort by Peaks Island to secede from Portland looked likely to be defeated in Augusta, the committee in charge of the secession bill did prod Portland to address some of the issues raised in the secession debate. In mid-May, the Joint Standing Committee on State and Local Government voted 7 to 5
Online Exclusive: Getting the job done
What do you do when you need a job done around the house? Or if you need to have something else done, like cutting down a tree, or your chimney cleaned? On the mainland, it’s simple: you call someone. On an island, it’s much more complicated. Sometimes you can do it yourself. And there are
Hard Process Ask two lawyers about Maine’s secession law, and you’ll get two different views
The parties involved in the Peaks Island secession process disagree on several major issues, raising questions about the effectiveness of the state’s secession law. But it’s a seldom-used law that is subject to differing interpretations. Two lawyers who are not involved in this dispute, who have worked on past secession efforts, reached differing conclusions about
Secession: What did the Legislature Intend?
In the early 1990s, secession was a hot topic. Secession bills were submitted to the Maine Legislature from Cushing, Great Diamond, Long and Peaks islands to leave the City of Portland. Two coastal neighborhoods of Biddeford also filed bills. Only Long Island succeeded, becoming its own town on July 1, 1993. The flurry of bills
Peaks Island inspires an expatriate’s first novel
The second time Ali Alavi visited Peaks Island, he came in the fall, in the off-season. As he walked around the island, he didn’t see many people, and he began thinking of Peaks as the setting for his first novel, The Tombland’s Tale. “It struck me as a place that is peaceful and would be
Peaks takes first steps toward secession
Peaks Island has become the second Casco Bay island in eight months to vote for secession. On June 13 Peaks Island residents voted in favor of secession, 393 votes to 290. The advisory referendum question asked whether residents favored secession from Portland. As a percentage of votes cast, 58 percent were in favor and 42
Vote nears on Peaks secession
Just three months after Chebeague Island won its independence in the State Legislature, Peaks Island will decide if it wants to pursue secession. On June 13 Peaks will vote on seceding from the City of Portland. As on Chebeague, Peaks Island secession proponents believe that going it alone is the only way Peaks can preserve