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May 18
Maurice Freedman’s Stonington pier
A moment in fishing history captured in paint
The town of Stonington’s fish pier has a Facebook page. In addition to informational posts, the page features photos of the pier and its surroundings taken by visitors. There are views down Main Street, a shot of William Muir’s monument to local stonecutters, and a study of colorful lobster buoys. The latter image underscores Stonington’s status as one of the…
May 18
Music to be melancholy by
Oldies show stirs memories of awkward teen years
Whenever I can listen and do whatever else I’m doing simultaneously, I tune in to At the Hop on WERU-FM (89.9) on Saturday afternoons. Host Rick Foster’s regard for the…
May 18
Even schooners relied on tugs
Capt. Bill Abbott collection featured in event
The photo accompanying this month’s column shows the Ross Towing Co. tug Walter Ross with a four-master in tow down the Penobscot River, seen from the Stockton Springs shore, off…
May 18
Unpacking lobstering’s windfall year
Dollar value set record, but questions remain
The closest I have come to regretting giving up my lobster license was this past summer. My father's still an active fisherman, and as we had a beer and looked…
May 17
Navigating change focuses on relationships
Institute’s Fellows program boosts hope for future
For mainlanders like myself, a 15-minute ferry ride to Chebeague Island is a novel way to start a Thursday morning. The parking fee and the shuttlebus ride? Economic and logistical…
May 17
Island housing squeezes working people
Year-round, summer populations must work together
Anyone who has lived, summered, or visited an island off the coast of Maine would agree that they are very special. They are incredibly beautiful, there is a strong sense…
May 17
Poetry sprouts from shift into spring
Inaction, distraction, and other rhyming words
The busy season on the island begins. Lobster boats are being launched after their winter on dry land and the harbor starts to fill with familiar names and colors. All…
May 17
We spoil our food with best-by dates
Common sense and a good eye and nose serve best
Hung in bunches in the cellarway, our onions sprout. Apples stored in spackle buckets soften. So do beets. Our carrots sprouted feathery tops but we ate them all before they…
May 17
How can I keep from singing?
The joy of resonating voices is returning
A while ago, I joked to someone online that my pandemic memoir would be titled The Year Without Singing. Although nobody has asked me to write a pandemic memoir (yet!),…
May 17
Housing commission recommends statewide policies
Local control responsible for stifling affordable housing
A commission studying affordable housing in Maine had a narrow focus—how local zoning and land use rules could be changed to create more housing. But one of its recommendations would…
Island Postcards
EPISODE 10: Keep the Light Shining
Two ambitious young women swam around the entire Island of Isle au Haut during the summer of 2019 to raise money for crucial renovations to the lighthouse.
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