The Maine fishing industry lost a guiding light when Susan Jones passed away in early September in Stonington at the age of 78. Her leadership shaped the fishermen’s newspaper, Commercial Fisheries News (CFN), for 40 years, from the early 1980s until her retirement in 2014, during which it was the paper of record for the New England fishing industry. When…

One of the Maine coast’s most recognizable, beloved—and accessible—scenes might have had another fate. In 1988, a rumor circulated through St. George—which includes the villages of Port Clyde, Tenants Harbor,…

Drive through the smallest no-stoplight town in the Midwest and you’ll encounter a hulking grain elevator. The ubiquitous structures define the landscape in the country’s grain-producing midsection. But what is…

On Maine’s rugged coast, where shipbuilding, fishing, and working waterfronts have defined generations, leaders say the future is once again tied to the sea—this time through aquaculture, marine technology, and…

I think of late October and early November as the “readying season.” We learn to adjust our timing and be flexible with changing arrangements. The mailboat, on its winter schedule,…

Some people doubted anyone would want to eat baked beans in the middle of summer. On Islesboro the Masons do a ham-and-beans supper on the fourth Tuesdays of September through…

As an EMT, I have found myself on a boat in the middle of the night more frequently than the average person. The medevac trip to Rockland is occupied by…

When my daughter was about 10, she came home from school, having attended something called “pre-pooh class,” a precursor to puberty class. She was somber and circumspect. “Sweetie,” I said,…

“Change is the only constant.” That’s one of the memorable sayings of my graduate school advisor, Dr. Bob Steneck. I started my career in Steneck’s lab, researching how the abundance…

At a recent Damariscotta Select Board meeting, the public heard a proposal for a joint public works department between Damariscotta and neighboring Newcastle. Both towns have been working together to visualize...