Working Waterfront

Maine Seacoast Mission stays modern, reaches eastern coast

Think of it as a floating community center. Hot coffee and a hearty breakfast are still served aboard Sunbeam V, the Maine Seacoast Mission's 75-foot long vessel which provides hospitality and fellowship to those living on Maine's Midcoast and Downeast islands. That part of the mission's story has been told… SEE MORE

Students at Rockland's "URock" work with an instructor.

Working Waterfront

Redefining ‘college’ brings new groups into system

When Jesse Poole of Vinalhaven was a teenager, he was interested in computer science but he never went to college to study it—or to study anything else for that matter. “Growing up here, it was hard to get away from Vinalhaven,” Poole, now 35, said. “It seemed like too big… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Understanding immigration through Canadian eyes

This political season is once again illuminating the ongoing struggle to define who we are as a country. One pointed aspect of this debate involves immigration and it is as relevant in Maine as anywhere else in the country. We are agonizing over the appropriate treatment of U.S. immigrants, while… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Alfond Foundation gives $3.1 million to Bigelow Lab for residences

The Harold Alfond Foundation announced a $3.1 million award to Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences for construction of a 32-bed student and visiting scientist residence with four visitor apartments on the laboratory’s East Boothbay campus. An anonymous donor has matched the award, allowing the project to break ground in April. A separate… SEE MORE

Maine Maritime Academy's training ship State of Maine docked in Castine.

Working Waterfront

Maine Maritime Academy’s training vessel leaves for two-week voyage

Maine Maritime Academy students, officers and crew will depart Castine on Saturday, Jan. 2 at about 10:30 a.m. on the training ship State of Maine for a two-week training voyage to St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. The ship will carry 210 students and crew and is due to arrive on… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Islands lag in Internet speeds, hampering economic growth

Internet speeds for Maine's year-round island communities are hampering economic growth and even threatening their long-term viability, a report issued Dec. 9 asserts. The 200-page report by Tilson Technology followed extensive study of current Internet speeds on 14 islands: the Cranberry Isles (Islesford, Great Cranberry and Sutton), Vinalhaven, North Haven,… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Deflated, but not defeated

Editor's note: Reflections is a monthly column written by Island Fellows, recent college grads who do community service work on Maine islands through the Island Institute, publisher of The Working Waterfront. Alana Flanagan is working with the Vinalhaven School and Partners in Island Education to create support systems for parents… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Arts booster finds Eastport ‘stunning, mysterious’

In September, Tarah Waters began work in Eastport as an Island Fellow through the Island Institute (publisher of The Working Waterfront). Waters is a Colorado native and graduate of Salve Regina University in Newport, R.I. with a B.A. in international studies. SEE THE SLIDESHOW Her work is focused on Eastport’s… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Swan’s Island, Islesford elementary schools blessed with support, says principal

The obstacles and challenges that come with being the principal of two island elementary schools are many. But those jobs also come with something educators like Heather Webster long for—deep community support. Webster, 42, lives in Bar Harbor with her husband and two children, but commutes to Swan's Island Elementary… SEE MORE

Ashley Bryan holds a copy of Beautiful Blackbird

Working Waterfront

Ashley Bryan reminds us: ‘Beautiful are the souls of my people’

The award-winning children’s book author and illustrator Ashley Bryan from Islesford (Little Cranberry Island) often concludes his storytelling performances with a remarkable recitation of Langston Hughes’s poem “My People,” asking his audience to repeat the lines after him. Everyone goes away with the last line echoing in their heads: “Beautiful,… SEE MORE