The Boothbay Town Report of 1940 noted that Cemetery District Trustees authorized the execution of contracts for perpetual care of cemetery lots at .75 cents per square foot, or $150 for a 10…
Columns
A Bird's Tale
The first time you clearly hear the long, drawn-out whistled “weet-woo” of an upland sandpiper drifting into your ears across an open grassland or blueberry barren, you will be mesmerized.…
Joe's Journal
Well, the windjammers sailed into and back out of the harbor and the fireworks signaled the 249th birthday of the good old USA. I guess that means it is now summer in Boothbay Harbor and its…
The next public supper will be Wednesday, July 16. The meal will consist of turkey soup, salad, garlic bread, cheese ravioli with meatballs, and ricotta cake. The cost is…
According to the Federal Trade Commission, theft through fraud may have been as high as $158.3 billion in 2023 alone. To put this into perspective, if fraud was a US company, it would be in the…
A Bird's Tale
Walking our little black chug through the leafy streets of our neighborhood several times a day for years continues to give us an appreciation of the small things that can otherwise be easily…
Joe's Journal
The big anniversary is next year, and the powers that be, big and small, are already planning for the big super All-American 250th Birthday shindig.
This weekend, in our little corner of…
The next public supper will be Wednesday, July 16. The meal will consist of turkey soup, salad, garlic bread, cheese ravioli with meatballs and ricotta cake. The cost is $…
Travel scams are heating up just in time for summer, from bogus deals to fake booking sites and other schemes. Here is how to spot some of the most popular vacation scams.
…
A Bird's Tale
Most songbird species only form flocks in the non-breeding season. Think of American robins, red-winged blackbirds, or chipping sparrows as a few examples. In migration or in winter, any of…
Joe's Journal
Last Saturday, I wrote a column that contrasted today's events with the climate of 1975 when we all saw a movie named "Jaws." I thought it was pretty good. Well, all right, it was OK.
Then…
From the Maine Senate
The fight to preserve affordable housing continues.
We’ve all seen rents and the cost of homes go up in the past…
The next public supper will be Wednesday, July 2. The meal will consist of strawberry soup, herb bread, baked haddock, oven-browned potato wedges, broccoli, and ice cream cake.…
To protect yourself, protect your Medicare number. Don’t share it with anyone who contacts you out of the blue. Be wary of offers for free medical equipment or services that you are told Medicare…
Community of Hope
When people begin to learn about domestic abuse, the first question on their lips is often “Why doesn’t the person just leave?” Framing the problem in this way does two…
A Bird's Tale
Those of us who love birds and nature, and who recognize that the oxygen we breathe, the food we eat, and the clean water we need, are only possible because of nature, are always more than a…
Joe's Journal
Next week, during our 63d edition of Windjammer Days, one of America's historic sailing vessels will cross our harbor. But this one will not be ferrying happy tourists.
She is the…
Salt ’n Spar
Ever since I was a kid, I’ve wondered how a town, river or hill might have gotten its name. My curiosity extends to roads and street names, too. Maybe you’ll remember a while back I shared…
A Bird's Tale
It’s a simple call that’s hard to ignore—a single, loud “wheeep,” or sometimes a burry “reeep.” The sound itself seems confident, brash, maybe a little raucous.
Which is why, when you…
Joe's Journal
The other day we celebrated a key battle in a great conflict. No, I am not referring to Godzilla v. King Kong, although that might be fun to watch. And I am not thinking about the latest national…
The next public supper will be Wednesday, June 18. The meal will consist of black bean soup, salad, rolls, turkey tetrazzini, peas, and cherry rhubarb crisp al al mode.
The…
WHERE IT'S AT
She’s a genre blender. Innovator. Three-time Grammy winner. Gotta be Alison Brown. If you missed Alison and the Band last June, I advise you not to make that mistake again: They are returning to…
Joe's Journal
Memorial Day usually marks the end of mud season and the start of summer. But it is more than a note on the calendar. It is a special national celebration.
We gathered on that sunny Monday…
From childhood, Nancy Merrill visited with her family at their Southport, Cozy Harbor residence. The three and half-hour trip from Jackman was always worth the arrival at her final destination…
All birds are wonderfully mysterious in their own unique ways.
But some are downright perplexing.
For us, the cedar waxwing is in that category.
We are thinking about…
The next public supper will be Wednesday, June 18. The meal will consist of black bean soup, salad, rolls, turkey tetrazzini, peas, and cherry rhubarb crisp al al mode. The cost is…
If your phone’s been lighting up with messages saying you owe a road toll, you’re not alone. Criminals are blasting out fake texts pretending to be from government agencies or toll services. Their…
Maine State Aquarium
The Maine State Aquarium’s 2025 season begins on Wednesday, June 11, and preparations are going swimmingly. Last year’s grand reopening was a huge hit with over 26,000 visitors, and this year…
Memorial Day is a day of remembering and honoring the past. We especially remember those who have died while serving to protect our nation. In such a time we also tend to think of and honor…
'Round Town
I’ve misplaced my sunblock! Ha!
Continuing on with the theme of summer, a followup on last week’s fishing experience column, I remain invested in an archive dive from days gone by. To this…
Joe's Journal
The big buzz in Washington last week had something to do with the discovery that former President Joe Biden was old.
A couple of reporters wrote a book that quoted Biden associates claiming…
The next public supper will be June 4. The meal will consist of Tuscan ribolita, salad, garlic bread, lasagna, and pizzelle cookies with ice cream. The cost is $10 for…
QR codes are everywhere – from restaurant menus to package tracking. But where there is innovation, there are criminals exploiting them for fraud. QR codes are now being used by scammers to…
A Bird's Tale
It was eleven o’clock on Sunday night, May 18, here in Maine. The lilac flowers glowed like purple ghosts in the dim light from the porch lamp; near the end of driveway,…
Joe's Journal
Not far from the Boothbay town office stands the statue of a Civil War soldier. On its side, you can view a list of the names of men who served during that terrible conflict. Many of these names…
Criminals are always looking for ways to get your personal information to use in criminal activities. The good news is that there are many steps you can take to help protect your data and…
Joe's Journal
We have a Pope, said the Cardinal from the balcony of the Vatican. Of course, he spoke in Latin, after all, this was the Roman Catholic Church. The wait was over, the conclave was complete, now…
