Reporters listen to scanner traffic as much as possible, not because we want to, but because that’s where we find some of the stories readers most want to know about, or need to know about because…

Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah!

With our son, Tim, arriving home for Christmas from Nebraska this week, it will be a case of planes, trains and automobiles for him to get here. Thank…

First of all, a very Merry Christmas to friends near and far. There’s no better place to live, work and play than right here and this year, thanks to private homeowners and businesses, the…

I have been called a Grinch more often than I want to this time of year. It's not that I try to be a Grinch. I love Christmas and everything it means. I think it has something to do with what…

We were disappointed with the outcome of some of Maine’s November ballot questions, including Question 2, which will now require adding a 3 percent tax on individuals with a taxable income…

Outrageous? Pulling a fast one? Showing contempt for voters?

Those were pretty strong words some of the Wiscasset selectmen were using last week to describe the school department’s plan to…

This week, Americans and others around the world have been recalling and reliving the horrendous Sunday morning 75 years ago on December 7 when Japanese fighter planes carried out their…

Have you noticed the new feature on our websites? If not, take a look at the recent photo galleries and you will see that we've joined the SmugMug team, where you can order reprints of our photos…

Over the years we’ve heard many ideas for relieving Wiscasset’s seasonal traffic headache. Everyone agrees the bottleneck is Main Street. The worst traffic backups are in the afternoon during the…

Families all across the country will be celebrating Thanksgiving this week, a day which appears to have surpassed Christmas as the favorite holiday for millions of folks. It’s all about…

For those of us who are not fans of snow, or snowy roads in particular, it’s been a good fall. No surprise October storms and no snow at all that I saw until Monday morning, and even then, just a…

Congratulations to all the fall sports athletes at the local high schools. Even though enrollment is down compared to past numbers, both Boothbay Region and Wiscasset still continue to field…

The country’s voters sent a powerful message to Washington this week: We’re not happy with the way our government is being run, and we want change. The outcome of the Nov. 8…

As I sit waiting for election results Tuesday night so they can be posted on our websites and processed for printing in the newspaper Wednesday morning, I am worried for my children and…

I’m not good on stairs. I’ve missed a step and fallen down them, and tripped going up them, even breaking an arm once. Other than making a case for elevators, the lesson is just watch where you’re…

Scandalous. Unbelievable. Disgusting. Embarrassing. Ever-changing. And yes, sometimes amusing. These are just a few of the hundreds of words — we’re sure you have plenty of your own — which…

We’re having a communication problem these days. Is it just us, or are other folks having a hard time understanding some of the foreign accents on the other end of the phone line? …

Shocking news: The Affordable Care Act, more commonly called Obamacare, appears to be in serious trouble. Surprise, surprise. Its opponents — thousands of them in the political ring and in the…

I voted for president for the first time 40 years ago. After hearing about Watergate for most of my high school years and trying to understand what Agnew's, then Nixon's resignations would do to…

“Vote No On Question 3’’ signs are posted on a number of area lawns, referring to Question 3 on the Maine ballot, the universal background check initiative. On the surface, many (not all)…

Had a fight on Monday and Tuesday. There was a lot of grunting and begging on my part. But I persevered and my opponent finally backed off by Wednesday morning.

My opponent? Our office email…

When I moved from Sagadahoc to Lincoln County years ago, I was surprised to hear the racing miles off at then-Wiscasset Raceway. It was not a faint sound and not especially pastoral, but country…

The cool morning air is a reminder that Maine’s beautiful fall season will be followed by cold, windy, snowy days before too long.Outdoor enthusiasts look forward to downhill and cross-…

There's never enough time in a day, a week, a month or a year. Life happens and at the end of that day, that week, that month and that year, you find yourself behind on a myriad of things.

…

The announcement this past week that Bath Iron Works had lost its bid to build the Coast Guard’s new cutters was sobering news, not only for the Midcoast area, but for the entire state. BIW…

We were thrilled to report on the expansions planned for some longtime October traditions in Wiscasset. Kudos to town staff and the Wiscasset Area Chamber of Commerce for making a fun time funner…

Scientists in Hungary studying dogs and their brain function compared to humans have come to several conclusions, one of which is that dogs understand at least some of what humans say to…

Knock, knock.

Who’s there ...

Orange.

Orange who ...

Orange you going to help Woolwich use up its trash bags from pay-as-you-throw?

With fall coming up, they could be…

Wednesday morning, reports started coming over the phone of the strong earthquake that damaged central Italy. We've all seen the horror Mother Nature recently released…

What spices do you mix with cloth? Kind of strange, huh! Well, my predictions about the Red Sox at the beginning of the season haven't panned out. I — and I am sure a few others — didn't see…

Wow! How can we begin to describe the excitement and pride Maine residents felt, especially those of us here in the Boothbay region, when one of our own, Ellie Logan, earned her unprecedented…

Major kudos to Wiscasset fire officers, the full board of selectmen and Town Manager Marian Anderson for getting together Tuesday night to help clear the air on car-…

If motor vehicles could smile, they’d be all grins because there are lots of happy drivers here on the coast and elsewhere in Maine these days, thanks to scores of new paving projects. Just when…

Hot August days and nights. A heated presidential showdown. Inattentive drivers. A contentious local vote in November.

These things and more seem to be driving up people's tempers, mine…

Watching our 4-year-old granddaughter graduate from a flotation belt to inflatable arm bands to now standing up and swimming in the shallow end of the pool this summer has opened my eyes to how…

If you can no longer see your discarded items, you don’t have to worry about them, right? Unfortunately, that’s a sentiment held by many of us in this country, and others all over the world. For…

Sitting at a desk for 40 hours a week, doing chores at home, eating, sleeping and enjoying the granddaughters — plus not owning a boat — doesn't leave a whole lot of time in a week for getting out…

With our increased population here on the coast during the summer months, the potential for accidents skyrockets — more motorists, more pedestrians, more cyclists, more boating traffic.

On…

Casual may be in vogue, but when we sweep courtesy out the door along with the ties and shined shoes, we are cheapening ourselves individually and not saying much good on a larger scale.

…

Jock Lauterer.

That name may not mean much to our readership, but it means a whole lot to community newspapers throughout the country. Mr. Lauterer is a longtime lecturer in journalism at…

I have always felt safe living in Maine. For years, we wouldn't feel the need to lock our house doors at night and never our cars. If I remember correctly, there was one incident shortly after we…

Every time we hear that medical insurance premiums are taking another hike, we either silently fume or share our negative comments with others. First of all, we can’t resist remarking that under…

At one-plus acre, Whites Island near Wiscasset’s downtown is small, but special to many residents. Now the town has a chance to own it, but the timing could be better.

Voters just upped the…

Seems like we were just putting away our winter holiday decorations and complaining about the snow and now we're buying new pool toys and complaining about the heat and humidity.

Time does…

Spain has five million people unemployed, yet businesses can’t find workers. Why? Too many of the country’s men and women are unskilled, and can’t meet the demands of most of the job offers.

Our leaders in Washington are expected to resume discussion on gun control – will we impose a limit on the purchase of guns, and if so, how far will we go? It’s a heated issue, and our own Maine…

News can be competitive. As online readers, when big news is breaking, none of us thinks, “I’ll go to the website I know won’t have it.”

So in crime reporting and other on-the-spot coverage…

We’re about to host one of coastal Maine’s most popular summer events, Windjammer Days, with a wide variety of events planned, highlighted by the arrival of the beautiful sailing vessels Wednesday…

Perhaps some day I will write a book. It won't be a best-seller but it will be fun to reminisce about my years here at the Boothbay Register. This…

Wiscasset has done a lot of hard work lately, deliberating over which state concept to accept for the downtown, among other decisions. And as we’re seeing online at our website, www.…