For us, spring birding this year has been marked by a new species arriving just about every day, making us very aware of that deep pulse of life on Earth called migration. Eastern kingbirds arrived last week, a house wren a few days ago, and today, our first prairie warblers and brown thrashers. Right in the backyard, a flock of warblers flitted through—a black-throated green singing “Zee-zee-zoo-zee” to alert us that it was there. After a few minutes of scanning the newly green maples, we’d seen black-and-white warbler, northern parula, yellow warbler, chestnut-sided warbler, and

Editor's note: The Boothbay Register erroneously published an Edgecomb political letter past our announced May 4 deadline. We regret that error and, because the letter, which endorsed school committee candidate Maureen Heffernan, also commented on candidate Heather Sinclair, we invited Sinclair to make a statement before this week's election. Here is that statement. 

My thanks to the Boothbay Register for the opportunity to make a final statement.

Public education is deeply complex, fully intertwined with other social and economic issues, and poorly understood. Most people deeply value our

All five of Wiscasset's selectboard candidates for three seats, both of Wiscasset's school committee candidates for one seat, and Westport Island's lone selectboard candidate on that town's ballot, took the time to thoughtfully answer Wiscasset Newspaper's questionnnaire. We thank them for that time, and for their willingness to, if elected, take part in night meetings and all the reading, studying, listening and decision-making involved in serving on those bodies.

At wiscassetnewspaper.com and in this week's print edition, the candidates' responses are published. We thank you for any time you

Imagine if you can, a 118-foot, 12,000-pound tree lying on the ground with all sorts of branches dangling from the top one third of its length. Now, visualize lifting that tree from the ground, by its top, to a totally airborne vertical position. Then take that tree another 50 feet into the air so it can be aligned perfectly to fit in a hole just under two feet in diameter. It's an almost incomprehensible process. Then, once that tree is in place, do it all over again with another tree!

Watching masts being lifted and placed (stepped) is breathtaking, especially for someone like me with very

With all the bombast going on in the Maine Senate race, the strangeness of Washington, D.C., the not really a war in the Middle East, and our local town meetings and elections, last week Columbia University  awarded the Pulitzer prizes.

In the news/scribbling biz, what is left of it, they are big deals, really big deals.

Of course, the big boys pulled in the goodies, like the NY Times, Washington Post, Reuters and AP. They awarded a special citation to Julie K. Brown, the Miami reporter who first introduced us to Jeffrey Epstein and his peccadillos. Bully for them and Ms. Brown.

But way down

Dear Editor:

Our corrupt and partisan supreme court has gutted the long standing Voting Rights Act of 1965, an act that made it possible for millions of voters to go to the polls who had been previously denied. This ruling has opened the door to racially motivated gerrymandering across the south. The effectiveness of racial gerrymandering is most evident in Texas where whites make up only 40% of the population yet over 60% of their congressional delegation is white.

The GOP, a party bereft of good ideas on how to govern and has had difficulty winning the popular vote, turns to rigging elections

Dear Editor:

I am writing to express my enthusiastic support for Cassaundra Rose for the Wiscasset Select Board. Having observed her dedication to our town over the last several years, I believe she possesses a unique blend of professional knowledge and leadership skills that Wiscasset needs.

Cassaundra’s background as a trained earth scientist and project manager in the Maine State Government gives her a rare, data-driven perspective on the complex issues facing our coastal community.

She has already applied those skills locally as the current chair of the Wiscasset Climate Action Team

Dear Editor:

Our serial lawbreaker, the 34-felony-count president, has led a charmed life — until now.

Racism? Dad will handle it. Broken contracts? Call Roy. Insurance fraud? Talk to Rudi. Adultery? Call David Pecker. Hush money? Call Michael Cohen. Credit problems? 1 (800) Deutsche Bank. Election tampering? Get Paul Manafort. Soliciting perjury? Rudi’s on it. Supreme Court packing? Mitch has got it. Election fraud? Call Brad. Attack on the U.S. Capitol to overthrow our government? Fox News. Theft of classified government documents? Get Todd on the phone. Immunity from prosecution? Thank-you

Dear Editor:

The Boothbay Region Garden Club hosted the Medomak District Annual Meeting on Monday, May 4th at the Bigelow Laboratories for Ocean Sciences’ new auditorium. The facility is so special and in our neighborhood. All our members enjoyed the auditorium and the whole facility.

Abby Jones, Valerie Young and Kim Knowlton were so easy to work with. Pinkham’s Gourmet Market supplied luncheon food, and everyone was over the moon with their lunch. Dunkin Donuts in Wiscasset supplied coffee and cups. Karen Iliades, who picked up the coffee said that the workers at Dunkin in Wiscasset were so

Dear Editor:

Early in the 21st Century, the United States appeared to falter. Iran was advancing its nuclear program while exporting terror. Cuba remained a hostile outpost off our shores. China was tightening its grip on the Panama Canal. The world depended on unstable OPEC oil from Arab oil exporters, while Europe struggled with open borders, unsustainable social programs, and mass immigration. Russia and China projected power into our hemisphere. America’s future looked bleak in 2024.

Fast forward to 2026. Under decisive leadership, the tide has turned. Panama is realigning with the United

Dear Editor:

On June 9th, Wiscasset voters will decide whether to approve a school budget of more than $11 million dollars.  As a retired teacher, I support education. However, there are very serious issues with the education being provided to Wiscasset students and throwing money at the problem will not correct what is wrong.

The problem is not that we spend too little. We already spend 35% more per student than the state average and yet, Wiscasset’s middle and high school students perform well below the state average in math, science and language arts.

We’re not only failing our students

Gift cards are popular and convenient for consumers—and for criminals who favor them as easy and hard-to-trace forms of payment.

They may claim the fastest way to fix an urgent financial problem is to go to a store, load a specific amount of money onto one or more gift cards (sometimes called electronic vouchers), and then share the activation numbers from the back of the card. No legitimate government agency or business will ever accept payment this way.

If you or someone you love has experienced this financial crime, turn the card over and call the issuer at the number provided; they may be

In 2024, the Legislature passed, and the Governor signed, L.D. 2104, An Act to Amend the Charter of the Wiscasset Water District. The bill did several important things, which were:

1. It includes the Town of Edgecomb in the Wiscasset Water District subject to a referendum vote in the Town of Wiscasset and the Town of Edgecomb.

2. It amends the provisions of the charter governing the board of trustees of the district to include a trustee who is a legal voter of the Town of Edgecomb.

For the purposes of the future municipal vote, these points are the most critical. This legislation authorizes

It may seem early to be thinking of summer, given it’s still early May, but the excitement generated by some rare birds found recently here in Maine has made us think about the places from where those birds originated.

A prothonotary warbler made an appearance in Berwick. The “golden swamp warbler” (as Audubon called it) is a species you might imagine having to travel to Florida or other parts of the southeastern U.S. to see. Surprise, surprise! You could reliably see one of these magnificent warblers—or hear its ringing “tsweet, tsweet, tsweet, tsweet” song—as close as southern New Jersey

I know it is ancient history but so much community fun! Events with a focus on what makes the region a community. No great fanfare, no fireworks, nothing but a real treat to celebrate special local people and organizations. I miss it. But, generally speaking, things don’t happen just because I like them. However, looking back through old photos tells me it was a grand celebration for the history of our area. If today’s photo prints well, you will recognize many familiar things. The boats, the people, the buildings, many of which and whom are long gone, remind me of the basic stuff that

Working through my usual morning routine early Saturday, I glanced out the window and saw Bambi. He/she had wandered over the stone wall that delineates my ground from that of my neighbor, Joey Norton, the stone mason extraordinaire. The critter examined a large rhododendron, decided not to dine on the leaves recently freed from the winter frost, flicked up his/her white tail, and vanished into the forest.

It was a placid beginning to a turbulent political  day. I am, of course, referring to Gov. Janet Mills' surprising decision to suspend her campaign for the June Democratic primary and a

Dear Editor:

After years in both public service and private business, I have come to appreciate a simple truth: leadership is measured by results. Whether you are helping run a company or helping shape public policy, people expect competence, integrity, and a clear understanding of how decisions affect their daily lives.

Maine needs a leader who respects taxpayers, understands the challenges facing employers and working families, and knows how to make government more efficient and accountable.

This is why I am endorsing Garrett Mason for governor.

He has a strong understanding of how Augusta

Dear Editor

At an open town meeting on April 29, the Wiscasset School Committee (divided 3 for, 2 against) asked the voters to approve a budget for the next school year of $11,191,742, an increase of $447,623. That budget was approved by a vote of 69 for and 21 against.

Enrollment continues to decrease, now at 348 students, as reported to the Department of Education in October 2025. Academic performance in Maine is poor. Wiscasset Middle High performance is worse than the state averages; in English Language Arts 44% of the students fail to meet expectations, in Math 69% fail to meet

Growing up, my childhood vacations were always road trips to visit my grandparents. My father would check over the car, and my mother would fill the cooler with snacks. Their careful planning made for wonderful vacations. It’s funny how modern travel still benefits from advanced planning and, of course, snacks. 

If you are dreaming of dusting off your suitcase and hitting the road, you are not alone. AARP’s 2026 Travel Trends survey reports nearly two-thirds of respondents planned to travel in 2026. Spending time with family and creating memories were the two top reasons for traveling. Survey

Reports of sweepstakes scams to the AARP Fraud Watch Network™ Helpline are on the rise. The prospect of a big financial windfall or amazing vacation plays on our emotions. Criminals count on our excitement to deceive us into paying a fee or divulging sensitive information.

Know that no legitimate sweepstakes or contest requires payment in advance or sharing your Social Security number or bank account details.

If an unexpected message sparks strong emotions and demands urgency, treat it as a potential fraud attempt. Take an “active pause”—an intentional step back to consider the scenario and