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 top 40 by revenue. That’s $434 million every day, or about $300,000 every minute – stolen from Americans by fraud criminals.

All reports on fraud that seek to measure the problem show a meteoric year-after-year increase. And we, at last, are beginning to see signs of hope in addressing the fraud crisis. We see more policymaker concern at the federal and state levels. The Aspen Institute has taken on a

Surrounded by the crisp ocean air and the deep green woods, it is easy to understand why Maine is called “Vacationland.” From the early “rusticators” of the 1900s to modern tourists, people come to bask in Maine’s natural beauty each summer. Whether we are on vacation, taking a staycation, or embarking on a day trip, Maine summers are filled with enough outdoor adventures, arts, and festivals to explore all season long.  

Maine State Parks offer a slice of summer fun for everyone. Maine’s 48 State Parks can be found along our coastline, blue lake shores and mountain trails. There is bound to

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 missed in our daily lives. We notice when someone plants a new shrub in front of their house. We take notice when the first peonies start blooming.

Lately, we’ve noticed that the robins have started singing more vigorously again now that their first brood has fledged.

Over the years, we have tracked three cherry trees in our neighborhood, all within a mile of our house, that come into ripeness every

The 63rd Windjammer Days – a week full of events and spectacles – has ended with lots of memories of fun and hard work. Friends of Windjammer Days, made up of lots of volunteers, is to be commended for putting together another great festival.

It always helps if the weather cooperates and this year, despite the heat wave and the rain knocking out the Tug Across the Harbor and the Servers Shuffle events on Saturday, there were no downpours or socked-in fog the rest of the week. The Blessing of the Fleet, Parade of Sail and the Street Parade were three of the big events spared of bad weather. 

Co

Attendees at the Boothbay Harbor Opera House Tim Sample Show got a good "Sample-ing" of Maine and local humor. According to Mr. Sample, it was the last performance in the town where he grew up. The Opera House was packed, and Tim did not disappoint. Old friends, family and a significant number of “people from away” put aside their cares in the world for an evening of joy-filled stories, observations and occasional music. I was somewhat saddened by the fact that there were no “skidders” parked in the woods adjacent to the Opera House. But that did not impact the clear picture Tim painted from

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 God’s great creation, we are recovering from another successful Windjammer Days extravaganza and racing into summer. But we will have fireworks, a band concert and other big things. Merchants, local (please patronize them) and national, will offer deals they tell us are too good to pass up.

The Maine legislature has packed up and gone home, leaving the heat on Gov. Janet Mills to pick through the leavings. In

Dear Editor:

Last week the S&P 500 and the NASDAQ set record highs as investors “voted” their economic confidence. Inflation was at a multi-year low.  NATO countries agreed to increase defense spending to 5% GDP rather than depending on the “generosity” of the U.S. taxpayer. A cease fire was reported in the Israel-Iran conflict. Iran’s nuclear enrichment program was severely compromised by U.S. bunker buster bombs at the uniquely hardened Fordow Facility. The $1.5 billion facility contained almost 3,000 centrifuges and took 6 years to build. Physical damage combined with chemical and nuclear

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 $10 for members and $12 for non-members. Additional meals may be purchased for takeout at the same cost when reserved. Takeouts should be picked up at 5:45 p.m.                                                                                                      

For more information or to make a reservation, call 882-8230 and join us for a wonderful meal.

Cribbage results for Tuesday, June 24 with 22 players: First place

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.  

Scammers often create fake vacation rental listings, then pressure you to pay upfront through wire transfers, gift cards, or other hard-to-trace methods. If a host asks you to pay outside the platform, it's a scam.  

Be skeptical of steeply discounted offers and use a credit card for stronger fraud protection. If something feels off, take the time to verify before making any payments. Also, learn about any new-to-you

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 these species can be in flocks ranging from dozens to hundreds, or in the case of red-winged blackbirds, in the thousands.

Last week, we stopped under the shade of a roadside tree at our local grassland to listen to the sounds of summer breeding birds—the bubbling songs of the bobolinks, the sizzly tunes of the savannah sparrows. It was then that we noticed that the gravel roadside was sprinkled with

The news really poured in for this week’s issue and our coverage of Windjammer Days added to the daily flow. But Houston (and Boothbay, etc.), we have a problem.

Despite being a broadsheet with larger pages than most newspapers around the state, we are still dependent upon advertising to support the number of pages we publish each week, as are other newspapers.

A friend of mine reminded me last week that his former daily newspaper, the Kennebec Journal, is now only publishing once a week. Sad news.

Days of yore, people looked forward to sitting down and flipping through the printed pages

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 late Saturday, American air power mounted a massive attack on the nuclear bases in Iran. And it was time to scrap that column.

That is the way it is in the news business. Suddenly, the latest big thing makes the last big thing old news. Can anyone remember the ruthless details of the back and forth between the White House and its former DOGE honcho, Elon Musk? Nope, that is yesterday’s news. When news breaks

They said it couldn't be done.

Just kidding. Anyone would know better than to doubt we could come up with five good things a month that happened in or near Wiscasset, for every month of 2025. But we are very pleased to announce, with this month's installment, we have hit the halfway mark on this thoroughly positive and easy enterprise.

So for June, let's start with graduation. It never gets old, the families, friends, officials and others honoring Wiscasset's latest class to earn its diplomas. And while this was not the ceremony's first year back in Wiscasset Middle High School's Stover

For me, Windjammer Days brings back memories from some 50 odd years of witnessing this special event. There have been lots of changes, but fundamentally, it's a tribute to, by and for a coastal community connected to the seas for centuries and an historic tradition. 

I am reminded of just how much ocean travel has been part of Maine culture, the Boothbay region in particular. Last week’s column mentioned efforts being made to restore area cemetery stones and properties. Even a casual stroll through any local burial grounds reveals a significant number of stones with references to ship

Dear Editor:

My guess is almost none of the 77.3 million Trump voters attended a “No King” protest. Trump won the election with broad support, winning 86% of the country’s 2,676 counties, 31 states, and the popular vote. Under the rules of the “National Popular Vote Compact,” he would have been awarded 17 more states for a total of 48 losing only New Hampshire and Virginia

In October of last year, the country was on an unsustainable course and in trouble. Voters identified the economy, inflation, open borders, crime, and illegal immigration as the most important issues.  In October 2024 Biden

The fight to preserve affordable housing continues.

We’ve all seen rents and the cost of homes go up in the past few years. We’ve seen the impacts on our communities, too, as long-time residents get pushed out by high prices. Many older Mainers, low-income families, and veterans live in mobile and manufactured home communities, which are some of the last truly affordable housing options in our state.

Preserving affordable housing has always been one of my priorities in the Legislature. This year, my colleagues and I have focused on housing in mobile home and manufactured home communities

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.

The cost is $10 for members and $12 for non-members. Additional meals may be purchased for takeout at the same cost when reserved. Takeouts should be picked up at 5:45 p.m. For more information or to make a reservation, call 882-8230 and join us for a wonderful meal.

Cribbage results for Tuesday, June 10 with 22 players: First place: Rita James, perfect score of 847. Second place: Roger Tappan, 830. Third place: Ron

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 will cover. The only equipment or services Medicare will cover are those that are prescribed by your doctor. 

Review your Medicare statements regularly and report anything suspicious to your medical provider. If your concern persists, contact Medicare at 1-800-MEDICARE.  

Learn how to spot and avoid scams with AARP Fraud Watch NetworkTM. Suspect a scam? Call our free helpline at 877-908-3360 and talk

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 things: First, it places the onus of stopping the abuse squarely on the victim, implicitly refusing to hold abusers accountable. A more reasonable question would be “Why do people abuse their partners?” Instead, the common tendency is to focus criticism on victims’ perceived mistakes or weaknesses.

Second, it makes leaving one’s home sound easy. In fact, it is almost always traumatic and difficult. “Just leave” implies a

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 little perplexed by the fact that government budgets never provide more than a minuscule token toward nature conservation and protection.

We’ll leave that conundrum for social scientists and politicians to explain.

Meanwhile, it’s already a given that, literally, only a tiny fraction of a penny of your tax dollars goes to programs that help the birds you love and that help keep the world healthy. On