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A Bird’s Tale

Repairing Bird Populations Impacted by the World’s Largest Oil Spill

In April of 2010, the unthinkable happened. An oil drilling platform in the Gulf of Mexico off Louisiana exploded. The operation, called Deepwater Horizon and operated by international corporate...
From the editor

Concerned about police coverage

Boothbay Harbor Police Department, like other organizations and businesses, needs to find a few good men or women to work. Over the past few weeks, the department has received two resignations from...
From the assistant editor

Get a good one

At press time, it was not yet known if Wiscasset selectmen will ask voters to fund an economic development director. Town Manager Dennis Simmons’ proposal to add the job would be a tall ask as town...
’Round Town

Corey

What’s next? The life and tunes of Corey Tibbetts! Remember “Cracker Jacks” and the little prize at the bottom of the box? It wasn’t much but it was fun to see what the prize would be. The process...
Joe’s Journal

Finally – A grown-up evening with friends

Since Mr. COVID came to town, much of the older set has been reluctant to do much socializing. After all, Mr. COVID is a very bad dude. He targeted those of us who collect Social Security. For the...
Keepers’ Klippings

Using logbook entries and personal letters, “A Day in the Life of a Keeper – Part I” focused on lighthouse living in the 1800s. This sequel highlights the lives of keepers in the 1900s using oral...
Letter to the editor

St. Philip’s ‘in need’

Dear Editor: Just what is it all worth, and just who is it all for? What do you do when food insecurity knocks at your door? There’s a place in Wiscasset some don’t know well, And those that do...
Maine House District 47

Maine’s biennial budget

Maine's governor has proposed a $10.3 billion biennial budget, a two-year budget for fiscal years 23-24 and 24-25. Each of the Joint Standing Committees reviews a portion of the proposed budget and...
Salt ’n Spar

Music made by the wind

Do you remember the big wind harp off the Cochran Road in Newcastle? It’s long gone but once upon a time it sat on top of a small knoll not too far over the Edgecomb town line just past where...
Wiscasset Senior Center

The next public supper will be Wednesday, April 5. Menu will be tomato soup, anadama rolls, salad, baked ham, scalloped potatoes, green beans, and Toll House chocolate chip pie. Cost is $10 for...
AARP scam alert: ReST: Emotional support for fraud victims

For many fraud victims, the financial toll is only part of the story; nearly two in three victims suffer a significant health or emotional impact, according to research by the FINRA Investor...
Woodcock in the Snow

Last Friday, a friend told us that he had heard his first American woodcock of the year the night before. Woodcock are birds that are more often heard then seen, at least by most people. Those who...
From the editor

Waiting it out

As I write Tuesday morning, with the deadline clock ticking as we finish laying out the last few pages of the March 16 issue, another nor’easter is headed our way. Not fun but it is a test of our...
From the assistant editor

More good byes

Thank you, outgoing (in June) Wiscasset Elementary School Principal Kathleen Pastore, for having been one of those administrators who makes our job easier by being accessible and forthcoming. That...
’Round Town

Yay!

What a beautiful day was Sunday, March 12! After a stretch of unpredictable weather which brought us snow, winds and deep freezing, this day was a real gift. It’s the kind of day that helps us look...
Joe’s Journal

This and that on a spring day

Did you notice? The town public works crew has posted the side roads, dozens of chuckholes have appeared, it snowed again, and we had to reset our clocks. It must be getting on toward spring. The...
Wiscasset Senior Center

The next public supper will be Wednesday, April 5. Menu will be tomato soup, anadama rolls, salad, baked ham, scalloped potatoes, green beans and Toll House chocolate chip pie. Cost is $10 for...
AARP scam alert: Social Security scams

This year Social Security payments are being boosted by the biggest cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) in more than 40 years, and beneficiaries aren’t the only ones looking to cash in. Social Security...
A Bird’s Tale

Brawling in the Bird World

While walking the dog the other day (when a dog is walked as often as ours is, he’s bound to make frequent appearances in our column!), we heard an excited chatter of house sparrows coming from a...
From the editor

Calendars, crime and cooled down

Do you use a lot of calendars to keep track of your life? I find them very handy and, of course, necessary in assigning and keeping track of work schedules for reporters and news contributors. I have...
’Round Town

WBLM

Brothers and Sisters! WBLM radio station in Portland became 50 years old on March 1! BLM (which I always thought meant Bureau of Land Management— still do), had humble beginnings. It was started by...
Joe’s Journal

Snow day thoughts

I know we should look at the good side of things. If March comes in like a lion, it will go out like a lamb. Ya, Ya, Ya. As I write this episode, I do it as fast as possible. It is Saturday. The...
letter to the editor

Honest elections

Dear Editor: When is it OK to cheat? It is an interesting mental exercise. In wars we deliberately seek to misinform, spread lies, spy, and wiretap our enemies. Most people would agree with those...
letter to the editor

Governor needs to help the homeless

Dear Editor: Our Governor needs to stop accepting refugees in Maine. Actual Mainers are homeless and we have no housing available. Some towns are paying up to $10k per month per room to...
AARP scam alert: National Consumer Protection Week

It’s National Consumer Protection Week —and while AARP is focused on protecting consumers year-round – this is a good time to highlight some key consumer protection tips. Giving out personal or...
Where It’s At

‘Mainely Nude’ ends, photography exhibit to begin?

For the first time since the pandemic, the annual Mainely Nude show at Boothbay Region Art Foundation (originally the What’s Nude in Boothbay Harbor show established by Patricia Royall) fans of art...
Wiscasset Senior Center

The next public supper is Wednesday, March 15. Menu will be navy bean soup, salad, Irish soda bread, corned beef and cabbage, carrots, potatoes, and cream puffs for dessert. Cost is $10 members, $12...
A Bird’s Tale

The Original Winter Surfers

A recent Maine-based magazine ran a feature about winter surfing in Maine. That article was highlighting people who enjoy the thrill of grabbing their boards and catching waves in the middle of ...
AARP scam alert: Spring break travel scams

Just like the Groundhog says, winter isn’t going away anytime soon. That fact has many of us looking for a warm getaway this spring, but beware: scammers could be lurking on the other end of that...
From the editor

Just enough to get riled up

Hey, it’s March. Stop with the snow! We’ve had enough storms in the past two weeks to make up for the snow that didn’t fall in December and January … and the early part of February. No joke … we’ve...
From the assistant editor

Wintertime reminder

If I had been one of the women driving lost for days around Maine’s borders and rural Maine last week, I would probably not feel like going anywhere again for a while, or at least not doing the...
’Round Town

Victory Chimes

Recently I came across information about the Victory Chimes – she’s for sale. My first encounter with this major vessel was during one of Boothbay Harbor’s Windjammer Days in the early...
Joe’s Journal

Crumbs from the kitchen counter

For the first time this year, the early morning Saturday sun flooded over the kitchen counter as Mister Sun began his annual journey from beyond the trees bringing warmth to a chilly morning. While...
Letter to the editor

Fully support Ukraine

Dear Editor: Freedom loving citizens, I ask you to contact our Senators and Representatives in Washington, D.C. to fully support Ukraine to win the war so the bloodshed on both sides can end as...
letter to the editor

Maine hides test scores

Dear Editor:Everyone should agree on the importance of giving our children the best education possible. Nature has provided a window of critical time in learning during the time the prefrontal cortex...
letter to the editor

Informational meeting for Edgecomb voters

Dear Editor: Edgecomb voters who want to educate themselves about the proposed budget for the 2023-2024 fiscal year should plan to attend the informational budget meeting with the Select Board,...
Salt ’n Spar

Kaboom! But was it worth it?

This story takes place almost 99 years ago, during the “Roaring Twenties,” the time of Prohibition, gangsters, silent movies. Calvin Coolidge was America’s President and Babe Ruth was on his way to...
Boothbay Region YMCA: Community Catalyst for Good

Staff appreciation and philanthropy year kick-off party

What do sea otters, appreciation, and philanthropy have in common? An "otterly awesome" staff appreciation and philanthropy year kick-off party, that's what! Last month, the Boothbay Region YMCA...
Wiscasset Senior Center

The next public supper will be Wednesday, March 15. Menu will be: Navy bean soup, salad, Irish soda bread, corned beef and cabbage, carrots, potatoes and cream puffs. Cost is $10 for members, $12 for...