BROOKLIN — The World Happiness Report, an annual study that, according to the report’s website, “ranks 156 countries by how happy their citizens perceive themselves to be,” was published this past March, just in time to coincide with a global pandemic. Flash forward a few months, and in addition to reeling from the coronavirus outbreak, …
ELLSWORTH — With the state’s stay-at-home restrictions easing and businesses beginning to reopen, many Mainers may face feelings of anxiety associated with returning to the workforce and to a new normal. Using mindfulness techniques could ease this burden. The practice of mindfulness is “bringing your attention to the present moment in a nonjudgmental way, with …
ELLSWORTH — Just 28.6 percent of Hancock County households have responded to the 2020 U.S. Census, compared to about 44 percent of households in Maine and more than 53 percent nationwide. In Hancock County, tiny Amherst had the highest percentage of households — 46.2 — reporting as of Tuesday morning, according to 2020census.gov. The response …
DEDHAM — Sometimes, life veers off the beaten path and into a passion. This is true for spouses Kristin and Tom Beauchamp, whose paths led them to owning Lone Spruce Farm in Dedham. The life they’ve built there is closely connected to the land, and they see themselves as its stewards. “This land was here …
ELLSWORTH — “Don’t diet, pie it,” says the slogan on mugs and T-shirts sold at Helen’s Restaurant, located high up on the long slope of Downeast Highway descending into town. In Maine, the word “pie” has been synonymous always with Helen’s Restaurant in Machias since Helen and Larry Mugnai and his siblings Julie and Esther …
ELLWORTH — Planning Board members and city staff returned to an ongoing debate at the board’s March 4 meeting, discussing which projects should come before the board for consideration and which can be handled by staff. The discussion involved which building and development projects constitute “major use” versus “minor use.” City staff and board members …
ELLSWORTH — When Jasmine Smith, director of the Community School of Mount Desert Island, gathered her students along the banks of the Union River last Halloween, her goal was to begin an educational unit on the local watershed. Her class then witnessed an oil spill from a large box truck. As the Alpine class, a …
ELLSWORTH — At its March 4 meeting, the Planning Board found incomplete preliminary plans for a five-acre gravel pit near Woodland Estates off the Bucksport Road. The plan was submitted by Richard McMullen of McMullen Landscape Construction and Maintenance. The board found the application was missing required documentation, including a letter from the Department of …
SULLIVAN — Looking back at teenage years can evoke chuckles and questions about fashion choices and prom dates. Around the world, it also is considered a hugely important time for young people as they transition from adolescence to adulthood. This “coming of age” is marked differently from the bar and bat mitzvahs for boys and …
ELLSWORTH — The Loaves and Fishes Food Pantry, tucked back from 119 Bucksport Road, is operating under new hours and a new manager. What remains the same is the organization’s goal of providing food and goods to individuals and families in a judgment-free space. “We try to put back a little dignity into shopping,” says …
ELLSWORTH — As the holidays approach, many find themselves worrying about what gifts to purchase, which parties to attend and where to find the perfect wreath. This past Sunday, volunteers at Woodbine Cemetery took a break from festivities and found another purpose for balsam, in the form of memorial wreaths for veterans’ graves. For the …
ELLSWORTH — When the curtain opens in a theater, the possibilities are endless. The space becomes a place for both the actors and their audience to connect through laughter, tears, tenderness, excitement and other emotions evoked by the story. There’s potential for all that to happen in The Grand’s production of E.B. White’s classic children’s …
