With Labor Day in the rearview mirror, Mainers are about to enter another season: the political ad season. With primary candidates selected, the party favorites now move into position to face off against one another in the general election with a few independents in the mix. Hancock County municipalities are split on which party claims …
Maine lobster is a prestige brand. The crustacean’s cachet has landed it on dinner plates from Topeka to Taiwan. In addition to a cultivated aura of exclusivity, it’s a food with a great backstory. Think third-generation, Grundens-clad fishermen embarking at dawn from picturesque harbors to haul the day’s catch. Each boat its own small business. …
Student athletes are just kids and the grownups — be they officials or fans — are there to support them. Such should be the mantra of anyone attending youth sporting events. About to lose your cool? Repeat as needed or exit stage left. Your passion for the game should not ruin anyone else’s. Maine is …
Most young Americans take the adage “grow where you are planted” to heart. Nearly six in 10 young adults live within 10 miles of where they grew up while eight in 10 live within a 100-mile radius, according to a study released earlier this summer by the U.S. Census Bureau and Harvard University. An interactive …
Last spring, Maine Medical Center decided to play hardball with Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield. MaineHealth officials announced that the state’s largest hospital would leave the state’s largest health insurance network in 2023. Officials at the Portland hospital alleged Anthem owed millions in unpaid or underpaid claims. Anthem alleged that the hospital was overbilling. …
The communities of Regional School Unit 24 will soon have a beautiful, functional and safe combined middle and high school to launch future classes into adulthood. Just how soon is a matter of some contention. With school scheduled to start Sept. 6, construction is nearly, but not fully complete. The new anticipated occupation date is …
There are two competing interests here on the coast of Maine when it comes to short-term rentals. Landlords can earn more by renting out properties by the night or the week than by leasing them long-term to year-round residents. The practice has displaced residents, put needed housing out of many residents’ reach and, in a …
Maine is about 75 percent of the way toward achieving carbon neutrality, according to a recent report from the Maine Department of Environmental Protection. Full carbon neutrality — the state’s goal by 2045 — will be achieved when all emissions are offset by carbon sequestration in the environment. On that front, it helps that Maine …
For many Ellsworth area residents, Finn’s was a place — maybe the place — to go after a long day’s work or on a summer night too hot to cook at home. It took the best of the Irish pub theme — good beer and good company — and didn’t get heavy-handed with the gimmicks. …
If your candidate can’t win fairly, then it is OK to lie. Or to take some small kernel of truth and distort it to the degree that it becomes unrecognizable. It’s the funhouse mirror approach to political campaigning, except it is not fun at all. It’s disgusting. In Aroostook County, the Maine Republican Party has …
There was a time not at all long ago that the Ellsworth Public Library was open six days a week with evening hours twice a week. That it had an experienced, passionate library director and a staff person dedicated to community engagement. That it offered patrons a range of digital options, including eBooks, audiobooks and …
As local municipalities join the list of employers struggling to fill key positions, town officials have had to think creatively to provide the services residents have come to expect. That can mean piecing together coverage with existing staffing or enticing retirees back into the office in interim roles. Some towns have increased pay or offered …
