Working Waterfront

‘Community Economics’ is topic of next Community Institute session

Cities and towns in Maine are making decisions each day that improve their economic health or, unfortunately, can make things harder for community members, businesses and taxpayers. The Community Institute, a program of the Friends of Midcoast Maine, offers its fourth workshop on such matters, Community Economics, on Thursday, Oct. 22… SEE MORE

The members of the Edgecomb Community Solar Farm Association with their ground array. Another array is mounted on the barn behind them.

Working Waterfront

Maine’s first community solar farm signals trend

Lynne and Christopher Gilbert of Bristol had long been interested in solar power. Unfortunately, a solar array wouldn’t have worked on their roof, since it’s not the best angle for the sun and there are many trees around it. Last summer, they were at a meeting of the Midcoast Green… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Writer Paul Greenberg has vision for restoring fish, food link

By Catherine Schmitt Paul Greenberg is the author of American Catch: The Fight for Our Local Seafood and Four Fish: The Future of Our Last Wild Food. A lifelong fisherman, Greenberg has written for The New York Times, National Geographic and GQ, among other publications. Greenberg received both a… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

A summer of learning, leadership along Maine coast

On Swan's Island, community leaders and nearly 200 residents debated the future of the Swan's Island Electric Cooperative, the ratepayer owned distributor of electricity on that island and nearby Frenchboro (Long Island). There is nothing so heartening as watching community members of diverse background and economic standing give stump… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Adventure, comfort blended in Café Miranda chef’s book

An anchor of Rockland’s restaurant scene, Café Miranda has maintained its popularity for over 20 years. These days its founder, Kerry Altiero, isn’t content to just rest on his laurels, hailed as Maine’s “pioneer chef” and a prize-winner in culinary competitions. His creative restlessness and curiosity still drive him to… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Building a better candy bar

By Dora Thompson ROCKLAND — "Hold on, I have to grab a coaster. My mom will kill me,” joked Kate McAleer, owner, founder and CEO of Bixby & Co as she put her drink down on one, saving the shining wood table in their office. Gordon and Donna McAleer, her… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Cranberry Isles hopes to coordinate patchwork ferry system

CRANBERRY ISLES — On a sunny summer day, the ferry from Southwest Harbor to the Cranberry Isles is packed with day-trippers and year-round and summer residents. The day-trippers carry sunscreen and cameras, the residents lug groceries. The captain’s mate slings a couple of bikes on the roof of the pilothouse,… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Maine’s ‘Boatbuilder Laureate’ wants to sell his waterfront property

SOUTHWEST HARBOR—When wooden boatbuilder Ralph Stanley retired five or six years ago, he was hoping to see his shop converted into a living museum with a teaching component, with Stanley as artist-in-residence. Despite interest from a number of organizations and individuals, the potential cost of endowing and operating such an enterprise… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Portland’s growing Indian population drawn by high-tech jobs

This is the second in a series of stories about how immigration is changing coastal Maine. Jennifer Atkinson is a lawyer based in Friendship who specializes in immigration matters. As Maine’s flagship coastal community, the greater Portland area is home to immigrants from all over the world. In recent months,… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Can oysters save New York Harbor?

By Susie Arnold, Ph. D. and Heather Deese, Ph. D. New York, New York is a lot of things to a lot of people. But it isn't a great place to harvest oysters. Eat them, yes. Harvest them, no. Turns out this is a recent phenomenon. In the 1890s, New… SEE MORE