Working Waterfront

A trusted voice on coastal issues

I envision this newspaper as one of those forces that builds, rather than erodes, community strength. SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Tax credits would help revitalize local news in rural Maine

This isn’t just a national trend; while Maine has some excellent local news sources, coverage is patchy at best. SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Back to school (but not for me)

This time, it's just me, my depressed immune system, and a whole lot of time. SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Why white sharks are showing up more in Maine

While that news may alarm some swimmers, it turns out this is largely a conservation success story. SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Where does the friction go?

Friction-maxxing, according to its Wikipedia definition, “is the practice of intentionally choosing less convenient options in daily life to build tolerance for discomfort, resist technology-driven ease, and preserve what proponents describe as meaningful human experiences.” SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Friendly banter and ferry updates

In July of 2005, I wrote a column about the posters and signs people installed around the islands and how they were the best way to find out what was going on. Twenty-one years later, people still put up posters, but if you want details about island activities, most folks… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

A theory about those who visit islands

If you want to meet islanders, go to an island. Now before you send a letter to the editor complaining about the dumbest sentence you’ve ever read in your life, let me explain. I had that admittedly room-temperature insight recently, on the barnacle-crusted shore of West Gosling, one of a… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

The best place for a bad time

First, some news. On April 23, my 45th birthday, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. The thumbnail sketch is that my prognosis is great, it hasn't spread anywhere, and I'm on a curative treatment plan that starts with chemo, then surgery, then maybe radiation, then immunotherapy. I found the tumors… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Staying focused on the climate crisis

There’s nothing like a near-record heat wave to make you feel like garbage. That’s my first thought as I write this during the sweltering days before July 4, sitting in my un-cooled home office, with a slight headache and sweat forming on my brow before 10 a.m. But stifling as… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Powering work boats with electric engines

The last time I drove Island Institute’s boat, a 25-footer with an outboard motor, I used about 16 gallons of gas per hour. That’s the standard measure of a boat’s fuel consumption, and being out on the water for much of the day, it added up to 74 gallons—enough gas… SEE MORE