Working Waterfront

Putting down retail roots on Islesboro

Sky and Marianne Purdy met while hiking the Appalachian Trail in 2007, and for six seasons, both worked at a lodge in Denali National Park in Alaska at the end of the park’s single road, nestled in a six-million-acre wilderness. So the couple knows something about the long haul. And… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Tanks foul air, threaten health, South Portland residents say

South Portland’s industrial waterfront lies at the mouth of the Fore River, across a widening expanse of water from Portland’s busy commercial district. Protected, and with deep water anchorage, it’s as prime as it gets. [caption id="attachment_23888" align="alignleft" width="300"] This photo, provided by South Portland’s Roberta Zuckerman, show the proximity… SEE MORE

A recent photo of Thomas and Jackson. PHOTO: COURTESY YVONNE THOMAS

Working Waterfront

My personal race story

Twenty-five years ago, I made a conscious choice to avoid the issue of race. And because I am a white woman, living in a majority white community, I had the privilege of making such a choice. I had just earned my master’s degree in counseling, and had done my student… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Coastal briefs: Saco erosion, seafood branding, Acadia reservations, boat builders show

Maine delegation seeks action in Saco Army Corps asked to address Camp Ellis beach erosion U.S. Sens. Susan Collins and Angus King and Rep. Chellie Pingree have written their support for the city of Saco in its bid to enter a project partnership agreement with the Army Corps of Engineers… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

In the classroom—Island author inspires island students

We listened attentively as writer Anica Mrose Rissi read a chapter from an upcoming book. Everyone in the Zoom room was captivated—eyes widening during spooky parts, smiling and laughing during funny parts. The Zoom room was populated by 5th-8th grade students from Maine’s outer island one-room schools on Monhegan, Frenchboro,… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Ocean solutions, Commoner connection, and more

Ocean solutions To the editor: In October, Democrats in the U.S. House introduced a sweeping and comprehensive bill to address aspects of the climate crisis by focusing on the ocean. The Ocean-Based Climate Solutions Act (H.R. 8632) seeks to harness the ocean in the fight against climate change through seven… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Keeping islanders busy through COVID and winter

I am a sucker for a pretty view. If you were to scroll through the pictures on my phone, you would see an abundance of sunsets over beaches, waves crashing against boats in the bay, evergreen trees swaying in the wind, the lamplight breaking through the thick fog on the… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Cleaning up our mess means being bold, practical

The story horrified me. It hit close to home—literally. And it angered many, some demanding action be taken at the public policy level. The story, broken in mid-December by Ethan Andrews, editor of the Camden-based Free Press, reported that some bales of shredded plastic waste had apparently fallen off a… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

When jobs have deadly consequences

Mill Town: Reckoning with What Remains Kerri Arsenault (2020) Review by Tina Cohen Mill Town, with no specific location in its title, could refer to a lot of places. Here it refers to Rumford, where Arsenault grew up in the adjacent town of Mexico, across the Androscoggin River from the… SEE MORE

Cruise ship seen from West Street in Bar Harbor.

Working Waterfront

Lost at sea: Cruise ships faces uncertain future

On paper, Bar Harbor was expecting more than 150 cruise ship visits this year. In reality—fat chance. The COVID-19 tsunami finds the global cruise ship industry in shambles and has left traditional ports of call, including a handful in Maine, with many more questions than answers. “We need to figure… SEE MORE