Working Waterfront

Fabric, fiber, and food

By Sandy Oliver The Sewing Circle cooks. There is a whole lot of sewing, knitting, crocheting, needlework, and weaving going on, but can we ever cook! The food and fiber connection is a strong one, reinforced by an island-wide lack of fast food options despite the small rotisserie chickens one… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Maine’s place in the urgent work on climate and social justice

By Rob Snyder When I look back on the past few months, I see them as some of the most formative of my career. My work brought me close to diverse efforts addressing a range of problems, but a theme linking them emerged. Climate Week in New York City was… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Pulling back Bar Harbor’s shingled curtain

Bar Harbor Babylon//Dan and Leslie Landrigan Review by Tom Walsh So, this summer's “beach book” wound up being a buzz kill? Sorry. You could have spiced up your summer in the sun with a copy of Bar Harbor Babylon, a historic anthology of killers, thieves, scammers, and seriously rich families involved in the… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Senior sing-along meets important community needs

Members of the chorus are given their lyric sheets. MICHELE STAPLETON Sue Spalding, a retired music educator, directs Ten people file into the nave of Brunswick United Methodist Church on a Tuesday afternoon in early September and take their seats in rows facing the altar. Everyone is over the… SEE MORE

Passengers disembark the Islesboro ferry in Lincolnville.

Working Waterfront

Ferry rate ‘fix’ is still not the right response

By Sen. Erin Herbig It’s time for ferry rates that work for everyone. In April 2018, the Maine State Ferry Service more than doubled the ferry rates to Islesboro, devastating not just island residents, but the state as a whole. Passenger tickets went from $5.50 to $11, vehicle tickets from… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Deer Isle, Stonington housing reaches crisis levels

By Laurie Schreiber A severe shortage of affordable workforce housing on Deer Isle and in Stonington has hit crisis proportions. Employers can’t attract new employees because of the cost of housing, causing some businesses to scale back, close, or relocate. The population of younger workers and young families has dropped… SEE MORE

Cliff Island residents gathered to celebrate establishing broadband service on the island

Working Waterfront

Cliff Island celebrates securing broadband

By Jack Sullivan More than two years ago, three Casco Bay islands began in earnest their pursuit of high-speed, reliable internet, otherwise known as broadband. One of the three, Cliff Island, just crossed the finish line, and the excitement for that achievement was evident at a community meeting on Aug.… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Free end-of-summer food no simple transaction

By Barbara Fernald“Do you have any interest in this food from my refrigerator?” It’s a common question for those of us who live here, or haven’t left for the season yet. The answer to that depends. Most late season offerings are very usable and sometimes a real treat. There is always… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Why Islands? An important question for the world

By Rob Snyder Islands are the Island Institute’s North Star, and perhaps they should hold this place for all. Islands captured my heart and mind so much so that I’ve dedicated the past 16 years to island community sustainability. They give me hope because they are places where equity, tolerance,… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Church and community have become intertwined

By Phil Crossman When I was a teenager, I lived in the Moses Webster House on Vinalhaven, a wonderfully impractical six-bedroom Victorian Mansard next door to another, equally beautiful Victorian structure. Impracticality aside, it was the first time that I and my three young brothers each had a bedroom of… SEE MORE