McDonald holds one of her daughters while on a friend's boat in Stonington harbor.

Working Waterfront

The lobstering legislator

PHOTOS BY MICHELE STAPLETON Near the end of our conversation, Genevieve McDonald drops a bit of a bombshell by saying she is applying for law school and hopes to begin classes in the fall of 2022. This comes after she has described her work as a state legislator, her work… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Traveling journalists find ‘ingenious’ local initiatives

Despite today’s fraught political discourse at the national level, local communities are finding ways to connect and find common solutions and work toward renewed innovation, compromise, and optimism. That was the message from James and Deborah Fallows, journalists and authors of the 2018 book Our Towns: A 100,000-Mile Journey Into… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Cruising the world with and for art

The sea has inspired countless artists, but few have seen as much of it as Alan Fishman and Marcie Jan Bronstein, a Belfast couple who have cruised the world. Though they have owned boats as a couple for 30 years, most of their sea-art adventures came aboard Celebrity Cruise ships.… SEE MORE

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On the record with… Cathy Ramsdell of Friends of Casco Bay

When Friends of Casco Bay formed in 1989, the water was some of the most polluted in the nation. Today, the bay is far cleaner and healthier, with strong protections in place thanks in large part to Cathy Ramsdell, the organization’s executive director since 2003. Ramsdell ushered Friends toward a… SEE MORE

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‘Call Me American’ author to speak in Friendship Aug. 22

Abdi Nor Iftin’s life story is an inspiring tale of resilience, courage, and luck, and he will share it with an audience at the Hahn Community Center in Friendship on Sunday, Aug. 22 at 4 p.m. His parents were nomadic herders in Somalia, but Iftin grew up mostly in the… SEE MORE

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Treatment plan: Tour the U.S. on a Harley

I can’t help but imagine how the discussion about Donna Wiegle’s book might have gone at a big-time publishing house. “The writer has stage IV ovarian cancer, and she writes about her courage in facing this diagnosis? And there’s a motorcycle involved? How are we supposed to sell this?! Who… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

On the record with—Cathy Ramsdell of Friends of Casco Bay

When Friends of Casco Bay formed in 1989, the water was some of the most polluted in the nation. Today, the bay is far cleaner and healthier, with strong protections in place thanks in large part to Cathy Ramsdell, the organization’s executive director since 2003. Ramsdell ushered Friends toward a strong financial… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Bluefin: Gladiator of the sea, delicacy on the plate

When a Western Atlantic bluefin tuna takes the hook, the effect isn’t subtle. “They’re like a freight train hitting on your rod-and-reel,” long-time Portland fisherman Pete Speeches said of the massive fish. “The reel streams off and the fight is on. It can be 10 minutes or 10 hours.” [caption… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

The sounds of love are in the air

Once in a while my column ideas just don’t pan out. This is one of those months. I thought I would revisit the golf cart situation on Islesford. I started counting carts on a quick trip to the town dock. There were ten golf carts parked among the trucks and… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Local we know, sustainable we hope

Sunday afternoons, starting the last Sunday in May, a small farmer’s market sets up next to the Up-Island Church (formerly the Free Will Baptist Church, now a preservation society) while cars line Church Turn containing customers ready to pounce on seedlings, vegetables, eggs, honey, all kinds of island-grown fresh stuff.… SEE MORE