Working Waterfront

Rising seas and the power of laughter

By Kate Tagai A few months ago, I had one of those "I can't believe I get to do this" moments. Pages of my cartoons were spread on one of the conference tables in front of Andy and Hanji, the duo that make up O'Chang Studios in Lincolnville. We on… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

When appliances fail on islands

By Barbara Fernald Just before we were to leave for a family trip to Baltimore, the cooling fan broke in our oven. A call to Brown’s Appliance in Ellsworth confirmed that the whole back of the stove would have to come off to replace the broken part; not a DIY… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Food sovereignty—do you trust your neighbors?

By Sandy Oliver So far, 54 Maine towns have passed food sovereignty ordinances which allow the municipality to permit a producer (farmer) to sell most food—excluding meat and poultry—directly to consumers. Plain old out-of-the-ground or off-the-plant produce has always been OK to sell and buy. The minute someone changes them,… SEE MORE

Ivy Frignoca and Mike Doan of the Friends of Casco Bay.

Working Waterfront

Casco Bay on front lines of climate change

By Tom Groening Friends tell friends the truth, even when it’s unpleasant. And that’s what the nonprofit Friends of Casco Bay group—which marks its 30th anniversary this year—is doing, reporting on the health of that busy, diverse bay. At three public events this spring, in Portland, South Portland, and Brunswick, Friends… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

What lies on the other side of recovery

By Annie Gross Something we don’t talk enough about in addiction is what life is like after you choose sobriety. As a recovering bath salts and heroin addict, I found it wasn't what I expected it to be. Maybe I had unrealistic expectations. I thought that once I got clean,… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

The Maine coast’s best novelist you’ve never heard of

By Dana Wilde Agnes Bushell feels lucky to live on the coast of Maine. The natural beauty of the ocean. “That sense of not being closed in,” she says. And the unhurried life in Portland “that enables me to just write.” Bushell could be the most accomplished Maine novelist you’ve… SEE MORE

The view toward Roque Bluffs State Park.

Working Waterfront

Tiny Roque Bluffs working to create broadband network

By Tom Groening Roque Bluffs is an idyllic coastal Washington County town, a peninsula south of Machias with rolling hills and fields leading to a state park with a pretty sand beach. But it’s also on the wrong side of the digital divide, and community leaders, including First Selectman Lisa… SEE MORE

Suhail Bisharat speaks at the Island Institute’s Artists and Makers Conference.

Working Waterfront

Art in the Middle East: How a national gallery was built

By Tom Groening The scene sounded more like something from a classic caper movie than the art exhibition world. Speaking at the Island Institute’s Artists and Makers Conference in Northport on April 5, Suhail Bisharat, who helped launch and served as director of the Jordan National Gallery of Fine Art,… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Islesboro librarian tackles thorny question with Rose

By Tom Groening Good luck to anyone trying to market Islesboro resident Melissa Olson’s The Rose by Another Name. It features spies, murder, deception, conspiracy, and political intrigue, yet it’s not quite a thriller in the classic sense. It’s set in the 16thcentury, but it also isn’t quite a historical novel. … SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

The Waldo is on its way back in Waldoboro

By Ari Snider//Photos by Michele Stapleton Something is stirring in downtown Waldoboro. Five years after the venerable Waldo Theatre shut its doors, a new board of directors has mobilized to restore the building with the hopes of reviving it as a vital community hub. The Waldo opened in 1936 as… SEE MORE