The next Public Supper will be Wednesday, March 20. Menu will be vegetable soup, Irish soda bread, salad, corned beef and cabbage, carrots, potatoes, and chocolate chip pie. Cost…

It’s that time of year again – the holidays are long past, and summer is still a long way off. It’s time for a spring getaway. But beware, for everyone looking for a great spring break deal there…

We were driving on a rural road a few days ago when a flock of 30 or so wild turkeys came ambling slowly across in front of us, stopping traffic in both directions. Suddenly, a male turkey, his…

Over 300 people attended the University of Southern Maine Hannaford auditorium on Sunday, March 3 to honor Kirsten Neuschäfer, winner of the Golden Globe Race, solo sail around the world. The…

Maine and 17 other states held their 2024 presidential primary election on Tuesday.

Did anybody win?

Did anybody bother to vote?

Did the results surprise you?

Do you…

One of the most popular ways for criminals to steal money and sensitive information is by impersonating a trusted source – often a government agency. According to the Federal Trade Commission,…

The economy is in the news every day as the countdown to the presidential election is underway for real. Inflation, interest rates, GDP, stock indices, bond returns – the numbers of ways…

The 62nd annual Boothbay Harbor Windjammer Days will take place on Sunday, June 23 through Saturday, June 29. This year we will celebrate our local boatbuilders and shipwrights. Please visit…

A very long time ago a friend gave me a book with photos and text by Ansel Adams, one of the most recognized and accomplished photographers of the 20th century. It was a random gesture offered…

The other day, I ran into Dick Kellogg at the post office. "You are a smart guy. You should be able to answer this question," he said.

I looked at him and wondered – me?

Dick is a…

Maine Art Gallery’s current show, “Generations: The Legacy of Mentors,” celebrates the relationship between aspiring artists and their mentors. It also exemplifies each mentor’s impact on the…

If there is one thing everyone should understand, it is that “scammers” are career criminals skilled at the art of manipulation, and no one is immune. These crooks target people of any age; in…

Economic abuse can be just as devastating as physical abuse. To deny someone rightful access to money or basic resources is an attack on their fundamental existence. Managing and controlling one’s…

As we write this, the 2024 Great Backyard Bird Count is on its final day. Incredibly, the number of bird sighting checklists that have been submitted is closing in on a quarter of a million coming…

In January, I received an email from Ryan Gahagan, president of Mason Station Redevelopment Company LLC, based in Portland. His comments were in response to publication of a column I’d written…

Life was normal and calm in the Hannaford vegetable display zone. Celery, carrots, avocado, apples with a small dash of organic romaine. Done! In the basket. On to the dairy area and then to check…

Last week, I saw a pair of stories from Moscow that made me want to hit my knees and offer thanks that I was blessed to live in the good old USA.

Example number one was the death of Alexei…

One of the oldest scams around involves a criminal getting hold of one of your checks and forging the payee and the amount. Usually this is done by “washing” the check with chemicals to remove the…

The next Public Supper will be Wednesday, March 6. Menu will consist of French onion soup, rolls, salad, roast turkey, mashed potato, stuffing, gravy, squash, peas, and pumpkin…

The Birders’ Mardi Gras

The tradition of a February celebration has long been part of human history. A Carnival period, often in July, is a major tradition in many parts of the world, and…

In my senior high school yearbook, all students were asked to list clubs, sports, awards, etc., and to state what might be accomplished after graduation. We got all sorts of ambitious comments…

Well, the 58th Super Bowl is over.

Was it a good game?

Did your team win? Do you remember who played or the score?

Did you count the number of times the cameras focused on…

The next Public Supper will be Wednesday, March 6. Menu will consist of French onion soup, rolls, salad, roast turkey, mashed potato, stuffing, gravy, squash, peas, pumpkin carrot cake. Cost: $10…

Deciding on which leader to follow is certainly occupying much of the media airspace for us humans in the U.S. at the moment and will be for months to come until the Presidential election.

…

Black and white photography has always been a fundamental interest of mine. It’s where my interest in photography began as a child when I discovered my grandmother’s box camera, negatives and a…

Dan Bryer has a problem. A big problem.

The affable Boothbay town manager has a municipal budget of about $2 to $2.3 million, and he had to spend $2.7 to $3 million to repair roads hammered…

Let’s turn our attention to the town of Edgecomb where our neighbors across the Sheepscot River are celebrating their town’s 250th birthday. Mark your calendar: A town-wide birthday party is…

If we really want to keep ourselves - and our money - safe from fraud, we must all come to terms with one thing: our personal information is likely already out there. Many entities have our…

The next public supper will be Wednesday , Feb. 21. Menu will include split pea soup, biscuits, salad, baked chicken, rice pilaf, carrots, and chocolate velvet pie. Cost is $10…

Music. Flowers. Poetry. Candlelight. A sumptuous meal. Champagne. Experience it all in one evening and you’ve got the makings of an unforgettable evening of romance - for Valentine’s Day - or just…

While it’s true that a certain Philadelphia-based football team is on ice after a recent playoff collapse against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the inspiration for this column comes from the real…

Over the years I have had the extraordinary privilege of photographing many great projects in the region. Constructions that have been built, repaired or restored by highly skilled craftspeople…

As the football season winds down with the Chiefs and 49ers set in the Super Bowl, many of us are tuning into sports yakkers yammering about coaching changes, transfer portals, and possible…

Since it was launched last year, the goal of this column has been to raise awareness about domestic violence and its widespread effects on our communities, schools and workplaces. We hope it has…

The next public supper will be Wednesday, Feb. 7. The menu will consist of tomato soup, anadama rolls, salad, baked ham, scalloped potatoes, green beans, and indian pudding a la mode. The cost is…

A watershed in the Canadian province of Manitoba almost half the size of the entire state of Maine and  estimated to support more than ten million breeding birds took a significant step closer to…

Nothing like a few days without water to make a believer out of you!

Just…

We were saddened by the damage Mother Nature inflicted upon us in the last few days when she sent the North Atlantic surging over our shores. Thankfully, no one perished.

Our hardworking…

For about four years now I’ve been checking in with artists during the winter months to see what they may be working on. This year, because he’s in Maine and not Texas or New Orleans, I visited…

On Tuesday Jan. 9, a motion was made in the Maine House of Representatives to establish a House Special Investigative Committee to investigate the Secretary of State to determine whether cause…

One key to shopping online is reading the fine print, including who you’re actually buying from. While we often think of giant online retailers like Amazon, Walmart and Target as a store they can…

Not so long ago, Maine winters were a lot colder. Around this time of year the mercury would plunge far below freezing and stay that way for days, sometimes weeks even here on the coast. Around…

For more than 15 years we’ve been hoping.

We had said the phrase, “This is the perfect place for a short-eared owl,” so many times that it had become a kind of inside joke.

Birders…

It’s kind of odd, isn’t it. To look out at the calm sea after all we have been through this past week. In sort of a weird kind of way it’s like someone out there said “Let’s go to work on the…

Here is a  note from a longtime OP pal.

You know me. 

They used to call me three trees, but Mother Nature culled my two siblings several…

The next Public Supper will be Wednesday, Feb. 7. The menu will be tomato soup, anadama rolls, salad, baked ham, scalloped potatoes, green beans, and Indian pudding a la mode.…

If you’re like a lot of people, you spent a lot this holiday season and you might be in the mood to tackle your debt in the new year. Getting yourself out of debt is hard work. It takes time…