I've been on a sentimental journey this week because on Thursday, June 22, this hometown boy will have been working at the Boothbay Register for 30 years — six months as a reporter/assistant…

Wiscasset’s had some good planners, and Ben Averill is one of them. It’s not easy making lemonade of the proprietary and environmental issues on the Mason Station peninsula, but he has been…

Boothbay Harbor shifts into full gear this coming week, as the 55th annual Windjammer Days gets underway with a jam-packed schedule of events offering something for everyone.  …

After every graduation, I reminisce about the final days of school and how much I looked forward to summer. While in elementary school, I looked forward to later nights out playing with friends in…

We live on the water, or more specifically, the ocean.  We were lucky enough to have found a waterfront parcel 55 years ago, before it became the most sought-after land in Maine…

Back-to-back scorchers Sunday and Monday inspired me to start with a reminder to just drink water. Without calories, sugar, or caffeine, it keeps us hydrated, which helps us feel good and not get…

Congratulations to our local high school graduates and to their parents. One of life's major milestones has been reached and it's not always easy to accomplish. By working hard, and mixing in some…

How about that election on Tuesday? Wiscasset has its choice of five selectmen’s candidates for two seats, and two for one school committee seat. We wish them all good luck and we hope, as we…

Last week I wrote about being safe on the road, keeping an eye out for others and not driving too fast.

This week I would like to remind everyone to be safe in and on the water, now that…

Bicyclists, joggers, walkers, dog walkers and wheelchair operators are becoming more prevalent along the roadsides now that the weather has turned nice. Motorists should expect the unexpected and…

May the weather be fair and attendance strong at area Memorial Day observances, including Wiscasset’s at 9 a.m. at the veterans’ wall. Monday is a day off for most, and the cap on the near-summer…

“For love of country, they accepted death.’’ – James A. Garfield. These words, uttered over 100 years ago, are just as appropriate today as they were then. On…

It's the third full week in May and, I think, we can finally welcome spring. The calendar said spring began way back on March 20, but Mother Nature just kept on pouring on the rain and cold…

Come on, let’s see how big a man you are. How much can you drink? How much razzing and abuse can you take?  How far can we push you before you break?

Sadly…

What are the top traffic violations that cause traffic crashes? According to the Department of Safety/Maine State Police web page on www.maine.gov, speeding is one of the top three violations…

Next Monday night, May 15, if you can, be in Stover Auditorium at Wiscasset Middle High School for voters’ first hand in the next school budget. The School Committee and administrators worked…

In addition to new buds on the trees, green grass and spring flowers, something else is making an appearance: winter trash. Once the snow melts, our ditches and other property close to the…

Last week’s column on the lack of available housing and the glut of job openings in the region prompted many ideas after being posted on Facebook, thus this follow-up.

One of the better…

The hurrier I go, the behinder I get. That old saying pretty much sums up progress in repairing our nation’s roads and bridges.It seems like no matter how much we spend, we can’t get ahead…

Take a look at our Help Wanted ads this week. There are jobs aplenty — mostly seasonal, but it happens every spring around here. Restaurants and hotels are trying to fill their staffs for the…

We’ve all seen it — trash, torn or freshly fallen — strewn in the road. It doesn’t make the prettiest village any prettier and it doesn’t do wild animals or strays any favors, either.

…

On Earth Day last Saturday, we were reminded that changing attitudes about our environment and renewed interest in the creatures which share our world has made a difference in the…

Some baseball is better than no baseball, unless you don’t like baseball. But as is the nature of school sports, Wiscasset high school baseball is as much about the school as the sport.

…

Mother Nature still has time to throw us a curve and drop some more snow on us before summer, but she can’t deny that signs of spring are everywhere, including  frequent showers…

Red Sox, Celtics and Bruins. In the past couple of weeks, at least one of the Boston teams has been on cable TV sometime during the week. The Red Sox have a long way…

My email blast from Editor & Publisher arrived Tuesday morning with a listing of this year's Pulitzer Prizes for journalism (http://www.…

Good guy/Bad guy. The United States wears both hats, and has for a number of years. No matter what we do, we garner praise from some and condemnation from others. We’re hearing a wide variety of…

Another baseball season has begun.

Ho hum.

For 50 years, ever since the ’67 Boston Red Sox surprised and thrilled New England by making it to the World Series, I have enjoyed…

As soon as Old Man Winter indicates he’s loosening his grip on the Maine coast and spring is finally in the air, lobstermen will begin to rig their traps in preparation for the upcoming…

What has a New York giraffe got to do with us a day’s drive north? Nothing at all, and everything.

For weeks, the pregnant April’s antics and moods captivated online viewers around the…

It appears that it has taken the proposed changes in the Affordable Care Act to put some Republicans and some Democrats on the same side, albeit it for different…

I received several positive comments about last week's column regarding my disdain for long, unsupervised meetings. One of the best comments came in the form of a letter from a long ago…

This will leave a void. And yet, thanks to Todd Souza’s approach to leadership in his years directing parks and recreation, his departure won’t leave as big a void as it would have, had he been a…

Maine folks who favored legalizing the sale and use of recreational marijuana were probably unaware of the problems state and local authorities would be facing. What many of them supported,…

Another storm is forcing this column to be written as quickly as possible in order to get the paper sent to the printer before a possible power outage. Fine with me ... almost lunchtime anyway. I…

We’ll never really understand why folks at various income levels, but more so the very rich, feel compelled to want more and more material things. It’s just human…

One of winter’s consolations is the break from the destructive phenomenon of thunderstorms. Snow costs and is hazardous, but I don’t recall reporting on any snowstorms that electrocuted people or…

Politics can be interesting. That’s good, as long as we also take politics seriously — like “60 Minutes” does or a documentary that entertains and educates. As viewers and as citizens, it’s good…

Once in a while, I like to "surf the net," as the old saying goes, to come up with ideas for articles, get informed, or just to prompt a laugh or two.

One of my favorite entertaining and…

Basketball season has come to an end for most Maine high school teams who have played their final tournament game at the Augusta Civic Center. The season-long goal, of course, is to qualify for…

Watching the senior high school basketball players leave the court for the final time is a bit melancholy. They've played their final game, some give each other hugs and, as a fan, you remember…

I root for the underdog, the dark horse no one gives a second look, or someone whose day has passed. It’s cold out of the limelight but, fan-less and perhaps friendless, they keep going toward a…

OK, Midcoast Maine residents, let’s all admit it: We’re spoiled when it comes to dealing with serious snowfall. We’ve had it too easy of late…

Whatever happened to the national Do Not Call list? Everyone is asking these days, with many households being inundated with unwelcome telephone calls telling you you’re eligible for a low-…

Years ago, on our websites at www.wiscassetnewspaper.com and www.boothbayregister.com, I said my future plans included starting a campaign against winter. I have held off, due to the odds against…

The new traffic lights at the intersection of routes One and 27 in Wiscasset took some getting used to. Like many, I turn there multiple times a day, most days. And like many, and possibly most, I…

On Monday I had the pleasure of talking to an old friend and former competitor while watching a junior varsity girls basketball game at Boothbay Region High School.

Don Brewer, Wiscasset…

Rumble strips are becoming more common on Maine roads and elsewhere as officials make an all-out effort to cut down on accidents. Route 3 here in Maine is the latest roadway scheduled for…

It’s not clear yet if a majority of Wiscasset selectmen will still want to ask voters about the school department’s energy project now that the committee has again green-lighted Superintendent of…

The polls are out — most of the country doesn’t like the New England Patriots.

Listening to a sports radio…