There’s a poem by Poet Laureate Joy Harjo — “Perhaps the World Ends Here.” “The world begins at a kitchen table,” the poet writes.
In the middle of a winter storm in early February, as I…
Talk
A Bird's Tale
As we write this on Feb. 17, the Great Backyard Bird Count is in its final hours. We’ve participated and seen some wonderful birds, though like many of you, we were confined to counting from…
From the editor
The Boothbay region’s giving community spirit came through once again on Monday as over $4,100 was raised for Robbie and Kristen Campbell at Community Lunch. The couple lost their home to a fire…
From the assistant editor
That was one long and sometimes unusual presidential election season that ended a few months ago, from a change in the Democratic ticket to an assassination attempt on a former president seeking…
Joe's Journal
Jimmy Breslin is giggling in his grave as the New York City mayor’s alleged attempt to rake in some cash and goodies in return for ignoring a building code violation has morphed into a national…
The next public supper will be Feb. 19. The meal consists of minestrone soup, salad, garlic bread, chicken Parmesan, linguini, and lemon gelatin cake. The cost is $10 for members and $12 for non-…
Letter to the editor
Dear Editor:
When it comes to protecting health care for Lincoln County families, our Democratic legislators—Lydia Crafts, Holly Stover, Cameron Reny, Wayne Farrin, and Denise Tepler—have…
Letter to the editor
Dear Editor:
I am writing to express my frustration with the rising cost of elementary school in our town and the apparent disregard the school board has for taxpayers' concerns. Education…
letter to the editor
Dear Editor:
I grew up in a home, in public schools and in a church learning right from wrong and truth from falsehood. In the years that followed World War II, there was no question that…
Community of Hope
The proposed freeze on funding for over 2,600 federal grant programs has created a reality of uncertainty and turmoil for many nonprofits. This freeze has…
The holidays have passed, and for many, that means a stack of gift cards just waiting to be used. But before you check your balances online, beware of fake gift card balance-checking sites…
A Bird's Tale
A colleague at the Natural Resources Council of…
Where It's At
How do you "winter?" The cold, snowy season inspires many of us to don skates, skis, or snowshoes; while others prefer pulling on snow boots for walks around their favorite outdoor places. Like…
From the editor
The idea for Project Graduation began at Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School 45 years ago and locally it has been around for over about four decades. The program was started to bring to light…
From the assistant editor
Coming into this week, it seemed we might any day be needing to ask area school superintendents their game plan, given recent news reports of the possible dismantling of the nation's education…
Joe's Journal
No, I am not talking about the season, the weather, or the "whatever you want to call it" in Washington.
No, the new sports season began on Sunday after the 2024-2025 Super Bowl. Today, all…
The next public supper will be Feb. 19. The meal consists of minestrone soup, salad, garlic bread, chicken Parmesan, linguini, and lemon gelatin cake. The cost is $10 for…
In recent years, cryptocurrency scams have surged, with billions stolen annually. One of the biggest drivers of this trend? Romance scams. By building trust and forging deep emotional…
A Bird's Tale
A few days ago, on one of the bitterly cold days we have recently endured, we looked out of the kitchen window to see a bird flit past the window and into the open garage. It was likely a…
From the editor
Friday was like a nightmare from the past — the work-at-home COVID past. What was I thinking?!
I decided Friday morning that I wanted to work from home, basically, to just have…
From the assistant editor
As anticipated, there were well more than five good Wiscasset-area things for Wiscasset Newspaper to share in January, the kickoff to a planned year of monthly picks of five good things.
If…
Meanwhile ... back in the studio
I visited with John and Lynne at their gallery and home, Joy to the Wind, recently. Once up in their gallery space, it was clear that John was immersed in a new medium and its application to…
Joe's Journal
We are in the third week of the second term of the presidency of the new POTUS. If his idea was to flood the zone, to roll out so many orders that no one, neither his friends nor his skeptics,…
Letter to the editor
Dear Editor:
I’m about to turn 85 and have lived through Watergate and other serious betrayals of our democratic system, but never ever, have I seen what is currently happening.
…
Letter to the editor
Dear Editor:
The Journal of the American Medical Association issued a report last week titled, “Mortality Trends Among Early Adults in the United…
Salt ’n Spar
In just a few months the town of Woolwich will hold its 265th annual town meeting. That’s a pretty remarkable feat…
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. In a time where data…
The next public supper will be Feb. 19. The meal consists of minestrone soup, salad, garlic bread, chicken Parmesan, linguini, and lemon gelatin cake. The cost is $10 for members and $12 for non-…
A Bird's Tale
Sure, they’re common. Some would even say they’re a water-loving version of a pigeon, the way they rush in to feed in droves for handouts of stale bread. Still, on a cold winter day against a…
From the editor
At 10:22 a.m. Monday, I did not feel the earthquake which occurred off York harbor while sitting in my chair on the second story at the office. Steve Edwards, who works in the basement, said he…
Joe's Journal
My phone buzzed the other day. “Unknown caller-not in your contact list,” it said.
So, like a dummy, I picked up and got an earful. Of course, it was Ms. Pigette, the icon standing in the…
House District 47
As a new member of the Maine House of Representatives, I am deeply honored to serve on behalf of the people of Alna, Jefferson, Whitefield and Wiscasset. I’ve lived in this area my…
Letter to the editor
Dear Editor:
Last Saturday, just before sunrise, I went outside to enjoy God’s show. I was almost immediately…
Letter to the editor
Dear Editor:
Why are people surprised? Why are they shocked? Donald Trump was clear throughout his campaign that he intended to pardon all the insurrectionists who stormed the U.S.…
Two Spoons: On Eating in Midcoast Maine
In the middle of winter, it is pitch dark when Jan Goranson wakes at five to begin her day. In the kitchen of the Dresden farmhouse that Jan’s family has called home for more than 60 years, she…
Receiving a call from an unknown number may seem harmless, but it could be the start a scam. Criminals are using increasingly sophisticated tactics to deceive you into revealing personal…
A Bird's Tale
What bird is more iconic here in Maine than the common loon? In summer, there’s nothing more stirring than hearing the wailing cry of a loon echoing across the still waters of a Maine lake on…
From the editor
You see why I don’t bet on … anything! Last week’s column is a case in point. I predicted right two out of four NFL games. Fifty percent, and if I bet, I probably would have come out even. So we…
From the assistant editor
We cannot take credit for all the good things that have happened around Wiscasset in 2025, since announcing plans here to list five good things per month. Connecting the two would be presumptuous…
Joe's Journal
On Monday, Donald John Trump, 78, became the 47th president of the United States.
If the pundits are right, and they probably are in this case, he has a fat laundry list of executive orders…
The next public supper will be Jan. 22. The meal consists of corn chowder, salad, biscuits, baked ham, mac & cheese, peas, and…
letter to the editor
Dear Editor:
The angry white men who have flocked under Trump’s banner have every right to be angry. We have seen the American dream slowly evaporate. Our standard of…
letter to the editor
Dear Editor:
A frequent contributor to these pages reassures us that global warming is, in the memorable words of Vivek Ramaswamy, “a hoax.”
Selecting a particular city’s record high…
Getting tickets to top concerts is tough – don’t let scammers make it harder. With most concert venues switching to digital tickets only and concert demand through the roof, criminals are…
