I have had many regular summer visitors in the office over the years, bringing in news releases, columns, renewing their subscription, or just wanting to say hi after a long winter.
Last…
Editorial
From the editor
Lucille Machon had already lived through a world war, a war in Korea and witnessed the start of the Vietnam War before I was born. But like her, we were both born and raised in Boothbay Harbor,…
From the editor
There are many things I will (try) to remember about the most successful Lady Seahawk basketball season ever – the 2019 undefeated and state championship team.
Now, I am not an insider but…
From the editor
What's the coldest you've ever been for, say, 20 minutes or more?
The temperatures in the teens and lower on Monday and Tuesday this week, coupled with the 30 mph and higher winds, were…
From the assistant editor
Remember the party line? My grandparents had one, on their rotary dial phone. Remember rotary dial? The party, or shared, line meant they and someone else had different rings to answer. I think…
From the editor
We all have them. Days when everything seems to go smoothly and then there are the days when you want to pull your hair out because of unexpected problems that come your way. Some say it is all in…
From the editor
Tuesday into Wednesday winter storms are not conducive to tiptop weekly newspaper production. We worked hard to get this issue finished by the end of the day on Tuesday so the staff wouldn’t have…
From the editor
Margaret Hamilton cried, "I'm melting," when Dorothy threw a pail of water on her in the "Wizard of Oz."
I almost cried "I'm shrinking" — actually, I kind of chuckled — after my height was…
From the editor
Come Monday, 53 Super Bowls will have been played. The New England Patriots will have played in their third straight, fourth out of the past five, and 11th overall. It is no wonder there are…
From the editor
As editor of these fine newspapers, getting the news out is my priority. I hardly have time to think about each and every story but sometimes a lot of thoughts enter my mind as they come in from…
From the editor
Two weeks into the new year and my desk is still a mess. At the beginning of the year, I vowed to start scouring my work surroundings and begin tossing and organizing. Started … but added more in…
From the editor
I am impressed – so far – with Governor Janet Mills. First of all, it feels good to type in a woman's name after the word "governor." It's about time. Secondly, her inauguration was a pleasure to…
From the editor
2019. What will it bring? My first wish is a kinder, gentler world. Love and kindness beat anger and killing every time. Here's hoping that we all get along better this year.
Speaking of…
From the editor
As the Boothbay Register begins its 143rd year of existence, I am taking this opportunity to thank the staff and others.
Readers, thank you for continuing to buy this independent weekly —…
From the editor
From the Gospel of Luke: “And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone…
From the editor
Christmas has to be the weirdest holiday there is when it comes to gifts, songs, music, decorations, traditions, clothing, food and more. I think I first discovered this when my grandmother…
From the editor
No, I don't have H1N1 – a type of influenza – if that's what you're thinking from the headline. I was missing from work Thursday through Sunday, but that was because I need to use up my vacation…
From the editor
We, along with other news agencies in Maine, received word this past week of the investigation into the sexual abuse in the Catholic Church in the Diocese of Buffalo, New York. The State Attorney…
From the assistant editor
I’m fairly confident you and your wonderful Patriots teammates will get us to another Super Bowl. It’s what you do.
Are your best playing days behind you? Not necessarily. With the…
From the editor
It's the countdown to Christmas ... Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday ... and whatever other special shopping days there are in the five-plus weeks ahead. It is a tense time of…
From the editor
"I guess we don't have it too bad," is what I hear a lot while sitting down to watch the morning or evening TV news with my wife.
"No, I guess we don't," is my usual reply.
Mass…
From the editor
I remember the incredible panic when our toddler son went missing for a few seconds in a large department store. I first yelled his name then took off running toward the front door. My fear was…
From the editor
It's probably not surprising, but I live by lists. Perhaps you can relate.
Here are some of my lists: Phone list, assignment list, weekly reporter story and to-do lists, special supplement…
From the editor
Congratulations to my co-workers for receiving their well-deserved awards in this year’s Maine Press Association Better Newspaper Contest. Having run the MPA contest for a couple of years as an…
From the editor
October is Photographer Appreciation Month and on this day, Tuesday, Oct. 16 -- National Boss's Day -- I would like to thank and reminisce a bit about the wonderful photographers whom I've worked…
From the editor
This week's column is a mixture of the good, the bad and whatever else came to mind while writing on Tuesday night.
Cheers to the Edgecomb Fire Department for recruiting five junior…
From the editor
On Tuesday we received the first report, via a phone call, of stolen political signs. As Election Day, Nov. 6, draws nearer, we'll probably hear about stolen or destroyed signs two or three more…
From the editor
It's Tuesday morning and I'm not at work this week. However, we need to fill this space so I am offering a few ramblings before returning to some household and grandfatherly duties. I'll be back…
From the editor
Sports celebrities, well-known musicians and fans of both are heading to the Boothbay region this weekend for an established event and a first-ever event.
The Boothbay Charities Classic,…
From the editor
About two decades ago or so, Mary Brewer and I worked together on a lengthy feature for this newspaper on the possible demise of Seahawk football. Boys soccer was introduced as a new sport and…
From the editor
How was your Labor Day weekend? Mine was the worst ever, thank you.
We learned that our 6-year-old female Labradoodle, Ruby, had a uterus infection that spread throughout her body and she…
From the editor
Don't we just love September?!
The temperatures (hopefully) drop to a level where you can enjoy the outdoors more and there's still some time to enjoy some mid-summer activities without…
From the editor
Thank you, Mr. Lincoln County Sheriff's Deputy — sorry, I didn't get your name — for pulling me over last Thursday morning. And thank you for just giving me a warning. Believe me, it has stuck in…
From the editor
Our 15-year-old Pomeranian Sadie died this week and our other dog, 7-year-old Labradoodle Ruby, is finding it kind of rough without her “little sister.” Ruby had Sadie from the first day she…
From the editor
Can you believe it? The Red Sox have been as hot as this summer’s temperatures. They are on pace to set a new franchise record in regular season wins. Even if they don’t set that record, they have…
News analysis
The current opioid crisis plaguing the country is something that is hard to ignore, with the seemingly constant news coverage. However, it is still easy for many to forget that this rampant…
From the editor
Yes, I have done some stupid things in my life. I will admit it. But not on the scale of some of the more recent ones I've read about.
Other than bragging about it to your friends later, I…
From the editor
After a sad week last week with our matriarch, longtime co-worker, boss, mentor and friend Mary Brewer passing away so suddenly, I decided I need a few laughs this week.
One of my favorite…
From the editor
Cha-chunk, cha-chunk, cha-chunk went the sound of the printing press in the basement of the Register office at the corner of Union Street and Townsend Avenue. That's how long ago I met Mary Brewer…
From the editor
Ten years ago this week, July 11, 2008, is a day I won't forget and I'm sure many others who were around to witness one of the greatest fires the region has seen won't either.
It was a…
Mary’s Musings
“Excuse me, can we help you?’’ a homeowner inquired of a couple wandering around the yard with a flashlight late one night a few weeks ago. It was a bit unnerving, to say the least, but it…
From the editor
How do you read the local news? Do you read it mostly online or do you wait for the newspaper to arrive from the printer on Wednesday afternoons? Ever since we went fully online six years ago, I…
Mary’s Musings
It’s next to impossible to wrap your mind around the many changes right here in our own country during the past 200-plus years. This was foremost in our mind a few days ago when we heard…
From the editor
We’re halfway through 2018 and I officially began my 32nd year as an employee of the Boothbay Register last week – three months as a reporter, three months as assistant editor and the…
Mary’s Musings
We’re smack dab in the middle of what is traditionally the height of the summer tourist season in the Boothbay Region, with a jam-packed week of Windjammer Days activities followed closely…
From the editor
I often like to think back to my early days here at the Register, circa the late ’80s. Life was much simpler then and it seems work was easier. And back then, right about now in the calendar year…
Mary’s Musings
We enjoy watching the TV series “North Woods Law,” highlighting the everyday activities of Maine and New Hampshire wardens, as well as Alaska State Troopers. You never know what they’ll…
Mary’s Musings
Our publication day this week coincides with Flag Day, and while most communities do very little to mark its observance, it is a day of parades and special celebrations in some towns, such…
From the editor
I know I wrote being melancholy last week, but this week was a roller coaster of emotions.
Wednesday, after the paper had been sent to press, we learned that Dan Gagnon of Brunswick, who…
From the editor
Taking a deep breath this week. Melancholy for sure. Good memories but getting a bit frustrated as well. What is happening?
Well, first, by the end of this month, the newspaper will be…
