Letters

• letter to the editor

  Thanks for recycling

  Mon, 05/03/2021 - 4:45pm

  Dear Editor: I want to thank all the people that brought their prescription bottles to Nathan's to recycle through Partners for World Health. I took an extra large trash bag of the bottles to PWH and was told at the time they now have plenty. So I won't be collecting any right now. If they decide they need more I will again have the bin placed at Nathan's collect them again. I also want to thank Andrew at Nathan's for allowing the collection to occur at his pharmacy. He is so much a valued part...
• letter to the editor

  Appreciate the support and guidance

  Mon, 05/03/2021 - 3:45pm

  Dear Editor: After seven years of service on the Boothbay Harbor Select Board, I wanted to thank everyone in our community for your support and guidance over the years. We may not have always agreed on particular issues, but the public input and town discussions have always been thoughtful and guided by our shared desire to make Boothbay Harbor a wonderful place to live, work and play. Having highly capable staff is a key factor to achieve this goal. I want to extend my sincere thanks to Town...
• letter to the editor

  Don’t shut down LLC

  Mon, 05/03/2021 - 3:30pm

  Dear Editor: This whole thing with the Lighthouse Learning Center has put parents, children and LLC's staff (as well as Kim's livelihood) in an unbelievably difficult and unnecessary situation. These kids have been together for years and need the stability and socialization that LLC provides. I have never once felt that my children's safety was at risk or that the staff members were unconcerned with their health and safety. My daughter has a blood clotting disorder that requires expensive...
• letter to the editor

  You get what you pay for

  Mon, 05/03/2021 - 3:15pm

  Dear Editor: Let’s say that a working couple earned $104,800 last year. Their federal taxes, not including Social Security, would be $9,208. Now let’s compare that to another couple who hold stocks paying dividends in the same amount as the first couple. Their federal tax bill is zero. Working people who earn their money the hard way ought to be outraged, I know I am. If politicians who promise tax cuts were honest with wage earners, they would be proposing expanding the standard deduction...
• letter to the editor

  Memorial Day Parade is on

  Mon, 05/03/2021 - 3:00pm

  Dear Editor: I am pleased to report that we will once again be having our traditional Memorial Day Parade! We have confirmed that both the Boy Scouts and the Girl Scouts will be marching with the us. Other organizations that would like to be part of honoring our fallen military, just let me know. One of the most sacred honors our Legion has is the placing of the American Flag and rendering honors at each of our deceased veteran grave markers the weekend before Memorial Day. Each year we place...
• letter to the editor

  Boothbay never leaves you

  Mon, 05/03/2021 - 2:45pm

  Dear Editor: I would like to share with you and your readers what it’s like to be from a small town with a big heart. Growing up in the Boothbay region, I was unaware of how vast the world really is. I quickly realized how harsh and cold the world and people can be. I felt safe on the peninsula; I believe we all did and still do. The sense of community sharing and caring in Boothbay is something people take for granted. Everyone comes together in support of all the town members from children to...
• letter to the editor

  Allen works hard

  Tue, 04/27/2021 - 12:15pm

  Dear Editor: I first had the pleasure of meeting and working with Alyssa Allan about two years ago while working at Linekin Bay Resort. She was a pleasure to work with. focused, ethical and driven to accomplish whatever was on the addenda. Never shirking responsibility, a excellent delegator and always there working hard. There is not a doubt in my mind when elected as selectman she will take on the job at hand with tenacity to ensure a legal thoughtful conclusion. Alyssa would defiantly be a...
• letter to the editor

  Vote for Alyssa

  Mon, 04/26/2021 - 5:00pm

  Dear Editor: I know I am stepping over the town line but I just heard Alyssa Allen was running for Selectwoman in Boothbay Harbor. I have known Alyssa since she was a young girl. She is smart, kind and works hard. I cannot vote for her but I can recommend her, and I do! Bet Finocchiaro Boothbay
• letter to the editor

  Support for Devyn Campbell

  Mon, 04/26/2021 - 4:45pm

  Dear Editor: The Boothbay Harbor board of Selectman has not had commercial fishing representation in a long time. Our industry supports many families and provides the backbone of our tourist economy. Our catch brings people to the dining room tables of this town so it’s time we had a seat at the government tables of this town, and have the ability to protect commercial fishing interests in the town. Recently we have faced challenges concerning zoning issues with working waterfront development...
• letter to the editor

  Learning Center needs to be open

  Mon, 04/26/2021 - 4:15pm

  Dear Editor: Although many are already aware of the closure of Lighthouse Learning Center, I think it’s important for us to understand the the ramifications of this. For those of you with children, you already know how scarce childcare availability is. There are a limited number of facilities, all are full and require you to join their waiting list. You also won’t be able to find one that offers the extensive curriculum, involvement and trips, LLC offers. In recent weeks someone has committed...
• letter to the editor

  State needs to reconsider

  Mon, 04/26/2021 - 4:15pm

  Dear Editor: My two children, Raegan 5 and Harper 1, have attended Lighthouse Learning Center for over a year. I have never once questioned their safety while they have attended daycare. I feel fortunate that they are in the care of consistent caregivers who they look forward to seeing daily. Raegan was very fortunate to be offered an abundance of activities in the summer and several in the fall as well. I am very appreciative that, although I work full-time, my children are still able to do...
• letter to the editor

  MDOT's Route 96 paving

  Mon, 04/26/2021 - 4:00pm

  Dear Editor: Summer is almost here with both bicyclists and pedestrians descending upon the area. Route 96 from Van Horne Road to Grimes Cove is a favorite for exercise around Ocean Point but a dangerous stretch with little or no paved shoulder. Please, MDOT, make plans to include this improvement in a near term project for our public safety. Stephen Johnson East Boothbay
• letter to the editor

  Thank you LincolnHealth

  Mon, 04/26/2021 - 3:30pm

  Dear Editor: I’m writing to express my gratitude to the LincolnHealth nurses running the COVID-19 vaccine program. My husband is a shut in who missed his second vaccine dose. He received a call from LincolnHealth Friday with the offer of a home visit by one of the nurses for his second injection. Lori, RN arrived about 20 minutes later to administer his shot. Not only has the clinic at the YMCA been amazingly well run but the chance of a home visit for a shut in is extraordinary. Susan...
• letter to the editor

  What’s the rush Southport?

  Mon, 04/26/2021 - 3:15pm

  Dear Editor: Southport Island faces a special town vote on a proposal to build a broadband system for the entire island and borrow $2.4mm to do it. That’s about $7600 in up front cost per household, plus interest, just to build it. In addition, annual operating costs will be managed by a service provider who will charge customers a yet-to-be determined monthly fee to access, maintain and repair this town-owned utility. This 100% transformation is billed as urgent while just 7% of the island are...
• letter to the editor

  Shouldn’t we wait?

  Mon, 04/26/2021 - 3:00pm

  Dear Editor: Just a thought. What if President Biden’s new three to four trillion dollar infrastructure bill is passed? It is said that 5% will go into bringing broadband into all the less populated areas of the USA for free. (Free, being your tax dollars) If Southport passes a $2.47 million bond, we could be still paying it off for 10 to 20 or whatever years, while the government would have given it to us for free. Shouldn’t we wait to vote and see if the infrastructure bill passes? Sue Kibbe...
• letter to the editor

  Praise for ambulance service

  Mon, 04/26/2021 - 2:45pm

  Dear Editor: As a transplant to the Boothbay region (moved here about ten years ago), I have never needed to call upon our ambulance service until a few days ago. I want to thank everyone in the ambulance crew that helped me and give so much of themselves to our community for our comfort and well-being. I am incredibly humble and grateful for the care and compassion I received during my time of need; their level of professionalism in stressful situations is amazing. Our community should take...
• letter to the editor

  Supporting Allen for selectman

  Mon, 04/19/2021 - 5:45pm

  Dear Editor: It is my pleasure to write with unqualified support of Alyssa Allen to serve on the Boothbay Harbor Board of Selectmen. I have known her since moving here in 2005. I have know her as a citizen, friend, worker and an a mother to outstanding son. Just as she has strived for excellence in all her roles, I have absolute faith that she would continue to work and server Boothbay Harbor as a member of the Board of Selectmen. Alyssa certainly has my vote and I hope she has yours. You will...
• letter to the editor

  Vote for Harmon and Lewis

  Mon, 04/19/2021 - 4:00pm

  Dear Editor: I’m writing to encourage Boothbay’s citizens to re-elect Dale Harmon and Steven Lewis for the town’s Board of Selectmen. I served with Dale and Stevie on the Select Board from May, 2017 until July, 2020, and will vote for them because each man has professional knowledge and practical experience required to meet the town’s contemporary challenges. Together, these two men have been public servants for 50 years: Dale at the Boothbay Region Water District; Stevie at the Region’s Refuse...
• letter to the editor

  Court packing

  Mon, 04/19/2021 - 3:45pm

  Dear Editor: The communists running our country are too smart for court packing (they know it will cause a revolt). When one of the conservative judges suddenly dies in an accident or from some sudden illness, we will know the country is officially lost. Joe Scorcia Boothbay
• letter to the editor

  Funeral invitations for Wayne LaPierre

  Mon, 04/19/2021 - 3:30pm

  Dear Editor: Here’s part of the gun-violence butcher’s bill for our country in 2021: 11 mass murders, claiming the lives of 69 people. This, however, is only a small subset of the 147 mass shootings (45 since March 16) so far this year. Last year, there were over 600 mass shootings, up from 417 the year before. You might be tempted to turn to America’s largest organization of gun owners, the National Rifle Association, for some guidance about this rising crisis. Don’t bother: according to their...
• letter to the editor

  Allen is a good choice for selectman

  Mon, 04/19/2021 - 3:15pm

  Dear Editor: I am writing in support of Alyssa Allen who is a candidate for Boothbay Harbor Selectmen. I have known Allysa for a number of years and have had the privilege of working with her in her hospitality role with town business. She has always been very professional, helpful and responsive to the issues we have dealt with. She is detail oriented and passionate about her work. She demonstrates firm but fair management skills and interacts well with others. Her concern about community and...
• letter to the editor

  We, the media

  Mon, 04/19/2021 - 3:00pm

  Dear Editor: Once again I pick up my metaphorical pen to write a letter to the editor. In this letter I hope, in 350 words or less, to convey my thoughts and opinions that this newspaper is under no obligation to publish, yet does so because the editor believes its content is somehow worthy of publication. In writing this letter I am adding my voice to the multitudinous voices that make up “The Media.” “The Media,” then, is not a single monolithic institution controlled by unseen hands; but the...
• letter to the editor

  My, how times have changed

  Mon, 04/19/2021 - 2:45pm

  Dear Editor: In the movie "12 Angry Men," screenwriter Reginald Rose describes Juror #8 (played by Henry Fonda) as “a man who sees all sides of every question and constantly seeks the truth. A man of strength tempered with compassion. Above all, he is a man who wants justice to be done and will fight to see that it is.” Rose describes #8’s opponent, Juror #3 ( Lee J. Cobb) as “a humorless man who is intolerant of opinions other than his own and accustomed to forcing his wishes and views upon...
• letter to the editor

  Don’t dump on ME!

  Mon, 04/19/2021 - 2:30pm

  Dear Editor: I was walking along Back Narrows Road a couple of days ago soaking in the sun and noticing the little signs of spring in the trees and on the ground. But then, I also starting noticing the trash — cans particularly --- but also little booze bottles, Dunkin Donut cups, lids and wrappers, and takeout food containers, all along the side in the drainage ditches and trees. It is amazing how much is there … a total bummer actually! Here we are, living in Maine, priding ourselves on the...
• letter to the editor

  In support of Alyssa Allen

  Mon, 04/12/2021 - 3:30pm

  Dear Editor: Spring is here and that means it is local election time. This year it is nice to see the younger generation showing interest in town management. There are two candidates running for one of the open positions on the Boothbay Harbor Board of Selectmen. I’m sure both are capable but I can only speak to the hard work and civic involvement of Alyssa Allen over the years. Her hard work with Boothbay Lights, Boothbay Harbor Region Chamber of Commerce, and local fundraising activities...
• letter to the editor

  Voting for Alyssa Allen

  Mon, 04/12/2021 - 3:15pm

  Dear Editor: I am enthusiastically asking the voters of Boothbay Harbor to elect Alyssa Allen for the Select Board. I have known Alyssa for 25 years and she would be a strong member of the Board. She is compassionate, understanding, intelligent and would be a great member of the board. She deeply cares about the people and issues of this town, its policies and its governance. I have had many dealing with Alyssa in different situations and capacities and in all of them she has shown careful...
• letter to the editor

  Vote for Alyssa Allen

  Mon, 04/12/2021 - 3:00pm

  Dear Editor: I am pleased to write in support of Alyssa Allen, a candidate for the one-year position on the Boothbay Harbor Board of Selectmen. I’ve known and interacted with Alyssa for many years, in my past capacities as director of the Boothbay Harbor Region Chamber of Commerce and a business development specialist with the Maine Dept. of Economic and Community Development, as well as in my current business and economic development consulting work. I believe Alyssa possesses an impressive...
• letter to the editor

  An Edmund Pettus Bridge moment

  Mon, 04/05/2021 - 4:00pm

  Dear Editor: We have today a revealing moment, wherein the Republican Party (not the voters, but the vast majority of the elected officials) has become the line of police standing on the Edmund Pettus Bridge to stop minorities from voting. Heading toward that bridge, in the spirit of the late, great John Lewis, are the vast majority of the people of this nation. This confrontation will reveal where everyone stands on the issue of equal rights and the very core of our democracy; the right to...
• letter to the editor

  Mask rules are unconstitutional

  Mon, 04/05/2021 - 3:45pm

  Dear Editor: Signs in Boothbay Harbor “Be Kind Wear A Mask “ are misleading and it’s unconstitutional to force people to wear one. Masks are health hazards. They increase the incidence of dental cavities ( Dr. Rob Ramondi), facial skin lesions, dermatitis (Public Health, Ontario) and impetigo a bacterial infection of red sores and can lead to kidney damage (Mayo Clinic). At an Oklahoma press conference Dr. James Meehan testified “reports coming from my colleagues all over the world are...
• letter to the editor

  Media, politicians and guns

  Mon, 04/05/2021 - 3:30pm

  Dear Editor: With renewed cries for more restrictions on private firearm ownership in our country, we should once again take an honest look at the issue. When legislators propose a ban on modern sporting rifles, they are being dishonest and pandering to the media and the public. Rifles of all descriptions are used in an average of 350 murders per year, a rather small fraction of the total statistic. The same applies to the much maligned “high capacity” magazine. With prominent politicians...
• letter to the editor

  Re: Infringing on gun ownership

  Mon, 04/05/2021 - 3:00pm

  Dear Editor: In his March 15 letter to the editor, Linc Sample of Boothbay Harbor opined that many members of Congress did not understand the 2nd Amendment’s prohibition of the right of the people to k eep and b ear a rms. Violent c rime is driven by considerably more causes than merely the "g ang and d rug b usiness " that Mr. Sample refers to. Though Maine indeed has a "d rug p roblem, " we also have a significant f irearm p roblem . According to the Center for American Progress : -- From...
• letter to the editor

  A well regulated militia

  Mon, 03/29/2021 - 3:15pm

  Dear Editor: Our nation’s second mass-murderer in the past two weeks bought his Ruger AR-556 semiautomatic pistol legally, just six days before he killed ten innocent people, including a police officer, in Boulder. (Like Georgia, Colorado does not have a waiting period between firearm purchase and weapon delivery. ) Because this lethal cousin of the AR-15 is designed for rapid fire, it boasts a 30-round clip, flash suppressor, and hot-gas control for extensive firing. Who wouldn’t want such an...
• letter to the editor

  Maine does it better

  Mon, 03/29/2021 - 3:00pm

  Dear Editor: A letter last week complained about our state government's handling of the COVID-19 problem and said it was way too strict. Being a retired engineer I thought I would look into the facts. I wanted to compare other like sized, northern, rural states and see their results. The other states were Montana and North and South Dakota. The chart shows the results. The numbers after each state show the population, the COVID-19 cases, and deaths due only to Covid Maine: 1,300,000, 48,642,...
• letter to the editor

  Inaccuracies in letter

  Mon, 03/29/2021 - 2:45pm

  Dear Editor: In his recent letter to the editor, Linc Sample writes: “After four years of a Democrat controlled Congress led by Pelosi standing in the way of any attempt to secure the border and help fix America’s immigration system, they have created this crisis.” Note that in a joint speech in January of 2019, Sen. Schumer and Speaker of the House Pelosi responded to Trump on border security, saying they do believe there should be a border wall and that women and children illegally entering...
• letter to the editor

  Complaining about a positive?

  Mon, 03/29/2021 - 2:45pm

  Dear Editor: In his recent (3/25) letter to the editor, Dale Page points to the wide economic and social shutdown we have undergone and the relatively few COVID deaths Maine has experienced over the past year. Sounds to me like he is complaining that the governor's safety measures have worked. Martha Helman Boothbay Harbor
• letter to the editor

  Questioning a public utility for Southport

  Mon, 03/29/2021 - 2:30pm

  Dear Editor: I am writing in response to those on Southport who are calling for a public utility on our island to compete with the services that we currently receive from Spectrum and others. While I am sympathetic with the cause, I disagree that building a public utility is the best answer. Like the towns near us, Southport has an extensive network of current solutions built on old technologies. The problem with the current providers is three fold: First: Our seasonal model provides no...
• letter to the editor

  An opportunity for Southport

  Thu, 03/25/2021 - 8:15am

  Dear Editor: I’m a proud resident of Southport. Over the years we have shown to be forward thinking people. Examples of this are: bringing year-round water to the island; installing a solar array to power our town buildings; securing our beach for posterity; and installing LED street lights, to name a few. We now see a new opportunity, establishing a Fiber Optic Broadband system around our island. For several years, a committee has been studying broadband/internet solutions for our island. It...
• letter to the editor

  Examining Maine’s pandemic numbers

  Mon, 03/22/2021 - 3:45pm

  Dear Editor: There comes a time when we as a people have to examine events that have taken place and take stock of the facts that have driven decisions that have been made for us as a people. Here are the hard and fast numbers of the Maine Centers for Decease control for the past year: Average number of people who die every year in the state of Maine, 15,000. Number of COVID-19 positive tested people in the state this past year, 46,856. They admit that the number is probably much higher. (as of...
• letter to the editor

  Time to get a gun?

  Mon, 03/22/2021 - 3:30pm

  Dear Editor: We can all be thankful that Robert Aaron Long’s God-given and Constitutionally-protected Second Amendment rights were intact when he bought his 9mm handgun legally and without the bother of a waiting period, right before he murdered eight innocent people in Atlanta. Odd, though, that guns are not allowed at the NRA annual meetings when their mascot, Donald Trump, is speaking and signing MAGA hats … or at Republican National Conventions. Oh — and thoughts and prayers for the...
• letter to the editor

  Biden has put country at risk

  Mon, 03/22/2021 - 3:15pm

  Dear Editor, “President Biden has the southern border situation under control,” says Nancy Pelosi. After four years of a Democrat controlled Congress led by Pelosi standing in the way of any attempt to secure the border and help fix America’s immigration system, they have created this crisis. Our new president spent the entire campaign and before encouraging “migrants” to come, to surge the border. We see images of “migrants” with “Biden let me in” shirts. The Border Patrol reported in February...
• letter to the editor

  Bearing false witness

  Mon, 03/22/2021 - 3:15pm

  Dear Editor: Gun manufacturers and their lobby, aside from manufacturing guns and ammo, manufacture many bald faced lies. Among these lies is a particularly pernicious falsehood that progressives wish to take away the rights of Americans to bear arms. This lie accomplishes two things on behalf of the gun manufacturers. First it suppresses any debate or discussion about what are the reasonable limits to the rights and freedoms afforded to people who wish to exercise those rights. Secondly, and...
• letter to the editor

  Keep up your inspired work, Sen Maxmin

  Mon, 03/22/2021 - 3:00pm

  Dear Editor: Thank you, Senator Maxmin, for your creation of the Pine Tree Amendment to our state constitution! You are a breath of fresh air, literally. I believe your youth is just one of your qualities which guides your vision and actions, because the young are better equipped to see the aging world with a more critical eye. And, they have much more at stake for their future. Making environmental protections a constitutional right is huge. Our country has always been in a state of change,...
• letter to the editor

  Peninsula Vacation Time: A proposal

  Mon, 03/22/2021 - 2:30pm

  Dear Editor: At this time of year, we all read the usual complaints about changing to Daylight Savings Time. I am going to make what may seem an unusual suggestion: what if we established a Peninsula Vacation Time that started on the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend and ended on Labor Day and set local clocks forward another hour. The sun rises before 5 a.m. throughout June and before 6 a.m. all summer. The latest sunset is 8:25 p.m. and by Labor Day it sets before 7:30. How much more...
• letter to the editor

  Inspired to be thankful

  Mon, 03/22/2021 - 2:00pm

  Dear Editor: Inspired by my friend Pat Young, who is the original “young at heart” woman and therefore a grand optimist, I submit my “thankful” note to you. Although Mr. Covid limited many of us, other opportunities began popping up. *Our wonderful St. Andrews Auxiliary volunteers are working at the YMCA vaccine center, some are arranging for snacks for the workers, others finding projects for SAV residents to enjoy, many others still having fun working at our Thrift Shop, still others are...
• letter to the editor

  Learn about Maxmin’s Pine Tree Amendment

  Mon, 03/15/2021 - 4:45pm

  Dear Editor: Over the past few years in the Midcoast and across Maine, we have witnessed citizens and their communities rise up to assert local control over proposed and old industrial developments that they deem are or will be harmful to their health and environment. Industrial-size fish farms, fracked gas pipelines, electricity power lines, and fossil fuel tank farms have all been the targets of recent citizen mobilization. Intuitively people know that protecting the air they breathe, the...
• letter to the editor

  Infringing on gun ownership

  Mon, 03/15/2021 - 3:30pm

  Dear Editor: Infringe: verb; to commit a breach or infraction of; violate or transgress: Apparently, many members of Congress do not understand this definition, especially the ranking members in the Democrat party. It is no real surprise given that our Dotard in Chief has never understood it. Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee continues to push a bill, HR 127, which would impose onerous taxes and fees on law abiding gun owners. With 16 separate items including magazine capacity limits and a ban...
• letter to the editor

  We are so close

  Mon, 03/15/2021 - 2:45pm

  Dear Editor: I wanted to get really excited today — I finally got to sign up for my first dose of vaccine and I think I can smell spring in the air. But then I saw the number of new cases reported in Maine and it is trending up again. Why can’t we figure this Covid thing out? While I agree with the governor trying to relax restrictions a little and talking about a fairly normal summer season, I am scared. People seem not be wearing masks as much, even inside. Social distancing seems to be non-...
• letter to the editor

  Grateful for ‘old scribbler’s’ columns

  Mon, 03/15/2021 - 2:30pm

  Dear Editor: Many of us read big city newspapers as well as small town ones. What they each have in common at their core is the desire to share information, both facts and opinions, providing a place where all can be heard. We can challenge each other, learning new things or confirming what we already know. This past year the common thread for our survival has been finding some anchor or purpose. I’ve struggled with this, worrying each day as my husband left for work in healthcare, thanking God...
• letter to the editor

  Thanks for the response

  Mon, 03/15/2021 - 2:00pm

  Dear Editor: I want to thank everyone who has brought their used prescription bottles to Nathan's for recycling to Partners for World Health. The response has been much greater than I ever thought it would be and it's good to know that all these plastic bottles will not end up in the trash stream here in Maine. One more request. Please make sure when you return the bottle that the cap is on it. We cannot use bottles that don't have a cap and I don't want Nathan's to provide us with caps. Also,...
• letter to the editor

  Congressman Golden's bold stance on Policing Act of 2021

  Wed, 03/10/2021 - 9:00am

  Dear Editor: J.R.R. Tolkien said, “Courage is found in unlikely places.” Congressman Jared Golden put a face to that statement when he stood before his peers and voted to oppose the Justice in Policing Act of 2021. Maine Sheriffs recognize the undeniable need for ethics and transparency in law enforcement. Our citizens demand and deserve the accountability of all law enforcement professionals. No one wants this more than the overwhelming majority of police officers, deputies, chiefs, and...

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