Letters

• letter to the editor

  A corporation asking for public money ought to tell us who it is

  Mon, 03/27/2023 - 3:45pm

  Dear Editor: The community did not have a voice when the selectmen granted the BRDC $50,000.00 of American Rescue Plan funds. BRDC reports it is targeting $350,000.00 in regional ARP funding. The minutes for the Boothbay Board of Selectmen meeting on Sept. 14, 2022 reports that Erin Cooperrider presented the Boothbay Regional Development Corporation’s like so: BRDC is governed by a Board of Directors who are year-round residents actively involved in real estate development, supportive housing,...
• letter to the editor

  Parents must revolt

  Mon, 03/27/2023 - 3:15pm

  Dear Editor: So, what’s next, drag queen story hour for third graders at Southport Elementary? Maine Department of Education Commissioner Pender Makin told lawmakers on Wednesday, March 15 “Traditional academic learning — like reading, writing and math — should be a lower priority in Maine schools than social-emotional learning and programming on race and gender.” (Steve Robinson, Maine Wire) DEI, SEL, CRT and Gender Fluidity as necromancy. Leftist, woke indoctrination by way of Diversity,...
• letter to the editor

  Economics/Politics 101

  Mon, 03/27/2023 - 3:00pm

  Dear Editor: 1. The government bails out SVB Bank. 2. The parent company of SVB Bank, SVB Financial Group (SIVB) files for bankruptcy. 3. On March 6, 2023 SIVB stock was trading at $281.96/share. 4. There are 59,200,000 shares of SIVB stock. 5. On March 6, 2023 SIVB stock was worth $16,692,032,000.00 6. After filing for bankruptcy stocks usually end up worthless. 7. 98.43% of the shares are held by institutions and Mutual Funds. 8. Most pension funds consist of stock and mutual funds. 9. End...
• letter to the editor

  Appreciate the support for Nataleigh

  Mon, 03/27/2023 - 2:30pm

  Dear Editor: I would like to take a moment to thank this wonderful town for all the support you gave Nataleigh Blackman for our trip to Tennessee. Nat's guitar decided to break just 30 minutes before her performance but thankfully Brian Plato let her use his which she had never played but she did wonderful. Nat got two rising star awards -- she is a star in my book anyway. I would like to thank the people who donated to her very expensive trip. Webster/Beal fund, K.P. Lodge #32, Jodie’s Cafe,...
• letter to the editor

  Thanks for the support

  Mon, 03/20/2023 - 3:30pm

  Dear Editor: On behalf of the Maine Lobstermen’s Association, I would like to take this opportunity to thank those involved in the recent fundraiser held at Robinson’s Wharf to benefit the Save Maine Lobstermen’s Legal Defense Fund. A huge thank you to everyone at Robinson’s who made this event so successful, with a special thank you to Craig Slater and family for hosting the event at the “Wharf,” and for the generous donation of 100% of the proceeds to the cause. I would also like to thank all...
• letter to the editor

  Why it's important to learn history

  Mon, 03/20/2023 - 3:00pm

  Dear Editor: World War I: Why did Germany start WW I? Germany sought to break up the French-Russian alliance and was fully prepared to take the risk that this would bring about a major war. Some in the German elite welcomed the prospect of beginning an expansionist war of conquest. World War II: What was the German excuse for attacking Poland? On Sept. 1, 1939, Germany invaded Poland. To justify the action, Nazi propagandists accused Poland of persecuting ethnic Germans living in Poland. They...
• letter to the editor

  Board of Appeals’ scope of review

  Mon, 03/20/2023 - 2:45pm

  Dear Editor: As a reminder, the Boothbay Harbor Board of Appeals’ jurisdiction to decide this appeal is appellate and is governed by Section 170-101.11(H)(3)(b) of Boothbay Harbor’s Land Use Ordinance (the “LUO”). Under this standard, the BOA may reverse the decision of the Planning Board only if it finds that the decision “was contrary to specific provisions of the article or contrary to the facts presented in the record to the Planning Board.” This is a highly deferential standard. In...
• letter to the editor

  Clothesline for Caring

  Mon, 03/20/2023 - 2:30pm

  Dear Editor: I would like to thank everyone who participated in our "Clothesline for Caring" at the Boothbay Harbor United Methodist Church! This was our third year with this mission. During the winter months we had hats, mittens, gloves and scarves available on the clothesline. This year we gave out 118 items – which was up from last year which was 70 items. We where very glad to be able to help the community in this way. We have already begun collecting for next year. People are always asking...
• letter to the editor

  Will Smith the bad guy?

  Mon, 03/13/2023 - 4:00pm

  Dear Editor: How low can a person stoop? Where do we draw the line? Is it acceptable to laugh at people who have suffered a personal dilemma? When I saw Chris Rock get up on stage and make a joke about an unfortunate situation Will Smith’s wife is dealing with, and hear an audience roar with laughter ... and now Will Smith is the bad guy for standing up for his wife? Chris Rock didn’t even have the decency to apologize! Was anyone surprised? Burke Ramsay Boothbay
• letter to the editor

  Cause of housing shortage is a false narrative

  Mon, 03/13/2023 - 3:15pm

  Dear Editor: The idea that the housing shortage in Maine or the USA is caused by housing underproduction is a well-crafted narrative but historical data shows that the cause of the housing shortage is not the underproduction of housing needed for residential living and so one must ask why and how this narrative became the basis of LD 2003 ( HP 1489 ), that robs Maine communities of their constitutional Home Rule right to decide matters local and municipal in character. The under-production myth...
• letter to the editor

  Djokavic no, illegals yes

  Mon, 03/13/2023 - 3:00pm

  Dear Editor: The greatest tennis player in current history is denied access to the United States based on bogus vaccination status. Yet masses of humanity cross the border unabated and unscrutinized. Please somebody reconcile this hypocrisy. John Splaine West Boothbay Harbor
• letter to the editor

  A material difference in numbers

  Mon, 03/06/2023 - 3:30pm

  Dear Editor: According to the Register’s story of Feb. 28, Boothbay Harbor’s town manager ‘corrects’ my attorney’s (Collins) statement on legal fees. Collins had stated that the town spent $150k (on land use matters since November 2021) most of which went to the Newcastle Realty Building case and the ongoing dispute between the East Side Park and its neighbors. The town manager told the selectmen that only $14k in fees were spent on these cases - a material difference. I went back through the...
• letter to the editor

  Governor needs to help the homeless

  Mon, 03/06/2023 - 3:00pm

  Dear Editor: Our Governor needs to stop accepting refugees in Maine. Actual Mainers are homeless and we have no housing available. Some towns are paying up to $10k per month per room to house people in hotels. Isn’t this price gouging? Hotels that take vouchers are full. Shelters are full. Warming centers only stay open all night during “extreme” subfreezing temperatures. Money is available but no actual housing for homeless Mainers to use it. DHHS and other entities give...
• letter to the editor

  From an old retired Marine

  Mon, 03/06/2023 - 2:45pm

  Dear Editor: Here are some thoughts from an old retired U.S. Marine. Happiness is not about getting what you want. It’s about enjoying all you have. “Don’t waste time, time is the final currency man, not money, not power, it’s time,” David Crosby I know being 20 years old in the ’70s was a lot more fun than being 70 years old in the 2020s. I have learned that there are three things in life for certain – health, wealth and time. When you’re young and in your teen years, you have time, good...
• letter to the editor

  The future of the greenhouse property

  Mon, 03/06/2023 - 2:15pm

  Dear Editor: To those that are concerned about the future of the former Boothbay Region Greenhouse s property, I hope the following points will relieve any anxiety, as the last thing the residents of Squirrel Island want to do is cause any upset within the Harbor community, believe me. 1. The property was offered for sale to anyone interested, for at least the past two years. 2. The business was already closed before I approached Bob and Kitty Boyd. 3. Utilizing the property for parking is not...
• letter to the editor

  Informational meeting for Edgecomb voters

  Mon, 02/27/2023 - 3:00pm

  Dear Editor: Edgecomb voters who want to educate themselves about the proposed budget for the 2023-2024 fiscal year should plan to attend the informational budget meeting with the Select Board, Budget Committee, and Department Heads on Tuesday, March 7, at 6:30 p.m. Especially for those concerned about the “vacuum” of casting your votes via referendum voting, this is your opportunity to listen, discuss, and ask questions. Edgecomb’s Select Board, Department Heads, and Budget Committee, many of...
• letter to the editor

  Thank you Eastside Waterfront Park board

  Mon, 02/27/2023 - 2:45pm

  Dear Editor: In an effort to protect Maine’s working waterfront, Boothbay Region Maritime Foundation (BRMF) was conceived and in 2018 recognized as a Maine nonprofit organization. With the help of funds from Land for Maine’s Future, plus the generosity of local benefactors, BRMF was able to purchase Sea Pier, a lobster buying wharf on the east side of Boothbay Harbor and renamed the facility Carter’s Wharf. The Carter’s Wharf Project to aid the commercial working waterfront includes the...
• letter to the editor

  Support the Waterfront Park

  Mon, 02/27/2023 - 2:45pm

  Dear Editor: I wish to express my support for the Boothbay Harbor Waterfront Preservation/Eastside Waterfront Park. I have been very supportive of this since it was proposed. I strongly encourage the citizens who live full time in Boothbay Harbor or who are part-time residents like myself, and visitors and tourists, to openly express their support for its completion. I am very grateful for the dedicated supporters who have developed this great plan which will offer all who come to the Harbor a...
• letter to the editor

  Boothbay snow day closures

  Mon, 02/27/2023 - 2:30pm

  Dear Editor: Although it seems that snow-caused closures are based on forecasts, not on actual amounts of snow, it would be an enormous help to have our local TV channel post the closures for the town instead of using the CBS channel’s postings, which most times do not even show a Boothbay listing. An example from the snow on February 22/23 was that there was not even one mention of Boothbay closures on CBS, yet some of the venues of interest to me were found closed when I drove to them: YMCA,...

• Commendable action

  Tue, 02/21/2023 - 1:15pm

  Dear Editor: I’m writing in support of the work that Steve Lorrain and the building exploratory committee have done. No matter how your readers might feel about the merits of the current or revised proposal for new facilities at BRHS and BRES, they should know how much volunteer time and effort, like Steve’s have gone into this project. Steve and the Building Exploratory Committee are fine examples of citizens who are willing to give of their time and talent to make our community a better place...
• Letter to the editor

  Fair hearings?

  Tue, 02/21/2023 - 9:15am

  Dear Editor: Taxpayers should be alarmed anytime the town spends $147,000 on lawyers, but more so when most of that money was spent on a case that the town lost in Supreme Court, is un-appealable, and still not taken seriously. This case and its legal costs involved the Newcastle Realty building rebuild where the town had been trying to stop the neighbors from receiving a fair hearing to appeal the project – a right affirmed by the courts eight months ago – and yet still not addressed by the...
• Letter to the editor

  Police staffing concerns

  Mon, 02/20/2023 - 6:30pm

  Dear Editor: I have concerns regarding Bill Pearson’s article reporting about the issue raised at the 2/13/2023 selectmen meeting about the understaffed police force in Boothbay Harbor.. Having once been a resident, I am now just a frequent visitor to the area, as I have multiple family members living in the town full time. The selectmen owe the taxpayers, who have paid in good faith, expecting emergency services in return, an update on the plan to return the police staffing to its previous...

• Of charters and master researchers

  Mon, 02/20/2023 - 4:30pm

  Dear Editor: I prefer to respond to on-line commentator cabal in the letters to the editor so that it remains in the public discourse to any master researcher and after being repeatedly asked to simply read the charter written before there was even a CSD board of directors or a board of trustees. In fact, the first pages of the charter outlined how the boards were to be set up. It told of their responsibilities, make-up from respective towns, outlined powers given. I shouldn’t have to tell a...
• Letter to the editor

  Politics and science are like oil and water

  Mon, 02/20/2023 - 3:45pm

  Dear Editor: There is no question that nuclear power, which is clean and affordable energy that doesn’t pollute or kill birds and whales, is the future. The reality is that 32 countries around the world currently generate their electricity using nuclear reactors. There are 438 operating reactors, with 57 in the building phase. In Western countries, they are built to exceedingly high safety standards and, in all countries where they operate, they produce clean, affordable energy. Not...
• letter to the editor

  Government is controlling

  Mon, 02/20/2023 - 3:15pm

  Dear Editor: Rugged individualism is dead. Government dependency replaced the very moral fiber on which Maine was founded. We have always paid our own bills. Janet Mills has declared war on gas and oil, giving fuel to saturating us with handouts (our own $), dowsing our god given sense of self-reliance. Mills still blames Putin. Go to the grocery store and look at the prices the president touts do not exist. Just two years ago, we were pulling our own weight after a government induced universal...
• letter to the editor

  Mills’ payments

  Mon, 02/13/2023 - 3:30pm

  Dear Editor: I would like to thank Governor Mills for our "people’s/socialist payments" of $900. The payments came just in time to help pay for half of our latest fuel delivery. But then again, had Trump been re-elected in 2020 the price of oil would be about $1.50 a gallon and our payments would have been totally unnecessary. Joe Scorcia Boothbay
• letter to the editor

  Green hoax

  Mon, 02/13/2023 - 3:15pm

  Dear Editor: Let’s face it, Green energy is a joke. It punishes the poor. Batteries are made out of rare earth minerals mostly mined by third world peasants who will never see the fruits of their brutal labor. Enjoy your EV you high brow hypocrite while the earth is raped and children are exploited for your green vision. Ah, maybe some more Chinese solar panels… no forced labor there right? Just disgusting. John Splaine West Boothbay Harbor
• letter to the editor

  Tone of our ‘free speech’

  Mon, 02/13/2023 - 2:45pm

  Dear Editor: Things are tough, all around … prices are high; the economy is twitchy; it is the middle of winter. And, even with all the good in my life (I am an incredibly fortunate person), my spirits get down. But, downness breeds downness … and I personally do not want to foster downness – it breeds frustration and anger. My grandmother taught us – “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything.” At the time I thought it was the dumbest thing I had ever heard and I certainly have not...
• letter to the editor

  Lady Seahawks: Pride in the past and working on the future

  Mon, 02/13/2023 - 2:45pm

  Dear Editor: I want to take a minute to recognize this season’s Lady Seahawks basketball team on a hard fought season. The wins are going to come! I had the privilege to come to a practice and work with a very young team featuring just one senior and one junior. Their collective energy was off the charts. I know that if they continue to grind, stick together, and dedicate themselves this summer, there is no doubt that tournament success will be in their future. Thank you to coaches Bruce Orne,...
• letter to the editor

  This is what it has come down to

  Mon, 02/06/2023 - 3:30pm

  Dear Editor: The visioning for our current planning began in 2018 after the referendum for the heating and ventilation upgrades at the elementary school. Visioning is political speech; I call it planning. Our school district is guided by a two-town charter. As far as I know, we are the only school system in the state to be governed this way. There may be others but I am not aware. Two separate boards: CSD Curriculum, Teachers, Administration, Trustees, Buildings, Grounds, Maintenance. The...
• letter to the editor

  An American tragedy

  Mon, 02/06/2023 - 3:15pm

  Dear Editor: My parents were born poor, survived the Depression, graduated high school in 1938, helped win a world war, found productive employment, got married, bought an affordable home, raised eight healthy children in a safe environment, and lived a long and fruitful life … together. Perhaps more troubled and aimless young Americans need to start asking: “Why were we urged to despise our country rather than dream happy dreams?” Phil Molvar Southport
• letter to the editor

  Re: 14 Todd Avenue

  Mon, 02/06/2023 - 3:00pm

  Dear Editor: Dennis Hilton complains in this paper about legal bills spent by him and taxpayers on court cases regarding his new downtown Newcastle Realty building which came before the Maine Supreme Court. His letter misrepresents the dispute itself, the parties involved, and an important point: Mr. Hilton lost. The non-appealable ruling is online for all to see. The court sent back the permitting done by the Code Enforcement Officer (CEO) with specific instructions to do the job right...
• letter to the editor

  Wrong priorities

  Mon, 01/30/2023 - 4:00pm

  Dear Editor: We have, by any metric, a crisis on our Southern border with record amounts of fentanyl coming into our country and people entering our nation unvetted taxing our cities and states resources. Our president is waging a proxy war with Russia through Ukraine lately sending them the world’s most advanced armor system. Our nation’s most important and trusted institutions have proven to have been weaponized against significant portions of the population. All this and more plaguing our...
• letter to the editor

  Bring back Trump

  Mon, 01/30/2023 - 3:45pm

  Dear Editor: Two years ago I wrote a letter saying that Biden voters may have unknowingly voted for the ruin of the U.S.A. It certainly appears now that I was correct. To those voters, I ask the question: is this really what you want for our country? Can you tell us even one policy of the Biden regime that you're proud of? Is it any wonder why the "Left" has made every attempt to prevent President Trump from being president. After multiple and costly investigations, weaponizing our FBI, DOJ,...
• letter to the editor

  Resolving the matter at 14 Todd Ave.

  Mon, 01/30/2023 - 3:00pm

  Dear Editor: Since 2020 I have been defending myself as a party-in-interest against legal action initiated by Tom Myette against the town of Boothbay Harbor, connected with property I own at 14 Todd Avenue. As an area native who has enjoyed the Boothbay region my whole life, I am excited to contribute to the commerce of the downtown area. Along with the staff at Newcastle Realty, I have been overwhelmed by how welcoming the community has been, and the positive comments about our building...
• letter to the editor

  Just sayin’ ... America first

  Mon, 01/30/2023 - 2:45pm

  Dear Editor: Before our political leaders let our country go completely down the drain, if you support another country, it’s all well and good. However, fly an American flag first for the proud veterans, especially for those who gave their lives and made it possible for you to do so. No reply, no response needed. Just do it. Munro Dodge East Boothbay
• letter to the editor

  Thanks Boothbay Harbor community

  Mon, 01/30/2023 - 2:30pm

  Dear Editor: OceansWide would like to spotlight our friends in the Boothbay Harbor community and give a huge thanks for their continued dedication to the area. Without their help none of us would be able to reap the benefits which have been cultivated based on community respect and mutual goals of environmental restoration. During 2021 and 2022 the people and businesses here were greatly supportive of our ongoing Ghost Trap Removal Pilot Project. We sincerely appreciate the generosity and...
• letter to the editor

  Updates on BEC decisions

  Mon, 01/30/2023 - 2:15pm

  Dear Editor: Dear Citizens of Boothbay / Boothbay Harbor, I’m writing to update you on decisions made at the recent Building Exploratory Committee (BEC) Meeting. The BEC was formed by our school’s Board of Trustees and CSD School Board to examine options for the future of our PreK-12 schools for voter consideration as a referendum. The committee voted to: Develop additional options for consideration before making its final recommendation to the full boards to bring to referendum. This work...
• letter to the editor

  Financial responsibility for our schools

  Mon, 01/23/2023 - 4:00pm

  Dear Editor: As a taxpayer who has been paying attention, I hope that our locally elected school officials pump the brakes before paying architects an additional $1.2 million. Approximately $1 million has already been spent on the $100 million plan for building new schools, which may never even get past voters unless it is all privately funded by donors. All donations received are supposed to be unconditional and no strings attached, so I think the boards should demonstrate financial...
• letter to the editor

  From the ‘global elite’

  Mon, 01/23/2023 - 3:45pm

  Dear Editor: Once again the “global elite” meet in Davos to engineer the world’s rescue, whether it needs it or not. Last year they decided that we would own nothing and like it. This year they have proclaimed we shall eat bugs. You can bet your bottom dollar that the likes of Bill Gates, Al Gore and the mastermind Klaus won’t be giving up their filet Mignon or wild salmon for crickets. That honor will fall to us proles and as they are want to say over and over again, we will like it. I, for...
• letter to the editor

  The Arkansas toothpick

  Mon, 01/23/2023 - 3:30pm

  Dear Editor: In his Jan. 19 letter, John Splaine asked us, ”Remember the Alamo?” Everyone does, but each person’s memory is inflected by their own ideology. For generations, American school children were taught to regard the abandoned Spanish mission as a site of patriotic martyrdom. Mexicans view it as the opening volley in a war of Anglo aggression against a newly-independent sovereign nation, whose government had ratified an international border with the United States on the Sabine River,...
• letter to the editor

  Collateral damage

  Mon, 01/23/2023 - 3:15pm

  Dear Editor: Collateral damage and not so friendly fire. Our young are victims in the cultural war. Children have an enhanced and amazing ability to learn in a handful of critical years. The human brain reaches its maximum size at age 10 for girls and 14 for boys. After reaching a maximum, the number of synapses between neurons in the cortex is scaled back in the teenager. There is a selective pruning process in which synapses that are active are strengthened and those that are not used are...
• letter to the editor

  Rules made for some but not for others

  Mon, 01/23/2023 - 3:00pm

  Dear Editor: We are told in this newspaper that the two towns were eventually joined by school officials in developing a “repeal and replace” approach to updating the School Charter’s language to match current state statutes, Last April, about a month before anonymous donors financed architects to redesign our school system, the state enacted LD1845 An Act To Amend the Education Statutes . I recommend reading the bill version as it is easy to identify where changes were made. A quick peruse of...
• letter to the editor

  Souper Bowl luncheons discontinued

  Mon, 01/23/2023 - 2:30pm

  Dear Editor: Last month the Southport Memorial Library Aides reluctantly voted not to continue their Souper Bowl luncheons. It has been a fun tradition that for years had brought Southport and other peninsula residents together at a time of year we all needed friends and smiles and warm soup (even as the actual Super Bowl moved into February and the Boothbay area blossomed with new resources and events for keeping connected). Besides the hard-working Aides, and their husbands, family and...
• letter to the editor

  Remember the Alamo?

  Mon, 01/16/2023 - 4:30pm

  Dear Editor: Remember the Alamo? It’s a question not a battle cry. What happened that led to the confrontation at the Alamo? Tejas, a Mexican territory under the rule of General Santa Anna, was the northern outpost of his despotic rule. Long story short: Americans crossed unabated into this territory and started calling themselves Texians and conducted themselves in a manor familiar to the laws of the United States. Eventually, the Texians and some Tejanos demanded liberty from the despotic...
• letter to the editor

  Planning board needs to step up

  Mon, 01/16/2023 - 4:15pm

  Dear Editor: Boothbay Harbor taxpayers may be aware of the conflict over the downtown Newcastle Reality Building that is finally before the Planning Board some two years after it was built. Taxpayers will note, the Maine Supreme Court overturned several layers of town decisions on this issue for two reasons: First, the lack of notification to the abutters; and second, because of a lack of facts, details and records in the town’s permitting of this project. Both of those problems run contrary to...
• letter to the editor

  Where has our democracy gone?

  Mon, 01/16/2023 - 4:00pm

  Dear Editor: This is the first time I have ever written a letter to the editor, but I feel it is extremely important. In New England small towns, the purest form of democracy has, for generations, been identified as the town meeting. It provides for all voices to be heard in the running of town government. Articles on the warrant are raised, discussed, sometimes modified, and then voted on by the residents of town. It appears as though we have lost this critical form of government in Edgecomb...
• letter to the editor

  Truthful skeptical inquiry and complex issues

  Mon, 01/16/2023 - 3:45pm

  Dear Editor: The journal “Science” is a well respected publisher of scientific articles. It earned its reputation by publishing claims that are peer reviewed by other scientists. This is one of the foundational premises of how science works. Lately, three scientists from Harvard published an article in “Science” that reviewed other scientists' findings on climate change. These scientists happened to work for Exxon-Mobil going back to the 1970s. The Harvard scientist’s review concluded that the...
• letter to the editor

  Unfounded claims

  Mon, 01/16/2023 - 3:00pm

  Dear Editor, Opponents of the Waterfront Park continue to make unfounded claims regarding the discharge of the Children’s Splashpad water from the Eastside Park. A recent letter to the Editor stated “the state has now told BHWP the splash pad wastewater can’t be discharged on the site or to the Harbor as planned.” Waterfront Preservation has received no such notification from the state. Quite to the contrary, Waterfront Preservation has been issued a Natural Resources Protection Act permit from...
• letter to the editor

  Against picking cherries

  Mon, 01/16/2023 - 2:45pm

  Dear Editor: Last week (Jan. 12 issue) in his letter to this newspaper, Joe Grant did some painstaking research and has provided us with a number of single years in which record-high temperatures were recorded and certified; of these, only two occurred in this young century. What remains unclear is his purpose in presenting this data; his final paragraph implies climate-change denial. He concludes by rightly urging us to do our own “due diligence” when pondering global heat records. Is it...

•  
• 1 of 3
• next ›