We are pleased that starting Monday, Oct. 6 Jane Carpenter joined us as our office manager. Please stop by and say hi. 

Pie, pie, pie! Mark your calendar for Nov. 26, 10a.m. to 2 p.m. for our annual Thanksgiving Pie Sale. Bakers are always needed. Please contact The Community Center (633-9876) if you can contribute.  

Mary Hanley will be here on Wednesday, Oct. 15 at 11 a.m. for a discussion about absentee ballots. This important topic will be on the ballot this November. Bring your questions and concerns and plan to attend. 

Our Durable Medical Equipment program is ongoing and well stocked

I walked into Boothbay Region Art Foundation (BRAF) last Saturday night for its annual ARTinME opening reception and awards. And, wow. Just wow. I’ll say it now (and probably later as well): This is one of those shows in which each work is an example of each artist’s creative magic.

Just over 100 pieces were submitted for this, the third annual large format ARTinME show and of those only 55 were selected by jurors David Estey, improvisational/abstract artist and contemporary abstract artist Jaap Helder, who chose 55 of those entries for this outstanding exhibition. Of these, here are the

Dear Editor:

Our current Secretary of Education is uniquely qualified to lead the nation in this vital area. Her 30-year tenure as president and CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment has provided her with invaluable insights into teacher training, pupil services, curriculum development, and academic administration. She testified that she had once planned to be a teacher; more importantly, she had donated at least $12.2 million to Donald Trump’s PACs.

That being said, I must share with her the following concerns about new policies and requirements that she and her boss have rolled out:

“First

Dear Editor:

Votingyes on Question 1 is not taking away the absentee ballot. You still can receive a ballot by sending a written application by mail, online, or in person. You can request a ballot up to seven days before an election. A family member can assist you or a third person if needed.  You must request an absentee ballot for every election.  

Yes on Question 1 will make Maine elections more secure and fair. It will stop impersonation and fraud. Having to request an absentee ballot every election will lower the risk of ballots going to outdated or incorrect addresses. This will make

Dear Editor:

The Trump administration’s “enhanced counter narcotics operation" has resulted in the deaths of at least 17 people in international waters off the coast of Venezuela. This doctrine involves the deliberate and unlawful killing of individuals outside any legal framework or judicial process. It undermines the principle of due process, denying suspects the opportunity to defend themselves or challenge accusations through a fair and impartial procedure. Extrajudicial killings raises profound ethical issues centered on the fundamental violation of the right to life and due process.

Unt

Dear Editor:

The Nature Conservancy does not own our energy, our jobs, our very way of life. Maine Democrats passed the sale and purchase of land and four hydroelectric dams, which not only produce valuable electricity but also provide milling energy for at least 450 good-paying, longtime existing jobs.

Environmentalists claim spawning wild fish are being restricted by the dams, not allowing their natural flowing passage. This accusation is unfounded and greatly exaggerated. Recorded data from surveys and research, show an up to 90% passage of migrating fish species in some areas. The Sappi

Dear Editor:

Maine may be entering spring already in a drought, with forecasts suggesting this dry condition could persist. Water security must be the top priority over winter for both the Legislature and the Boothbay Region Water District (BRWD).

Two recent bills are often cited as progress on Boothbay’s pipeline plan. LD 293 increased the BRWD’s borrowing limit, and LD 2104 amended the charter of the Wiscasset Water District to allow a regional connection. Yet neither bill provided funding or launched construction. The estimated $28 million pipeline to connect Boothbay with Brunswick-Topsham

Dear Editor:

After sending masked troops into American cities to launch racist attacks, invoking unintelligible tariffs, and cutting medical benefits to millions of our fellow citizens we can no longer look away.

Trump’s tyrannical executive orders and his ad hominem rantings in front of the United Nations and the country’s top military brass should have us all afraid for our nation’s future.

If you want American democracy to endure, speak out and attend one of the No Kings Day events on Saturday, Oct. 18. Our children, grandchildren and neighbors deserve no less.

David Eifler

Boothbay Harbor

Another week of sun, warm temperatures and fall colors, other than continued concerns about the drought conditions, there is little that one could complain about, and that is always nice. An early rising to bid farewell to my son as he heads off for a new job very far from here gave me an opportunity to watch and listen to the day gradually come into being. Bird song, the scampering, chattering of the red squirrels, the raucous Jays flinging seed from the feeders, delighting the chipmunks filling their homes for the winter. Working boats on the water, the chiming of the bells from the church

Dear Editor:

Last night (Oct. 4), a fire took our neighbors' home. Thank goodness no one was in the house. Fire departments from Boothbay Harbor, Boothbay, Southport and Edgecomb responded in the middle of the night to put out a blaze that could, given the current drought conditions, have destroyed the surrounding homes, too. It was impressive that they were so efficient in taking care of such a large fire.

The firefighters on our peninsula are volunteers. They worked throughout the night and were still there this morning, making sure that the fire was completely out. We are so grateful to

One of our resident deer was hit by a car in the early hours of Friday morning near the corner of Crest Avenue and Lobster Cove Road. I don't know how many there were in Sprucewold in total this year but we frequently saw a buck, a doe, and at least two fawns. They do help themselves and eat what they like in the gardens. They don’t like foxgloves or Sweet William. We use organic Liquid Fence Rabbit and Deer repellant and it stinks to high heaven for the first 12-24 hours but it works well as long as you remember to re-apply it.

It is time to begin bringing in the dahlias and geraniums to dry

First, a big thank you to everyone who came out last Saturday on the beautiful fall day to support the Post 36 annual Yard Sale and Craft Show! Thanks to your generosity, we raised over $3,000 - our best yard sale total yet! Of course, none of it would have happened without our incredible volunteers, who put in countless hours, along with plenty of sweat, a little blood, and maybe even a few tears.  Our Post 36 Corporation President, Cathy Moroney, led the charge, starting on Thursday when Cathy, Chris Armstead, and I moved an entire apartment’s worth of donations -- graciously given by Andy

This week our club celebrated Oktoberfest.  There was a beer tasting contest and fun games such as shuffleboard and golf, and the funniest very British game of “Splat the Rat” (which only one Rotarian won!). There were fabulous prizes for winners and losers! We wore our finest lederhosen or funny Oktoberfest aprons. Family and new friends joined us for the evening. We ended with a super dinner of delicious German foods! 

This Thursday we welcome Sara Cawthorn, farm director at The Twin Villages Food Bank Farm located in the fields at Coastal Rivers Great Salt Bay Farm in Newcastle, Maine. Twi

October is National Cybersecurity Awareness Month – a great time to remind ourselves just how much of our lives take place online and the potential threats that exist in the digital world. Any device that stores information or connects to the internet could become a target forcybercriminals seeking to steal your data. Here are four important ways to help stay safe online. 

First, always usestrong, unique passwords for each online account you own. Even better, investigate options for getting a free or low-cost password manager such as Bitwarden, Dashlane, LastPass, and others. Newer to the m

Time to get scary, pretty, silly, or be someone you have always wanted to be. Wednesday, Oct. 15 will be a very big night at the BICA hall with the annual Halloween potluck taking place. Things will get started at 5:30.Peter and Edie, ably assisted by Jayne and Frosty, will be the hosts that night. They are requesting that folks bring either a main dish, side, salad or dessert to share. Coffee and water will be available, but you are welcome to bring your beverage of choice. 

Those coming in costume will have an opportunity to win one of the many amazing prizes available. We have a lot of

Mark your calendar for Nov. 26, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., for our annual Pie Sale. Bakers always needed. Please contact The Community Center (633-9876) if you can contribute.

Mary Hanley will be here on Wednesday, Oct. 15 at 11 a.m. for a discussion about absentee ballots. This important topic will be on the ballot this November. Bring you questions and concerns and plan to attend. 

Our Durable Medical Equipment is ongoing and well stocked. Please stop in Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. if you are in need of supplies. Equipment donations are always needed.

Stop by The Community Center any

We were standing on top of a tall, hill-like jetty near Rockkport, Massachusetts, gazing out at the Gulf of Maine, when we heard a short rattling call from somewhere above us in the blue sky. It was early in the afternoon on a warm September day. The bird diversity was not overwhelming. The expected herring gulls glided by. Far out to sea on a human-made jetty of massive blocks of stone sat a preponderance of great black-backed gulls. A single northern gannet beat its long wings in the distance.

And then there was the rattle call again.

We spotted it then, a high, lone bird. It gave a

What's better than looking back at a month of five good things that happened in or near Wiscasset? A fast-paced roundup of 10, covering two months. August and September were full of events and special moments and, as it all flew by like summer does, we did our best to cover and/or share as much as possible.

Wiscasset Art Walk Aug. 28 wrapped another season of attracting people downtown for entertainment, shopping and more in the warm months. Kudos to this classy, well-organized event that has become a Wiscasset classic. 

It takes two: Whether you wanted the school budget that passed Sept. 4 or

Once in a while, especially when a new month arrives (and I don’t know what this week’s column is going to be about), I pop into the National Day Calendar to see what types of celebrations are occurring.

October is a month with several celebrations. Here are a few with personal takes on each.

I’m Just Me Because Month: Accept who you are and it’s not about what people think of you, it’s what you think of yourself.

National Physical Therapy Month: A sore knee, back pain and shoulder problems. Maybe PT is in the cards for me. How about you?

Breast Cancer Awareness Month: An important medical

How many of you remember radio?

No, not the soothing NPR empathy/classical music kind, the mighty Rock & Roll blasts, country twang, or endless breathless rants from the right or the left.

I mean radio, the way back stuff, where our family gathered around a big shiny wooden box about the size of a small refrigerator and listened to what the guy, and it was always a guy, had to say about current events. One of the biggest stars was a guy named Walter Winchell who always began with the tag line, “Good Evening, Mr. and Mrs. America, and all the ships at sea. Let’s go to press.” Then he would