Dear Editor:

As I sweep the dismal news events of the past week out of my mind so I can get some sleep, I’m assailed by one film clip that won’t leave me alone. It features Donald Trump casually remarking on the Saudis’ hideous murder and dismemberment of a respected journalist, saying “The man had a lot of enemies, a lot of people didn’t like him, and things happen.”

Really? Does Trump hear his own voice? A lot of people think he’s unhinged -- an apt description of one who seems to function in a zone remote from any solid support -- and I’m one of those who agree that we’re hearing a madman

Dear Editor:

We are a very "dog friendly" town with water bowls out wherever your eye roams. Shop owners may even hand out dog treats! With that being said … (although not a dog owner myself) what about creating a "dog park?” Many of my dog owning friends have voiced the need over the years and I personally feel it's long overdue. Any thoughts?

Carrie Langlois

Boothbay Harbor

Ahhh, if only Petula Clark could have seen Boothbay Harbor when she sang "Downtown." And, this time of the year, the lights really are much brighter there, er, here!

Driving around to see holiday nights downtown and through our neighborhoods was always a family Christmas ritual when my daughters were young. I still go solo - hey, it only happens once a year, right?

Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens takes holiday lighting to cosmic heights each year drawing thousands of visitors to our region. Boothbay Register/Wiscasset Newspaper readers no doubt saw ace photographer Steve Edward's photos of

The days of this month seem to be passing quickly, but each has had something special, like an advent calendar with a small surprise.  We got the second snow, this one lingers as the temperatures remain chilly, and the sun is not with us often, or for long, but there are things happening that are filled with the light and warmth of the season, so let us focus our attention there. 

The library is now decorated thanks to the successful Deck The Halls event last Thursday. This Thursday, the 11th, from 6 to 8 p.m., you can enjoy those festive surroundings, and get your wrapping done at the first

The Army–Navy Game: A Rivalry Rooted in Service, Honor, and Football Greatness 

You’ll have to indulge me this week. The Army–Navy Game is here again, and while many around town may not follow it closely, those of us who came out of Annapolis or West Point, USNA Class of 1966 in my case, we are honor bound to spread the word. I don’t watch much football anymore, but this game is different.  It is in our USNA alumni DNA, dare I say West Pointers too, to get excited!   

Few American sporting events carry the emotional weight or tradition of the Army - Navy Game. Since its first kickoff in 1890

It is sure to be another fantastic evening at the BICA hall on Dec. 17. This is a night you won’t want to miss as the trustees and officers do most of the work with things getting started at 5:30. Everyone is invited to bring a side dish or dessert to share, and let’s make it a true feast! Coffee and water will be provided, but feel free to bring your beverage of choice to keep the good times rolling! 

Bill B., Bill H., Mel, Les, Jeffory and Alan did an outstanding job hosting the November potluck. Brian provided an extra special treat with hot dogs from his hot dog cooker. That was a wow

I never win the weekly 50/50 raffle.  Never, never, never.  And I always support the raffle – frugally.  Partly I support it frugally because history shows I am never the winner; partly I do so frugally because I visit a lot of clubs and I’d have to sign up with Gambler’s Anonymous if I supported each one as liberally as some people I know at the club – people with long arms who go for an arm’s length of raffle tickets, while I’m sidelined with the three-tickets-for- $2 deal. 

All this is preparatory to say that I won! I won! I won the big $15 prize at last week’s meeting.  I suspect

With holiday shopping—and shipping—comes the risk of package theft. Thieves — often called “Porch Pirates” — steal millions of packages from American doorsteps each year, totaling billions of dollars in merchandise. You can help protect your deliveries with a few simple steps.

Opt into delivery alerts, allowing you to track your package and know exactly when items arrive. If you won’t be home, ask a trusted person to pick it up, or instruct the delivery person to place it out of sight.

Consider requesting a signature upon delivery to ensure your package is handed to someone directly. You can

Like many people, we traveled to spend time with family for the Thanksgiving holiday. In our case, the travel was a car ride to New York City to be with our son and his girlfriend. We were among millions who visit the millions in Manhattan this time of year, many for the famous parade and holiday kickoff events and shopping, in addition to being with family.

We don’t love the traffic but after we get the car parked and out of mind until departure, we love the hustle and bustle on the streets, contrasted with the coziness of being together in a small apartment. The subway ride to Chelsea

On this next to last installment of 2025's five good things that happened in or near Wiscasset, we start with a November classic, one to always be thankful for: People voted. Area residents, on Election Day or by absentee ballot, did their part in deciding issues state and local.

And of course, you can thank a veteran for our being able to vote. Veterans Day observances in Wiscasset, Woolwich and elsewhere in the region honored those who have served. From the pledge of allegiance, to the playing of "Reveille" and placing of wreaths, these ceremonies are some of the most important things that

I’m just gonna come out and say it – Larry Brown has been a great addition to our community over the many years and, because it is Giving Tuesday while I write this, it only seems fitting because he has given his time and effort to so many causes.

After joining Boothbay Harbor Police Department from Lewiston PD and opening a bed and breakfast in East Boothbay with his wife, Marti Booth, Brown has helped bring notice to, done fundraising for, and been involved with causes of various types. I will probably forget some here but many know he is always looking to help boost community togetherness.

Thanksgiving is the most American of all our holidays.

How did you celebrate it? Did you share a meal with your family? Did you eat too much?

In the name of transparency, I confess I did, muttering yes when they offered me a piece of yummy apple pie and another of pumpkin, along with a generous dollop of whipped cream. Mea culpa.

After I finished my Friday chores, I drove to the edge of Boothbay to check in with her nibs, Ms. Pigette, who holds up a mailbox beside Route 27, the road off the peninsula. When I got out of the car, she waved me away.

“I am busy. Go away,” she said as she buried

Most Obsessive Compulsive. Best Local Landmark. Best Holiday Spirit. Best Traditional Gingerbread House Design. Best Youth Entry. Most Spectacular. These are just a few of the award categories bestowed upon gingerbread builders with creative flair. And patience.

The annual Gingerbread Spectacular, held at the Opera House mid-December for 19 years now, draws curious fans from near and far. They want to be amazed, entertained and, often, awestruck. Fortunately, the event gives them what they want , thanks to those entering the competition. But for many of those, it’s all about the fun and the

A few weeks ago, a friend was describing his day spent stacking wood at his community’s wood bank. He stated, “Even though the weather was still warm, winter’s chill would be here soon.” His town was ready to ensure the resources were in place to help their fellow Mainers stay warm, secure and connected. 

Maine is fortunate to have a network of volunteer-led wood banks. Local wood banks offer resources to those experiencing a heating emergency and strive to build community resiliency and connections through neighbors helping neighbors. Community wood banks are supported by the Maine Wood

The windy month of November is over, the wind had the smell of snow in it, but that is yet to come, perhaps Tuesday. The winter skies are present, clear, bedecked with the shimmer of stars, we are fortunate not to have a lot of light pollution this time of year, so the milky way is all the more present and stunning.  Walks all around the island roads and through my woods have verified that this was almost an acornless season, many pine cones, but nothing from the oaks, there will be some hunger deer among our shrubs.  Despite the brisk wind it was a beautiful day to put up the lights around

Dear Editor:

It has always irked me that, among Republicans, the Affordable Care Act polls significantly better than ObamaCare. For the uninitiated, there is no difference between the two—one is simply a convenient shorthand for the official legislation. For almost the entirety of my adult life, Republicans have been fixated on repealing and replacing the ACA. The trouble is, Republicans don’t have even the faintest outline of a replacement.

Forgive me for being cynical, but this is because conservatives don’t actually care if working families can afford health insurance. So as our Republican

Dear Editor:

This movie was shown at the Harbor Theater Nov. 7 through 12; it’s also streaming on NETFLIX. A nuclear armed ICBM has been detected flying toward Chicago from some Asian country. The actions of various military and government organizations are then shown leading to the necessary decision of the President. The navy officer carrying the nuclear football tells the President the options are like ordering a steak; Rare, Medium, or Well-Done. I submit he chose Well-Done, a large nuclear response which would certainly result in a full nuclear reply from Russia. Raven Rock is briefly

Dear Editor:

Maine needs an effective crime fighting capacity, but “tough on crime” policy tends to end up being stupid on crime.

For example, with this crackdown on immigrants, we have too many very smart people doing stupid things. Police resources are being wasted on this anti-immigration folly being played out on the streets of our greatest cities. The local law enforcement community has enough to do without further distractions by ICE and its terror tactics.

What is true is that the greater majority of those detained by ICE have not committed any crime or even minor infractions. The number

Dear Editor:

The recent letter, “The Must Trusted Man in America” by Fred W. Nehring (Nov. 13, 2025) tells harsh truths about the loss of our cherished amendment guaranteeing freedom of the press in America.

Media consolidation resulted from the Telecommunications Act of 1996. Where there were 50 media owners in the 1980s now there are five in 2025, namely, Comcast, NBCUniversal, The Walt Disney Company, Warner Bros. Discovery Global (2026), and Paramount Skydance.

The comedians Stephen Colbert (CBS) and Jimmy Kimmel (ABC), acerbic critics of the Trump administration, were fired because their

Dear Editor:

A 28-point ‘peace plan’ to end Russia’s aggression against Ukraine was drafted in Miami by two of Trump’s billionaire real estate developers and a Russian kleptocrat? And the plan they concocted restates a memo to the White House from Moscow?

Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner, and Uri Ushakov are pressuring President Zelenskyy to give the mass murderer Vladimir Putin everything he wants: more Ukrainian territory than he controls, a reduction in Ukrainian forces, no NATO membership, and amnesty for the 200,000 war crimes he has committed so far.

This, of course, is just the latest