Dear Editor:

Dear Editor: 

I’m writing to encourage Boothbay Harbor voters to consider writing in Mike Bartles to fill the vacancy on the CSD School Committee. 

Having served on the Southport Central School Committee myself, I understand how important thoughtful, steady leadership is at the local school board level. The decisions made there directly affect students, teachers, families, and the strength of our entire community. School boards benefit from members who listen carefully, respect different viewpoints, and focus on what’s best for students. 

Mike Bartles, a local sailmaker and business owner

Dear Editor:

Candidate Donald Trump promised to end the USA’s ‘forever wars’, especially in the Middle East.  

He has been in office less than 14 months. He has ordered the military into action, entirely without Congressional approval, in the Caribbean, the Pacific, Venezuela, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Somalia, and Nigeria. In the middle of negotiations, with no immediate threat to the USA and no support from allies,he launched a full-scale war of choice in Iran. 

The rationale for taking us to war keeps changing. There is no clear exit plan. We now have 5,000 Marines on their way to the battle

Dear Editor:

Spring is quickly approaching, and I’m proud to say that this past winter has been one of meaningful progress and steady momentum for our shipyard. Despite harsh temperatures and significant snowfall, our team’s dedication and determination have put us in an excellent position as we enter the busiest months of the year.

I’m pleased to report that projects—large and small—are on track for on-time delivery. In this business, that’s something I’m always careful about claiming, but in this case I have great confidence in our team and our ability to finish strong.

In recent years we

Dear Editor:

Wearing an American flag pocket square and sporting 11th-century Crusade and anti-Muslim tattoos, former Fox News host and least-qualified Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth began his tenure by posting real-time, highly classified information about a military operation to the Editor-in-Chief of The Atlantic. He is now treating us to testosterone-injected, daily announcements about Trump’s “short excursion” / Operation Epic Fury / war of choice against Iran.

To pump the hype, he has posted memes that mix violent video game clips, menacing TV images, vicious NFL hits, and actual

Dear Editor:

It took Trump’s invasion of Iran for me to comprehend why Renee Good and Alex Pretti had to be killed by agents of Trump’s administration.

In an interview with Fox News host Brian Kilmeade on Friday, March 13, Trump made clear why Good and Pretti were gunned down. Trump was discussing the fact that the Iranian regime was more entrenched and less likely to fall to street protesters than he previously thought stating, that the Basij militia, a plainclothes force affiliated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, would likely respond violently to any mass protests.

“These

Dear Editor:

Yes, the law requiring voter ID and citizenship is already on the books, and 86% of Americans agree with it, while GOP senators like Thune, Cornyn, McConnell, Tillis, Barrasso, Collins, Murkowski, Graham, Lankford, and Cassidy care more about obsessively opposing everything Trump says and does rather than honoring their oaths by upholding the law.

Based on evidence, the number of illegal votes needed for flipping most elections is in the low thousands, and weeks are needed and provided by post-election day ‘long counts’ to pull off the steals. And so, a well-timed and legally

It is almost 40F, a stunning afternoon, and I will freely admit that writing indoors is not what I want to be doing, despite the fact that I had an amazing walk just about 20 minutes ago, I have heard what tomorrow is to bring, and I want to miss none of today, but the dog is currently tired and resting, so now is a good time. The week had it all, a false spring that brought everyone out of their homes to marvel at the sun and walk anywhere and everywhere; who knew there were so many were here. I rarely see more than one or two others on my walks around the island, but on that day many around

Dear Editor:

This is a wake-up call to the Edgecomb taxpayers! We all value our school and community and we want them to thrive. We need to keep these assets viable and sustainable. However, with the continued trend of increased spending along with financial mismanagement, some changes must occur.

1. Vote down the 17.4% school tax assessment increase in the proposed school budget. This will not close the school but will force the school board to revert to current year’s budget.

2. Elect candidates for the school board and the select board who will introduce new creative ideas and positive

Dear Editor:

Trump is amazing at one singular thing: the con. He convinced many of us that he had working people's interests at heart, wanted to "drain the swamp," and would release all of the Epstein papers. Then we elected him and he gave a trillion-dollar tax break to his uber-rich friends, cut medical and food assistance to the needy, and launched a billion-dollar-a-day war in Iran with no end in sight.  

We’ll pay for this war at the gas pump and with the lives of our kids and grandkids. The only ones who will win in Iran are his buddies Netanyahu - a friend of Trump's in-laws - and

Dear Editor:

We are familiar with the NRA’s central argument against gun control legislation: any abridgment of a right can lead us down the road to a total ban. That is, once a right becomes conditional, it is on its way to becoming a privilege and thus revocable.

So it is with our right to vote and elect a representative government. The so-called SAVE act is a significant curtailment of our voting rights. Among the provisions, the bill requires individuals to provide documentary proof of U.S. citizenship, eliminates online and mail-in voter registration and mandates that states verify voter

Dear Editor:

There are about 1,000 full-time residents that are missing their privileges at the "dump." Some feel strongly that their rights have been abrogated. The free-for-the-taking pile made going to the dump an opportunity for a find. There were the usual weed whackers that have to be restrung, appliances that need fuses or plugs, framed pictures, etc.

I know of four "jackpots" from "finds."

An antique dealer opened the back of a picture and found a copy of our Declaration of Independence fell out. It brought $100,000.

A sheaf of old military papers brought $31,000.

An antique Louis

Dear Editor:

Respectfully, we are looking to share some facts and search for a bit of clarity regarding the East Side Waterfront Park.

Approximately six years ago, a park was proposed on the waterfront next to our home. This proposal was sold as tree-lined green space, and our family supported and donated to this great cause.

Fast-forward to today. The developers’ plans for the property have dramatically changed, and we’re hoping folks in town will look at the following facts:

• From Green Space to Commercial Development: The developers’ plans for the property are now anything but green space

Dear Editor:

As the winter season draws to a close, I want to extend a heartfelt thank-you to the dedicated volunteers who spent countless hours maintaining the Southport Community ice rink. While this year’s cold temperatures and consistent snowfall provided a perfect foundation for exceptional ice, it also demanded an extraordinary amount of physical labor. From the early-morning or late-night shoveling of the rink’s surface to clearing the perimeter after every storm, these volunteers worked among the cold and snow to ensure our school and community had a well-loved sheet of ice to skate on

Dear Editor: 

On Jan. 20, I testified before the Legislature's Health and Human Services Committee as a volunteer with AARP Maine and as someone who has provided home care for a loved one.  With 23 percent of our 1.37 million population 65 or older, Maine has the oldest population in the nation, and it is growing.  

 It seems a no-brainer to support two important bills: LD 1932, to raise wages 140 percent of the state’s minimum wage of $15.15 for essential direct care workers-some 22,000- vital to the aging in place Maine infrastructure; and LD 814, the “Older Mainers Act,” a request before

Dear Editor:

It is my pleasure to announce my intention to run as a write-in candidate for the Board of Trustees for AOS 98 representing Boothbay Harbor.

I want to part of the process and not part of the problem.

Steven Lorrain Sr.

Boothbay Harbor

Looking at events in history that happened around this time, there were events like the start of the Iraq War on March 19, 2003; the last dual between Naval officers, Commodores Steven Decator and James Barron (Decator lost-killed) on March 22, 1845; and on March 23, 1775 when Patrick Henry made the famous speech saying “Give me liberty or Give me death.” It is also the month when on March 25 we honor National Medal of Honor recipients and on March 29, Vietnam Veterans. But, the event that I thought would be interesting to write about this week is Rosie the Riveter Day on March 21. This day

Last Thursday we enjoyed the umpteenth annual Spaghetti Dinner catered by our HS Rotary Interact Club. The kids prepped with the help of Irene, Brian, Laurie, Bruce and Cathy.  Then the amazing Interact kids served and cleared and cleaned and cleaned and cleaned.Oh, my! We all  enjoyed the fellowship and the crowd of at least 60 who came out to cheer them on. 

Interact president Sarah Harris introduced the four other seniors in the Interact Club, and shared what the club has been doing recently, including hosting bingo at St. Andrews Village. As it happened, this correspondent was sitting at

If you own a home, you’ve probably received a solicitation saying, “We want to buy your house.” The offer may sound appealing, but it’s often not in your best interest.