BAR HARBOR—Giant Hogweed, an invasive plant that is harmful to humans, is being treated with herbicide at Hadley Point Beach, according to a statement issued by the Town of Bar Harbor. The sap of the plant contains a chemical that can cause “severe dermatitis when skin is exposed to the sun,” according to a fact sheet released by the …
BAR HARBOR—After George Floyd died at the hands of Minneapolis police on May 25, people gathered in cities and towns across the country to protest police brutality against Black people. More than a month later, protests, rallies and marches are still going on. In Bar Harbor, marches in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement have drawn over 375 people, according to organizers. …
BAR HARBOR — A 13-lot residential subdivision in Salisbury Cove proposed by Joe Cough was approved by the Planning Board following a public hearing at its June 3 meeting. The application has been in the works since late last year. Issues discussed in the review of the project included the speed limit and traffic on Ledgewood Road, …
MOUNT DESERT ISLAND—Across the island, gatherings were held to mark Juneteenth on Friday, June 19. Juneteenth is “the Black American Independence Day,” said Cas Dowden during Bar Harbor Congregational Church’s commemoration of the day, which was livestreamed on Facebook. June 19, 1865, was the day “Black Americans in Galveston, Texas, found out they had been …
BAR HARBOR — The 2020 Hancock County Food Drive, which takes place annually in March, raised $37,641 and collected 5,000 food items, resulting in 150,731 meals for community members in need. Donations were divided evenly among the following Hancock County food security organizations: Bar Harbor Food Pantry, Bib & Tucker, Bread of Life Food Pantry, Common Good …
CRANBERRY ISLES — Mask wearing is an issue most people feel strongly about one way or another. This is true almost everywhere, even on a small island community. Cari Alley, the Cranberry Isles health officer, said she regularly fields complaints that not everyone wears a mask on ferries. “I am getting a ton of complaints,” she said. “People are very concerned.” …
ACADIA NAT’L PARK—Ship Harbor may be named for a shipwreck that never happened there. Island history books tell the story of the Grand Design, a ship bound from Ireland to Pennsylvania in 1740 that wrecked on Long Ledge. The survivors, emigrants from Ireland, came ashore in the area now known as Ship Harbor. According to a retelling …
SOUTHWEST HARBOR – Island Readers & Writers has launched a weekly podcast, “Foreword,” that will feature interviews with award-winning children’s book authors and illustrators, local educators, librarians, volunteers and more. “IRW has such an incredible group of celebrated children’s book authors and illustrators with whom we work in our programs, as well as talented educators in our partner schools, community librarians and generous volunteers,” said IRW Executive …
SOUTHWEST HARBOR—Selectmen agreed to forgo an annual payment it usually receives from the Water and Sewer District with the stipulation that money be used for a Supplemental Environmental Project. When the district was fined more than $50,000 in 2016 by the Department of Environmental Protection, they agreed to an SEP in place of the fine as …
BAR HARBOR – When coronavirus was first detected in Maine in March, restaurant owner Diwas Thapa was faced with an empty dining room. Even before Governor Janet Mills declared the emergency “Stay Safer at Home” order, Thapa noticed a decline in customers at his Rodick Street restaurant, Royal Indian. “That’s when we switched to delivery,” Thapa said. Offering free island-wide delivery, Thapa …
