By Pat Pinto It shouldn’t take a pandemic to underscore the importance of high-speed internet in our state. Rural Maine’s struggle with connectivity has been going on for years, but with COVID-19, the true consequences of slow or no internet can no longer be ignored. During the last few months, residents throughout Maine have voiced their frustration. …
By Lewis Redding Brown vs. Board of Education was decided in 1954. (My brother and I had an uncle who had something to do with that.) Think of it as a positive marker: the idea of separate but equal education became unacceptable – it always had been an oxymoron. Despite positive progress in Black/white relations in the decades that …
By Earl Brechlin Among a bevy of proposed zoning changes on the Bar Harbor written ballot on July 14, one item, Question 7, stands alone. Brought by a successful citizen’s petition circulated by your friends and neighbors, it seeks to address an oversight created when the town overwhelmingly voted to allow rentals of individual rooms but didn’t address the length of stay. …
By Dick Atlee After four intense months of reading reports, studies and analytical articles about the COVID-19 situation, I’ve found hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) to be one of the more intriguing aspects. It’s both vitally important and extremely controversial. It’s important because a safe and effective treatment for COVID-19 would remove the aura of fear surrounding the disease. This fear has driven public policies that have encroached on what …
By Gary Friedmann I’m writing to urge Bar Harbor voters to vote YES on Articles 2, 3, 4 and 5 on July 14. Say yes to our town’s goal for affordable housing by simplifying our LUZO permitting process and allowing hotels, restaurants and organizations like COA to house employees on–site and in appropriate areas of town. These warrant articles have been …
By Marla O’Byrne On Tuesday, June 30, residents of Bar Harbor will gather for their annual Town Meeting outdoors in their cars. Not many of us would have predicted this process a year ago, but we are all adapting as community members to get our business done while doing all we can to keep our Mount Desert Island neighbors healthy and our communities strong. MDI’s …
By Bob Chaplin A leader of a democratic government has the responsibility to bring together its citizens in times of national crisis. President Trump’s lack of cohesive leadership in this time of the COVID-19 pandemic has had unfortunate consequences for the people of the United States. Some basic background: The Chinese government’s knowledge of COVID-19 dates back …
By Donna Karlson I find it sad and disheartening that Planning Board Chair Tom St. Germain has continued his pattern of hostile personal attacks on me, my family and our elected officials in his Islander column of June 18. He has the right to write a mean-spirited and untruthful opinion column. However, he hasn’t recognized that we live …
By Gail Marshall Maine is rapidly opening to tourism, and, even as this season will be unusual, one thing will not change: the year–round community will be outnumbered numerous times over by an ever–changing cast of seasonal residents, tourists and seasonal employees. We have done a remarkable job keeping ourselves relatively safe in the …
By Charlie Parker What follows is the text of a speech that was given at the MDI March and Rally in Solidarity with Black Lives Matter on Sunday. I wanted to start off by thanking everyone who came here today to support the BLM movement. I would also like to address the reason why many …
