Higher education has been much in the news these days, and not in a nice way. Millionaires buy college acceptance for their children. College graduates emerge with an impressive degree and bloodcurdling debt. Post-secondary education has yielded some grisly headlines of late. Except in Maine, where you don’t need to bribe anyone to get in …
Finally the temperature is rising and Maine is beginning to blossom. It is an exquisite time of year, with tiny baby leaves cautiously unfurling, shoots of green popping up in the garden and, most beautiful of all, flowering trees showing off their ephemeral glory. The temperature is rising in Augusta, too. Statutory adjournment is June …
By Shelley Wigglesworth If you don’t think commercial fishermen are an endangered species, think again. I have been very vocal over the years about my feelings on the commercial fishing industry being in jeopardy, and highlighting the importance of just what an integral part the industry plays in not only the economy, but the …
To the Editor: One month later our town is experiencing another crisis, created by a few town officials, set to drastically affect all of the citizens of Bar Harbor and the entire island. First the vacation rental moratorium, and now the parking restrictions. And all done just weeks before our tourist season gets into full …
To the Editor: In the news story by Becky Pritchard in the April 18 edition of the Islander regarding the need for remodeling or replacement of the Conners Emerson School in Bar Harbor, I would like to correct something. Principal Barbara Neilly was quoted as saying that the Conners building was 85 years old. I …
To the Editor: On April 21, 2019, the Mount Desert Island High School Guatemala Studies program was headed home from our two week mission trip. We were all extremely excited to see the families and friends awaiting our arrival. On the connecting flight from Florida to Boston, I was writing a small reflection on the …
To the Editor: I would like an opportunity to reply to the “No Deal” letter in the April 11 edition of the Islander which describes my Feb. 28 letter supporting the Green New Deal as “screaming ‘Fire!’ in a crowded theatre.” I’m not the one sounding the alarm about the necessity to make massive greenhouse …
Opening the primary elections to allow all unenrolled registered voters to cast a ballot will rejuvenate the political parties and strengthen elections. Today’s candidate selection process is backward. The major political parties sit as neutral referees with no real authority to influence who seeks their party’s nomination. The current practice allows anyone and everyone with …
“It’s a ripple effect,” said Caroline Musson, a Mount Desert Island High School freshman. Quoted last week in Northeastern University’s Experience magazine, Musson observed that, “If one person starts to do something, then the people around them will start to do something.” Musson is one of the group of “plastics kids” who last year led …
Recent news about youth in Maine is alarming. A study in the Pediatrics journal of the American Medical Association says Maine is the state with the highest number of children with a mental health disorder such as depression, anxiety or attention deficit disorder. That translates to about 25 percent of our kids, or about six …
