Rick Frantz and Jennifer Fox are part of Portland’s vibrant waterfront scene. They own Andy’s Old Port Pub on Commercial Street, and they take the ferry home each night to Great Diamond Island. Casco Bay is literally their backyard. 

A Maine State Ferry Service proposal to raise revenue by creating resident and non-resident rates will be aired at public hearings on Islesboro on Jan. 29 and on Swan’s Island on Jan. 30. A hearing was held on Vinalhaven on Jan. 23.

The press coverage of the event did not capture the sense of diplomacy I experienced.

I thought about what it must have felt like when electricity first became available on the islands.

I wrote some letters and notes by hand and put actual stamps on them; very pleasant.

As I’m writing this column, the sky is monochromatic and flat.

A potential new tool in the fight against tick-borne diseases is being developed by a Massachusetts Institute of Technology scientist and his team, but it, too is not without controversy and it may take a decade before it’s available.

If I were to limit myself to searching for friendships in my age group, I would eliminate 95 percent of the community.

The van had no space for a bathroom, of course, but it did have a chemical toilet.