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District abandons option to close Harpswell’s only public school

District abandons option to close Harpswell’s only public school

By J. Craig Anderson • February 25, 2026

As work continues on a new long-range facilities master plan, the local school district has abandoned the idea of closing the aging Harpswell Community School and will focus on developing a plan to renovate it.

A lobster house in winter: Cook’s embraces offseason role as island outpost

Features

A lobster house in winter: Cook’s embraces offseason role as island outpost

By Bisi Cameron Yee • February 6, 2026

The wind off Garrison Cove was wicked on New Year's Day. The temperature on Bailey Island was in the low 20s, with a wind chill that made it feel like single digits. The sun had set by 4:15 p.m., and the temperature continued to drop in the cold blue of evening.

Bailey Island neighbors have grandsons on opposite teams in Super Bowl

Features

Bailey Island neighbors have grandsons on opposite teams in Super Bowl

By Troy R. Bennett • February 4, 2026

Parny Hagerman and her neighbor Surrey Hardcastle have a lot in common. They live just a few yards from each other on Bailey Island. Both are retired school administrators and each has nearly two dozen grandkids. What's more, Hagerman and Hardcastle both have grandsons in the NFL.

Amid ICE raids, Cundy’s Harbor minister chooses arrest over compliance

News

Amid ICE raids, Cundy’s Harbor minister chooses arrest over compliance

By J. Craig Anderson • February 4, 2026

The Rev. Allison Smith describes her arrest not as a moment of panic, but of calm. "I felt like I was part of this wider community of faith and prayer and solidarity, and so I felt a great deal of peace … in the sense that I could risk arrest and be assured that I would be safe on many levels," said Smith, of Cundy's Harbor. "Tragically, that is not the experience of my neighbors and the families that have lost people."

Orr’s Islanders confront Harpswell’s Ku Klux Klan history

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Orr’s Islanders confront Harpswell’s Ku Klux Klan history

By Sam Lemonick • February 2, 2026

When the Ku Klux Klan gathered in Harpswell on the Fourth of July in 1925, it wasn't behind closed doors or in the dark of night. Their picnic and parade attracted hundreds of klansmen with their families. A photograph from that day shows Harpswellians in klan regalia, hoods back and faces showing. One wears a scarf reading, "100% American." Women and children pose with them.

First Person: Cundy’s Harbor pastor traveled the world, then came home to answer the call

Features

First Person: Cundy’s Harbor pastor traveled the world, then came home to answer the call

By Jeffrey Good • February 1, 2026

"Dean and I were riding our Harley-Davidson through the cornfields of Illinois on our way to visit Minnesota, where he grew up. It was August and the corn was tall. It was like riding through a tunnel. The pastor here, Bob Herring, was retiring, and I was on the board helping to pick a new one."

Ask the Anchor: Who owns and uses the airstrip next to Mitchell Field?

Columns

Ask the Anchor: Who owns and uses the airstrip next to Mitchell Field?

By J. Craig Anderson • January 30, 2026

Question from Karin Blake: I'm curious about the frequent takeoffs and landings on the grass airstrip next to Mitchell Field. I've seen identical red planes departing in different directions, repeated training-style flights in the fall and seasonal flight increases in the summer. Who owns the strip, and who is flying there?

News

Harpswell officials see what happens to recyclables after they leave town

Representatives of Harpswell's Recycling Center and Recycling Committee recently got their first look inside the facility where the town's recyclables are sorted for sale and eventual reuse.

bySam Lemonick

October 30, 2025