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Harpswell’s Miss Ava Elaine overcomes engine trouble to dominate races

Harpswell’s Miss Ava Elaine overcomes engine trouble to dominate races

By Sam Lemonick • August 30, 2026

A thick fog has Andy Johnson motoring slowly, eyes flicking from the windscreen to his instruments, as he navigates around Basin Point and heads up toward Mitchell Field. A couple hours later, under clear blue skies, the captains will only have one thing to worry about: speed.

Families come first at 2026 Bailey Island Fishing Tournament

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Families come first at 2026 Bailey Island Fishing Tournament

By Sam Lemonick • August 29, 2026

The Bailey Island Fishing Tournament returned July 18-24 for its 84th edition, with an emphasis on the next generation. The Casco Bay Tuna Club, which organizes the tournament, added a new category for ages 12-17 and opened the tournament with an afternoon of tuna activities for families.

Fire chiefs: Town should hire overnight crews to fight midnight blazes

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Fire chiefs: Town should hire overnight crews to fight midnight blazes

By Jeffrey Good • August 28, 2026

A shortage of volunteers responding to nighttime fires has the leaders of Harpswell's three community departments saying it's time for the town — and taxpayers — to fund 24/7 coverage by paid town firefighters.

By drone and by net: With a mix of new technology and old practices, Harpswell Neck family harvests pogies by the boatload

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By drone and by net: With a mix of new technology and old practices, Harpswell Neck family harvests pogies by the boatload

By Jim Gerberich • August 27, 2026

Fishing runs through Harpswell like the rise and fall of the tides. For Josh and Emily Morse, it's more than a livelihood — it's part of who they are, woven through generations of family tradition.

Investigator’s report reveals likely cause of fire on Hugh Avenue

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Investigator’s report reveals likely cause of fire on Hugh Avenue

By Sam Lemonick • August 12, 2026

Investigators believe a January fire that destroyed a Bailey Island home resulted from an accident involving gasoline collected from junkyard cars ignited by a kerosene heater. All four people inside the house at the time made it out, although one was treated for burns.

First Person: ‘My job is to show up. God does the rest’

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First Person: ‘My job is to show up. God does the rest’

By Jeffrey Good • August 2, 2026

"Did I always want to be a priest? It's an unfortunate answer, but it shows God has a sense of humor — and knows what he's doing. I was going to Seton Hall University on a track scholarship. It's a Division I school, so I was pretty fast. I went to the weight room, went to the workouts. The one thing I wasn't going to was the classes."

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Driver charged in Orr’s Island fatality had long history of OUIs, drug use — and kept driving for months after crash

The husband of an Orr's Island grandmother who died in a January crash — and the first responders who tried to save her — are asking why the driver accused of killing her was on the road at the time of the crash and for months afterward, despite a record of impaired driving and drug possession.

byJeffrey Good

July 31, 2026