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AARP scam alert: Deepfakes and AI scams: Famous faces, fake deals
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The AARP Fraud Watch Network™ Helpline (877-908-3360) has seen a spike in fake endorsement scams. Criminals will use images, edited videos, and stolen likenesses of famous celebrities to build credibility. They place these deceptive ads on social media to build quick trust with viewers. Today's technology allows video and audio to be easily altered, making public figures appear to say things they never actually said. Be cautious of offers or giveaways backed by famous personalities. Don’t buy a product based solely on celebrity endorsement. If you’re unsure, look up news coverage or check…
A Bird's Tale
Birds and Maine’s Stretched-Out Summer
During a recent trip to Pemaquid Harbor, the authors were surprised to see two young ospreys still hanging around a nest - the result of Maine's extended summers? Photo courtesy of Jeff Wells.
  Mainers used to love to go on about how short the summers were here. Not any more. Climate change has elongated summer through both an earlier spring onset and later fall continuation of warm temperatures. Some birds have been able to track those changes: Resident species start nesting earlier. A number of migrants arrive earlier and nest earlier, though that doesn’t always mean that their food supplies peak at the optimal time for feeding their hungry young. One of the interesting ways that some birds seem to be adapting to warmer temperatures extending into the fall is by nesting…
Joe's Journal
What if?
Joe Gelarden
It doesn’t take much Google time to realize the nation’s hospitals are closing their labor and delivery services. Maine Health’s recent decision to close the local L&D unit at Miles in Damariscotta is not unique. The American Hospital Association says more than 700 hospitals have shuttered their L&D units since 2010. By 2024, 57.5 %f of rural hospitals had no obstetric care. The reasons are the same. Twenty-four-hour maternity units are expensive; they face staff shortages; demographic changes led to low birth rates; and Medicaid reimbursement rates for obstetrical care. Tough…
'Round Town
Olson House
Painting by Allan Walton. Courtesy of Robert Mitchell
When I came to Maine I did not know who Andrew Wyeth was, but I quickly learned. One of my favorite subjects is his painting of the Olson House in Cushing. I have visited there alone, and with family and friends many times and still enjoy walking the property and wandering through the house. As many know, I am a sucker for old buildings and historic locations. For me, the Olson House pretty much captures everything that appeals to me. The weathered wooden exteriors with aging clapboards, rooms with peeling paint and plaster, old glass, simple furnishings and, last but not least, the great…
News and notes from the Community Center
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What would you like to learn? We are putting together a list of possible classes here at the Center. We will be using instruction displayed from the internet on the screen in our office. Learn something new while you're here with friends! Stop in and check out our learning wish list.  You can add any classes you would like to learn. Classes will be at the Center and we will broadcast instruction into the classroom. Call 633-9876 for more information. So far our list includes acrylic painting, drawing and photography and you can add subjects you'd like. Stop "printer isolation!" We have…
Southport Column: A change of seasons, activity
Drawing by Diane Spofford Randlett
A dearth of birds at the feeders these past few weeks, a few chickadees, a lone junco, some woodpeckers and a fleeting goldfinch. Not sure where all the rest have gone, but it is odd. There are, however, six very small red squirrels, a scurry, in constant pursuit of one another while yelling what must be a slew of insults; they are quite entertaining. In the dark, the amorous sounds of porcupines and the still-constant cricket song. There is, however, a distinct change in the feel of the air, the breezes have a nip to them, the damp feels cool, not only that, a quiet is settling in after a…
Sprucewold Column: Plant IDs, art and more
It is still summer for a week or so but there is change in the air. We’ve had a few more fires in the fireplace and an extra blanket on the occasional night. The bracken and daylily fronds are turning brown. A friend and I took a three part class, 2026 Plant ID and Ecology: Asters and Goldenrods, led by Ted Eliman at the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens. The first two classes were evening Zoom presentations and the last one was on Saturday all day, split between the CMBG and Salt Bay Farm at 110 Belvedere Road in Damariscotta, part of the Coastal Rivers Conservation Trust. Salt Bay Farm is a…
Letter to the editor
What makes Maine special
Dear Editor: In June, MaineHealth announced it was on a path to close the labor and delivery unit at Miles hospital. Immediately, a group of young women emerged from nowhere. In two months, the Miles Delivers Action Campaign (MDAC) built an organization which brought the demise of rural birthing centers in Maine to the forefront of the healthcare debate. MDAC precipitated an emergency August meeting of the Maine legislature’s ‘Joint Standing Committee on Health Coverage, Insurance and Financial Services’ (HCIFS). The committee members volunteered their time even though the legislature was not…
Letter to the editor
Local Quakers condemn ICE and Border Patrol campaign
Dear Editor: Based upon long-standing Quaker values, members of Midcoast Friends Meeting in Damariscotta condemn in the strongest terms the ongoing campaign of ICE and Border Patrol to deport vulnerable immigrants. The recent shooting of Johan Sebastian Duran Guerrera in Biddeford deserves our special concern and criticism. The Trump Administration's mass detention and deportation campaign is unprecedented, cruel, and consistently violates personal rights and the rule of law. More than 30,000 persons are now in ICE jails which frequently operate with appalling conditions for the detainees.…
Letter to the editor
Hope you attend the Edgecomb forum
Dear Editor: Following is a friendly reminder for all Edgecomb residents: As you know, Edgecomb town leaders are planning a Community Forum on Sunday, Sept. 20 at 2 p.m. at the Edgecomb Eddy School. The purpose of this event is to hear residents’ ideas and opinions as the Select Board and town committees begin their new annual budgeting cycle. In addition, the information gathered will also lay groundwork for the town’s new Comprehensive Plan, which is getting underway. As Edgecomb residents, we should all embrace this opportunity! We don’t often have a chance to discuss with decision makers…
Letter to the editor
We must re-elect Collins
Dear Editor: I have known Sen Collins since before she ran for governor in 1994. I have always supported her, but this election in particular demonstrates her importance to Maine and the country. I grew up influenced by patriotic women who shared different views on the most important issues. But they all understood that their spirited debate was in the service of creating a more perfect Union. And they knew that strong political opponents only made their ideas better. Figures like Frances Scott Perkins, my great-grandmother Fannie Stone, who was the first female postmistress, and my…
Letter to the editor
EV station should pass as is
Dear Editor: My background: 41 years as a Chevrolet design engineer, 26 years as a waterfront home owner on the Sheepscot River and three years as chairman of the Edgecomb Planning Board. While on the planning board my #1 rule was to follow the Maine Shoreland Law. One of the major requirements is the 75-foot setback from any protected water., which includes lakes, ponds, rivers, wetlands or ocean. This setback consists of dirt, vegetarian, grasses, shrubs and trees. This prevents fluids to flow directly into the water and prevents pollution. The wetlands at the corner of the Meadow Mall…
Letter to the editor
Great response first responders
Dear Editor: As a person who was told to evacuate our thrift shop in the small mall at 3:45 p.m. (15 minutes before close Sept. 4), I just want to say that I applaud our local public services; the fire department and police. Each person I encountered was very clear in their instructions, calm in their delivery, and willing to give updates as they learned them over the next hour (during which the places to safely stand kept moving up until we were at the Y.) As they slowly shut down Route 27, I watched as they instructed drivers where to go and why until about 5 p.m. all traffic coming into…
American Legion Post 36
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As we head toward another Maine winter, I am reminded how a relatively small amount of money can make a very big difference in the life of a veteran who is struggling. Gas and electricity costs are high and going higher, food costs are increasing, and many veterans, young and old, are living on the financial edge. An unexpected bill can force an impossible choice: Do I heat my home, buy food, put gas in the car for a medical appointment, or pay the rent? That kind of stress can become overwhelming and, in some cases, contribute to a mental health crisis. There are many government programs and…
Boothbay Region YMCA: Community Catalyst for Good
Finding Family Through Fitness
Konstantina Rigas and Maria Santos, workout partners and friends. Courtesy of Allyson Goodwin
One was born here, but her family roots, and her heart, are in Nafpaktos, the “Boothbay of Greece,” a small coastal community where her parents are from. The other was born in Brazil but her heart is here, embracing even the winter weather and quiet off-season streets of Boothbay, a far cry from the warmth and energy of Curitiba, the bustling city in southern Brazil where she grew up.  Together, they move easily among Greek, Portuguese and English, a gift that allows them to think, speak, and connect across cultures. They also share a love of working out at the Boothbay Region YMCA,…
WHERE IT'S AT
Discovering New England's native plants through poetry and art
Courtesy of the artists
The creative team of author and poet Susan Schadler and artists Lynne and John M.T. Seitzer recently released “Growing Wild: Four seasons of New England and Native Plants and Their Creatures.” Lynne and John’s artwork and Susan’s accompanying poetry make this book both an enchanting and informative read. This is their second collaboration. You may remember their first endeavor, “come walk in the FYNBOS with me,” printed in 2018, took readers to Africa’s southern tip, the 500-mile stretch known as the fynbos. Said Susan, “It has a globally unique and exceptionally diverse flora that enthralled…
AARP scam alert: The invite you don’t want: Party invite scams
Shawn Lewin, AARP Maine member
Fake party invitations are a newer tactic perpetrators use to capture personal details. They send digital invitations, commonly through email, inviting you to a fake gathering. Typically, the email comes from someone you know whose account has been hacked. The message asks you to click a link to RSVP, confirm your guest information, or buy tickets. Clicking the link can download harmful software onto your device or send you to a fake website designed to steal your financial and personal information. If you receive an unexpected invitation, contact the host directly to confirm they sent it.…
News and notes from the Community Center
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  An opportunity to help a neighbor: Our community is rallying to support volunteer Wilma Tatlock following a devastating fire that displaced her from her home and destroyed many of her personal possessions. The Community Center has offered to act as a collection point for direct community support for Wilma. Please bring your contributions to the Community Center during our open hours (M-F, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.)  in the form of a check made out directly to Wilma or cash in a sealed envelope addressed to her. Please note these are not contributions to the Community Center and are not tax…
A Bird's Tale
Your Count Counts
The expansion of red-bellied woodpecker populations into Maine that has taken place in Maine over the last twenty years has been documented thanks to the thousands of volunteer Maine birders who submit their records into eBird and other community science projects. Photo courtesy of Jeff Wells
  In this age of artificial intelligence, satellite tagging technology, automated sound recorders, genetic analyses, and countless other sophisticated science tools, you could be easy to be lulled into assuming that old-fashioned personal natural history observations are obsolete and of little use. But you’d be wrong. Very wrong! The truth is, individuals paying attention and reporting what they see and hear in the natural world is not only relevant but crucial. Without such observations, often described as “community science” (formerly, citizen science), many of the most critical…
25th anniversary of 9/11
Sept. 11 – A Time of Reflection
As we write, it is the day before the Sept. 11 anniversary, with many Americans still fearful what the day may bring. It will be a somber one, about that there is no doubt, as we all remember the events of last year. And it will also be a day of reflection, as we all wonder how our world came to be a place with so much hate and resentment. We Americans have learned that despite our efforts to be world leaders, there are probably millions out there who hate us and everything we stand for. Some are more than willing to be individual martyrs and die to demonstrate their hate, as long as it means…
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