AARP scam alert: Deepfakes and AI scams: Famous faces, fake deals

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…

Joe's Journal

What if?

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…

Letter to the editor

Honest data

Dear Editor: Arlene Cole was featured in the Sept. 3 Lincoln County News. She is one of thousands of volunteers in the US Cooperative Observer Program. They report to the National Weather Service. She has reported temperature from Academy Hill in Newcastle for 61 years. The monitoring stations, a ventilated white box on skinny legs, look simple, but they are designed and installed for accuracy. When a station is retired there is a protocol for relocating a replacement to maintain data continuity. Newcastle station reported a record high of 101° F on Aug. 2, 1975. That record still stands. I…

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

Farrin voting record: Maine, a sanctuary state

Dear Editor: The 132nd Legislature enacted a bill that effectively made "Maine, A Sanctuary State". LD 1971 "An Act to Protect Workers in This State by Clarifying the Relationship of State and Local Law Enforcement Agencies with Federal Immigration Authorities", prohibits state and local law enforcement agencies from cooperating with United States Department of Homeland Security (USDHS); limits collaboration with a joint law enforcement task force; requires law enforcement agencies to release persons held solely for immigration enforcement purposes. Jean-Marie Caterina co-chair, Legislative…

Letter to the editor

Re-elect Wayne Farrin

Dear Editor: Now that summer is slipping away, many of us are thinking more and more about the upcoming elections. In House District 47 we are fortunate to have a candidate running for reelection who, in his first term as State Representative, proved himself to be solid, reliable and caring: Wayne Farrin. He has supported legislation to protect our fisheries, stood up for affordable health care, and drafted a bill aimed at making housing more affordable. One day while driving Wayne around the county to meet and talk with constituents, I was very impressed with his ability to recognize,…

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…

WHERE IT'S AT

Discovering New England's native plants through poetry and art

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

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.…

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…

'Round Town

9/11

In 1971, freshly graduated from a Pennsylvania State Teacher’s College (just renamed a university), I started to look for a job. It was not a great time for new work, jobs were scarce and many my age were still available for the draft, which made job hunting even more complicated. I had a very low number in the first draft lottery meant to fill military quotas for Vietnam, and my college had a huge mandatory Army ROTC program at the time. When I checked with my draft board in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania, the woman with whom I spoke said, “Pack your bags!” There was a big draft call and…

Joe's Journal

Change, Change, Change

Driving around the peninsula, you might notice a red leaf or two on the maples. One of my bridge pals said that might be due to the drought stressing the trees. Maybe he was right, but I fear it means we are heading into fall, and the calendar confirms it. It is a time of change, not only in the woods, but in our lives. Mother Nature is changing our political landscape, too. She has inflicted us all with a fatal ailment known as OLD. Look at the record. Our president is 80. He says he is in good health, and we all hope that is so. However, history tells us that presidents, from Woodrow Wilson…

Letter to the editor

Maine needs leaders for working families

Dear Editor: Heating oil is averaging $5.15 a gallon and climbing. With winter approaching, thousands of Maine families are already seeking help through the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program. We need legislators who will stand up when federal policies threaten that lifeline—and who will tackle affordability here at home. State Senator Cameron Reny has done exactly that. She has fought to protect LIHEAP, supported the Energy Fairness Act to increase utility accountability and residential affordability, and advanced legislation expanding affordable housing in rural Maine. She has also…

Letter to the editor

In praise of LCSO

Dear Editor: As someone who’s had the opportunity to conduct two “ride along” experiences with Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office personnel over the past four months, I wanted to ‘pull back the curtain’ a bit and share some observations:The young men and women who are on the front lines of public interface for the LCSO are qualified, highly professional, and have demonstrated their commitment to treating each subject (they do not call them ‘suspects’ – an important distinction) with whom they come in contact with humanity and respect. During my experience in April, I observed “welfare checks” –…

Letter to the editor

Charlotte Nutt: Relentlessly resilient

Dear Editor: Charlotte Nutt is one of the most inspiring women I know. Yes, I’m quite biased: I’m very proud to be her sister-in-law. Like most people who care deeply about politics, Auntie Shark (as my kids call her) has some eccentricities for sure. She practices aerial silks, she makes a mean curry tofu breakfast salad, she can survive in the wilderness or on the high seas almost indefinitely. Charlotte is hardcore and driven to an extent most people only ever dream of. She is relentlessly resilient in the face of everything life has thrown at her. One thing most of us have in common with…

Letter to the editor

Re: Farrin’s voting record

Dear Editor: Edward Polewarczyk’s recent letter, “Farrin voting record: MaineCare payments,” points to Rep. Wayne Farrin’s vote last year on LD 331, legislation dealing with the timing of MaineCare reimbursements to hospitals. That vote is certainly part of Farrin’s record. But I think readers deserve to see the broader record as well. Health care — and particularly access to health care in rural Maine — has been an important issue during Farrin’s first term. Here in Lincoln County, that has included the very issue Mr. Polewarczyk raises at the end of his letter: the future of labor and…

Letter to the editor

Supporting Charlotte Nutt

Dear Editor: Charlotte Nutt is running to be our Representative to the Maine House. When she is elected in November she will succeed Rep. Holly Stover who cannot run again; under Maine state law, Holly is termed out. Charlotte grew up in Edgecomb, attended local schools, and went on to Dartmouth College and USM. Since then, she has been working for the Midcoast Council of Governments, gathering and organizing data to help our towns make better decisions on affordable housing, and climate change such as the winter storms of 2024, among others. In this work, she helps municipal leaders plan…

Support the Wiscasset Newspaper

Please help sustain local journalism. Become an online member today:

Hi,

Welcome and thank you for your support.

To manage your account, just hover and click on your name above.

Join Today Member Login

Main Street Shop

IT’S A RAINY SUNDAY BUT HAPPY HOUR WILL HELP YOU GET THROUGH 3-5PM AT 727 OCEAN SUNSET BAR

Smuggler’s Cove Oceanfront Inn

Fused Glass Workshop 9/12

Southport General Store & Barn

Weekend at Brady's!! College football and The Season Finale of The Saltwater Hillbilly!!

Brady’s

Annual International Community Dinner THIS Sunday

Southport General Store & Barn

AARON NADEAU TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 1 5:30 TO 7:30PM 727 OCEAN SUNSET BAR

Smuggler’s Cove Oceanfront Inn

AHI TUNA CRUDO IN WATERMELON PONZU SAUCE AT 727 OCEAN SUNSET BAR

Smuggler’s Cove Oceanfront Inn

The Saltwater Hillbilly Sunday Show!! Costume Conga Line!!

Brady’s

10 More Days of August!!! *#@#!!

Brady’s

Main Street Buzz

Watch BRTV's New Show: The Sound Booth, an original music showcase

Boothbay Region TV & Media Center

AARON NADEAU September 15th 5:30 to 7:30pm

SINGER/SONGWRITER AARON NADEAU TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 15TH 5:30 to 7:30pm AT 727 OCEAN SUNSET

Smuggler’s Cove Oceanfront Inn

SINGER/SONGWRITER SCOTTIE DERAPS SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 13TH 5-8 AT 727 OCEAN SUNSET BAR

Smuggler’s Cove Oceanfront Inn

Talk

Columns

Letters

Editorial

Main Street Shop

Main Street Buzz

Watch BRTV's New Show: The Sound Booth, an original music showcase

SINGER/SONGWRITER AARON NADEAU TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 15TH 5:30 to 7:30pm AT 727 OCEAN SUNSET

SINGER/SONGWRITER SCOTTIE DERAPS SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 13TH 5-8 AT 727 OCEAN SUNSET BAR

Watch the Video: BRHS Field Hockey 2026 - Boothbay vs Dirigo

COH Blue Café welcomes back acoustic jazz pianist Myles Kelley

Fused Glass Fall Workshop Schedule!

2nd Sunday Contra Series at the Rockport Opera House - September 13

The official dog treat at Brady's!!

Classifieds

Recent Listings

Upcoming Events

Search form

Talk

Support the Wiscasset Newspaper

Hi,

Main Street Shop

Recent Listings

Forging ahead ...