Bill Trotter

3 days ago | bangordailynews.com | Bill Trotter

After a five-year hiatus, a general store on Columbia Falls is back in business. Columbia Falls General, which operated from 2018 through 2020 under previous owners, re-opened last week. Kate and Zach Gorrell, owners of Salt & Oak Farm in Harrington, have leased the space and, like the previous owners, plan to feature locally made goods in the Main Street storefront.

4 days ago | bangordailynews.com | Bill Trotter

Maine lobstermen, who once held more than 7,000 commercial fishing licenses, now number about half that many who actively catch lobster. The decline has occurred since the late 1990s as Maine’s commercial fishing industry, which is dominated by lobstermen, faces increasing challenges in the form of climate change, increased regulation and competition for space in the Gulf of Maine.

5 days ago | bangordailynews.com | Bill Trotter

Hoping to address what she sees as a community need, a Bar Harbor resident has renovated a 19th-century barn in the downtown village and is planning to open a bookstore inside. Hidden Barn Books, located on Kennebec Place directly behind Reel Pizza Cinerama, is expected to open on June 14, according to owner Genie Thorndike. The barn, originally built in 1883, sat vacant for years but Thorndike has renovated the building while maintaining the rustic look of its interior.

1 week ago | bangordailynews.com | Bill Trotter

The last of three men charged in the 2017 murder of a Whitneyville man was sentenced Thursday morning in Machias. Justin Matthews, 35, formerly of Pembroke, was sent to prison for six years Thursday after earlier pleading guilty to felony murder. He was given an overall sentence of 16 years but had 10 years of that suspended, and will have to serve four years of probation after he is released.

1 week ago | bangordailynews.com | Bill Trotter

Regional School Unit 24, which provides education to children in Hancock and Washington counties, has revoked a policy aimed at providing protections for transgender students The policy, which the RSU 24 board adopted in 2019, allowed students to use restrooms of genders they identified with and discouraged administrators from adopting or engaging in gender-specific policies, practices or activities unless it is for “an important education purpose,” according to information posted on Facebook...