State Believes Open Hearth Inn Fire Was Accidental.
Guests and dogs escaped early morning blaze in historic inn with some traumatic history. Carrie Jones Mar 30, 2026 The Bar Harbor Story is generously sponsored by Acadia Psychiatry. TRENTON—The State Fire Marshal’s Office currently believes that the fire that damaged the Open Hearth Inn at 1147 Bar Harbor Road was not intentional. “Due to the extent of the damage and structural collapse, the origin and cause of … Continue reading State Believes Open Hearth Inn Fire Was Accidental.
THINGS TO DO IN THE MOUNT DESERT ISLAND REGION THIS WEEK.
And in the near future. Carrie Jones Mar 30, 2026 THINGS TO DO It’s our weekly round-up, and we may have missed some things, so apologies! If you have something you’d like in here, please let us know. Also, you may have to click through to see everything. There are so many things that this email is a bit long for a lot of inboxes. … Continue reading THINGS TO DO IN THE MOUNT DESERT ISLAND REGION THIS WEEK.
ON THE AGENDA: Town & School Meetings This Week.
It’s our round up of upcoming government meetings. All are public. That means you can go and be involved. Carrie Jones Mar 30, 2026 Every week we document the Mount Desert Island region’s government and school meetings that we know of. Please let us know if we’ve missed something. Also, sometimes things on the town and school calendars are cancelled or rescheduled, so make sure … Continue reading ON THE AGENDA: Town & School Meetings This Week.
LETTERS FROM OUR READERS
Christina Heiniger, Annlinn Kruger, Mike Reynolds. Mar 29, 2026 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR POLICY We always welcome letter submissions to The Bar Harbor Story. For details on our policy, please visit our about page and scroll down or just visit here. As with all newspapers, the beliefs, opinions, and viewpoints expressed by the writers of letters to the editor and included here do not necessarily reflect the beliefs, opinions, … Continue reading LETTERS FROM OUR READERS
People We’ve Lost
Lyta Kathryn Gerhold Seddig; Lorraine Bunker Smart; Mark Sarro; Carolyn Anne Grant; Bruce Sweeney Astbury; Celeste Chick Cram; Ellen Keegan Hersey. Mar 29, 2026 Note: “People We’ve Lost” is a feature of the Bar Harbor Story where we share obituaries of people that the island lost in the previous 1-2 weeks. We’re doing this because we think everyone deserves to be remembered as widely as possible … Continue reading People We’ve Lost
Historic Open Hearth Inn Suffers Devastating Fire.
Second fire at the address this week. Shaun Farrar and Carrie Jones Mar 28, 2026 TRENTON—Just over 48 hours after responding to 1147 Bar Harbor Road, the Open Hearth Inn, for a dumpster fire, the Trenton Volunteer Fire Department was called back for a structure fire. Shortly before 3 a.m., March 28, the fire department was dispatched to the fire, located at the inn, which, according to … Continue reading Historic Open Hearth Inn Suffers Devastating Fire.
Val Peacock Is Not Running For Bar Harbor Town Council.
Plus, who has currently pulled papers in Bar Harbor. Carrie Jones Mar 27, 2026 BAR HARBOR—Val Peacock, Bar Harbor’s Town Council Chair, has chosen not to run for reelection this year. She’s been informally telling people about her decision. She’s chaired the Town Council for the last four years during multiple town projects that look toward housing availability, climate resilience, and through some tumultuous issues … Continue reading Val Peacock Is Not Running For Bar Harbor Town Council.
Maine’s PUC Approves Bar Harbor’s New Water Rates
Formal Complaint Ongoing. Carrie Jones Mar 27, 2026 BAR HARBOR—The Maine Public Utilities Commission (PUC) approved Bar Harbor’s new water rates, March 25. The approval came as a group of ten citizens, led by Charles Sidman, advocated against the increases via a formal complaint. Under Title 35-A, ten-person complaints under section 1302 are separate matters from requests to approve rate changes under section 6104, according to the … Continue reading Maine’s PUC Approves Bar Harbor’s New Water Rates
Two Trenton Incidents Wednesday Night Kept Volunteers Busy
Carrie Jones Mar 27, 2026 TRENTON—A duo of calls—including a dumpster fire—in Trenton Wednesday night kept the volunteer firefighters busy. The first fire was at The Hinckley Company on the Ramp Road, which is located behind the Hancock County Airport. The call was toned out as a possible structure fire. “The initial report indicated that cleaning staff detected the odor of smoke coming from a … Continue reading Two Trenton Incidents Wednesday Night Kept Volunteers Busy
Court Decision Ends a Sidman Appeal Tied to Bar Harbor Cruise Disembarkation Violation.
Other cases continue. Carrie Jones Mar 26, 2026 BAR HARBOR—A legal challenge stemming from a Bar Harbor cruise ship violation reached its conclusion, Thursday, as the Maine Supreme Judicial Court denied two counts of an appeal filed by Charles Sidman and affirmed the Maine Business Court’s earlier rulings. The March 26 decision by a panel of justices determined that the Business Court had not erred … Continue reading Court Decision Ends a Sidman Appeal Tied to Bar Harbor Cruise Disembarkation Violation.