Town Officials Seek Changes to Soil Testing Rules Passed by Southwest Harbor Voters.
Proposed potential change focuses on water. Carrie Jones Mar 04, 2026 The Bar Harbor Story is generously sponsored by the Maine Seacoast Mission. SOUTHWEST HARBOR—Changes to the citizen’s petition that was overwhelmingly approved by voters in November and which created an amendment to the town’s land use ordinance will go forward, the Southwest Harbor Planning Board indicated, March 3. The current ordinance calls for testing of … Continue reading Town Officials Seek Changes to Soil Testing Rules Passed by Southwest Harbor Voters.
Mount Desert Officials Divided as Regional School Reorganization Moves Toward Vote
Bar Harbor Councilors Worry About Potentially Incurring Other Towns’ Future School Construction and Renovation Debts Carrie Jones Mar 04, 2026 The Bar Harbor Story is generously sponsored by Havana. MOUNT DESERT—A proposal to reorganize the Mount Desert Island school system will go before voters in June after the Mount Desert Select Board approved holding a special town meeting, even as some local officials said they do … Continue reading Mount Desert Officials Divided as Regional School Reorganization Moves Toward Vote
Police Beat
Police updates for Bar Harbor, Mount Desert, Southwest Harbor, Tremont, State Police and Hancock County Sheriff’s Department. Shaun Farrar Mar 03, 2026 The Bar Harbor Story is generously sponsored by Restaurant Barn. BAR HARBOR AND MOUNT DESERT POLICE LOGS The following incidents occurred in Bar Harbor and Mount Desert last week according to the Bar Harbor and Mount Desert Police Department police logs, which is publicly … Continue reading Police Beat
The Scotia Prince Has a New Overnight Ferry Plan in the Works.
A proposed Portsmouth–Nova Scotia ferry could rival the CAT route that links Bar Harbor to Yarmouth. Carrie Jones Mar 03, 2026 The Bar Harbor Story is generously sponsored by Window Panes Home and Garden. BAR HARBOR—A ferry service that once ran out of Portland, Maine has announced that it intends to revive, connecting Portsmouth, New Hampshire with Nova Scotia. The Scotia Prince would be potentially a … Continue reading The Scotia Prince Has a New Overnight Ferry Plan in the Works.
Judge Rules Charles Sidman Has Standing in Bar Harbor Permit Appeal.
Case focuses on use of Ells Pier in downtown Bar Harbor for small cruise ship disembarkations. Carrie Jones Mar 03, 2026 The Bar Harbor Story is generously sponsored by First National Bank. BAR HARBOR—Superior Court Judge Michael A Duddy decided that Charles Sidman does indeed count as an aggrieved party under the town’s ordinance when it comes to the administrative appeal of the town’s cruise ship … Continue reading Judge Rules Charles Sidman Has Standing in Bar Harbor Permit Appeal.
Should Maine Allow Associate Dentists Without Doctoral Degrees?
Dentists don’t think so. Mar 02, 2026 By Rose Lundy/Maine Monitor AUGUSTA—Lawmakers are considering two bills that attempt to increase access to dental care in Maine by studying ways to establish specialist residency programs in the state and creating a new license tier with lower educational requirements, a measure that multiple dentists opposed. L.D. 2206 would establish an associate dentist license, which would allow a dentist without … Continue reading Should Maine Allow Associate Dentists Without Doctoral Degrees?
THINGS TO DO IN THE MOUNT DESERT ISLAND REGION THIS WEEK
And in the near future. Carrie Jones Mar 02, 2026 The Bar Harbor Story is generously sponsored by Paradis Ace Hardware. 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 … 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 02, 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.
People We’ve Lost
Daniel David Lourie. William Jerome Hamilton. Linda Anzalone Woolley. Deborah Jean DeRaps. Kendall Franklin Stratton Jr. Karen Sue (Olson) Van Tine. Everett D. Haycock. Edwin W. ‘Sonny’ Colburn. Carrie Jones Mar 01, 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 … Continue reading People We’ve Lost
The Beetle Beneath the Bark: A Quiet Invasion on Mount Desert Island
Officials Urge Residents to Watch for Infestation Signs Carrie Jones and Shaun Farrar Feb 28, 2026 BAR HARBOR—Since April 2025, all of Mount Desert Island has been in a tree quarantine due to emerald ash borers found on trees in Bar Harbor. When local arborist Jamie Lambert drove down the Indian Point Road, he noticed something: the trees were blonding. Blonding is when the woodpeckers start to remove … Continue reading The Beetle Beneath the Bark: A Quiet Invasion on Mount Desert Island