Maine Supreme Court Weighs Tremont Dispute Over $230K Code Violation.
Mar 06, 2026 by Sabrina Martin/BDN TREMONT—Maine’s highest court heard arguments Thursday from a Tremont couple who say they are entitled to a jury trial after being fined more than $230,000 for an alleged unpermitted junkyard. The couple are appealing a lower court’s ruling that they were not entitled to a jury trial because the six-figure civil penalty they faced, which represents more than six years … Continue reading Maine Supreme Court Weighs Tremont Dispute Over $230K Code Violation.
Bar Harbor Council Launches Review of Town Boards and Committees.
Approves Special Amusement (Music) Permits at Jack Russell’s and Siren & Sailor. Carrie Jones Mar 06, 2026 BAR HARBOR—During a workshop earlier this week, the Bar Harbor town councilors who attended agreed to start a review of all the towns, boards, committees, and task forces. Town Manager James Smith along with most likely Chair Val Peacock and Vice Chair Maya Caines (both women’s terms expire … Continue reading Bar Harbor Council Launches Review of Town Boards and Committees.
Browntail Moths Likely to Return to MDI This Spring. Here’s What Residents Should Know.
More Than 100 Years Ago, A Harvard Experiment Helped Spread the Browntail Moth Across New England. Carrie Jones Mar 05, 2026 MOUNT DESERT ISLAND REGION—The invasion began with a Harvard professor, a man who was once deemed impractical by the New York Times. The professor had brought a creature to the United States for study. It was on roses from Holland. The creature had eggs: a … Continue reading Browntail Moths Likely to Return to MDI This Spring. Here’s What Residents Should Know.
Educational Signs Pulled from Acadia after Trump Orders, Database Shows
Mar 05, 2026 by Sabrina Martin/Bangor Daily News ACADIA NATIONAL PARK—An internal database anonymously uploaded Monday shows hundreds of educational placards that have been flagged for removal at Acadia and other national parks because of President Trump’s efforts to politically control information available to park visitors. The database is believed to have been publicly posted online by disgruntled park service employees. The entries by Acadia park staffers include … Continue reading Educational Signs Pulled from Acadia after Trump Orders, Database Shows
Bar Harbor Will Consider Rule That Would Limit Businesses Staging on Hadley Point and Park Street Ball Fields
Carrie Jones Mar 05, 2026 The Bar Harbor Story is generously sponsored by Acadia Psychiatry. BAR HARBOR—If new changes to how the town manages its public property continue to move forward, businesses will no longer be able to stage at places like the town’s ball fields and Hadley Point Beach. The changes were discussed at a Bar Harbor Town Council workshop, March 4, where Code Enforcement … Continue reading Bar Harbor Will Consider Rule That Would Limit Businesses Staging on Hadley Point and Park Street Ball Fields
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.