Le Journal

Letters submitted by BDN readers are verified by BDN Opinion Page staff. Send your letters to letters@bangordailynews.com The United States already has strong treaties allowing basing of troops in Greenland and the island and Denmark are members of NATO. There has been no evidence presented that the Russians and Chinese are trying to take over Greenland. The president has zero legitimate rationale to invade or otherwise “acquire” Greenland. I think Congress must introduce a bill that states, without question or reservation, that they will not accept the acquisition of Greenland as a possession, colony, commonwealth, state or other device through either purchase or through military invasion. It needs to be done immediately. Greg Rossel Troy

Those looking for an affordable property in northern Maine are in luck. While the average price of a home in Maine steadily rose since the pandemic to reach roughly $400,000, there are still properties for sale around the state with asking prices well under $100,000 — or even $50,000. They might require a little elbow grease — or need to be torn down entirely — but these sites are the perfect opportunity for someone with a little imagination and determination to build something new. Here are five property listings in northern Maine with asking prices of $30,000 or less. Madawaska, $19,000 Built in 1936, this 1,256-square foot house sits on a .2-acre lot on Main Street in Madawaska, directly across the street from the Acadia Family Health Center. While the listing stresses the four-bedroom, one-bathroom home is not habitable because it doesn’t have running water or working plumbing, it’s also a “blank canvas for a creative mind with the necessary skills.” The previous owner was redoing the home and removed both the stairs to the upper floor and basement, but further information on what was done is limited. The property was listed the day after Christmas and the asking price of $19,000 has remained steady since then, the home’s Zillow listing shows. Grand Isle, $19,600 This .4-acre property in Grand Isle, which holds a 400-square-foot building, has an asking price of $19,600. Credit: Courtesy of Tammy Gagnon The seller slowly worked on this 400-square-foot building on Main Street in Grand Isle in warmer weather, as it isn’t heated, and stripped it to the studs before putting it on the market last September for $22,000. The listing has seen a series of price cuts since then to reach its current asking price of $19,600. If the property doesn’t sell by April, the owner will likely take it off the market and continue to renovate it, said Fred Dobbs of Dobbs Realty, the agency listing the property. If someone wants to knock it down and build something new on the .4-acre lot, Dobbs said the property already has a well for water and septic system in place, which will minimize building expenses. “It has good bones, it just needs someone to go in and do the work,” Dobbs said. Bridgewater, $24,900 This nearly .8-acre lot on Route 1 in Bridgewater has a 1,400-square-foot home that was built in 1940, but needs some work to make it livable. The property is available for $24,900. Credit: Courtesy of Andrew Mooers This nearly .8-acre property on Route 1 in Bridgewater has a 1,400-square-foot home that was built in 1940 and needs some work to make it liveable. The three-bedroom, one-bathroom home was listed for sale on Nov. 26 with an asking price of $24,900, which has remained in place since then. “The land alone is worth that,” said Andrew Mooers of Mooers Realty, the listing agent for the property. “It’s like a Charlie Brown Christmas tree, it just takes the right buyer.” The property could be the perfect opportunity for a group of friends to pool their funds and turn it into a shared hunting camp or summer oasis, Moores said. Or, the home could be an affordable way for someone handy to break into homeownership without the burden of a mortgage. “It’s like a car with fenders that don’t match,” Moores said. “It might not be pretty, but it gets you from point a to point b and it’s yours.” Caribou, $27,400 This .2-acre property near downtown Caribou has a three-bedroom, two-bathroom home that needs some significant repairs. The home is on the market for $27,400. Credit: Courtesy of Big Bear Real Estate Company This three-bedroom, two-bathroom home on Glendale Road near downtown Caribou offers nearly 1,200 square feet of living space. The property, which has a two-car detached garage and sits on a roughly .2-acre lot, was listed on Nov. 11 for $44,900, but the price has been slashed to $27,400. The home needs some significant work, including foundation repairs, but holds glimmers of what it once was and could be again. One bathroom, for example,…

AUGUSTA, Maine — A network of 12 volunteer mentors is linking up with Mainers looking for ways to start, grow or improve their businesses. The state’s northern chapter of Service Corps of Retired Executives, more commonly known as SCORE, provides free one-on-one assistance to local entrepreneurs from the southern end of Knox County to the Canadian border. International business consultant David Green of Bangor heads the chapter and travels to some of northern Maine’s most remote locations to help bring out the best in people, he said. Maine is a state of mainly small businesses and Green said he wants it to be a place where people can make a comfortable living and thrive. “The Small Business Administration says people with a mentor are twice as likely to succeed and that’s what we do,” Green said. What started out as a northern Maine road trip with Green and two other SCORE executives three years ago to meet people in places such as Caribou, Van Buren, Presque Isle and Houlton has grown into a network of partnerships and cooperative events with rural towns as a way to reach out to local businesses, Green said. The chapter works with local Chambers of Commerce, the Northern Maine Development Commission and the Southern Aroostook Development Corp., to name a few, and provides free business-related training sessions in addition to one-on-one mentoring. Additionally, they work with school programs and other community organizations to provide business-related training and assistance. The total in-person session attendance grew 30.2% last year, from 232 in 2024 to 302 in 2025; total services increased 28.4% from 1,165 in 2024 to 1,496 in 2025; and total local services from 836 to 934. This month, the Northern Maine Chapter earned the U.S. Small Business Administration’s 2026 National Chapter of the Year Award, ousting much larger metropolitan chapters this year. “The secret sauce is we have created partnerships in these areas and are doing more of what people need,” said Green. Green, like all SCORE volunteers, brings a wealth of career knowledge to entrepreneurs seeking guidance. An engineer, he worked with Hewlett-Packard and ITT in the UK before moving to Canada to work for Nortel for 25 years. He now owns Bangor-based WardGreen Group consulting with his wife, Ginger Ward-Green. He takes on a new SCORE client every week, he said. One woman, who owns a consulting business and does strategic planning, process improvement, leadership development and coaching, has been working with him to pivot her business to leverage AI, he said. “My help so far has been to introduce her to people who are on the leading edge of AI so she can refine her business model to focus on work she wants to do and where there is a market need,” Green said. Some of the contacts Green has helped with include a city development director, a nationally known entrepreneur embarking on her next big thing using AI, and one of SCORE’s AI subject matter experts. Another client in a small town had bought an old building with a commercial kitchen and asked for help starting a sandwich shop. “By the time I met with her she had changed her mind about the sandwich shop and thought instead of renting the kitchen to someone she knew,” he said. “We brainstormed other options and one was an event center using a range of catering options from self catering to a high-end chef.” Still, despite concerted outreach initiatives into Maine’s northernmost regions, many budding business owners, some struggling to stay afloat, are not aware of the help these executive volunteers offer. Others are reluctant to reach out for help, often because they don’t want anyone to know, said Houlton entrepreneur Fred Grant, who has been a volunteer SCORE mentor for nearly two years. “If that’s the case, the business can request a mentor from somewhere else,” Grant said. Fred Grant, owner of the Temple Theatre in Houlton, talks with patrons before a screening of the award-winning documentary “A Moment…

I’ve always worn a hat of some kind every day, such that many people I meet have wondered if I had lost my hair, which I have not… And always said that a hat is a superior fashion article for a man than a necktie. Berkeley Hat was my “go to” hat spot since the 1980’s. They’d always write a handwritten receipt, which was coupled — but not replaced — by printed receipts… At Berkeley Hat, you knew you were in a family business, where employees would call out “going to the back” when they were checking for your size… I will go there this week to stock up and pay my respects to Carol. Think of 45 years selling fun and fashionable head gear on Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley. Here’s to Carol and Berkeley Hat! I have no idea where else I can get great hats at a fair price, but I am happy for Carol…

Sari Palace made my daughter's flower girl dress for her big sister's wedding. Lovely folk.