One year of The Rising Tide
We’re glad you’re here
Sept. 9, 2026
By John Boit and Bethany Violette
One year ago, a team of reporters launched The Rising Tide with a simple idea that local news should be free and available to everyone across the Blue Hill Peninsula.
Our first weekly newsletter, sent on Sept. 10, 2025, went out to a group of about 100 local contacts.
Since then The Rising Tide website has received nearly half a million page views. Hundreds of thousands more have viewed us on social media. Our newsletter list, now in the thousands, grows by a steady 100 new signups each month. Our calendar listings—which are free to all, just like everything we publish—have supported over 1,100 local events.
We set out to create a place where people could find the news and information that shape their daily lives, from local select board decisions and school news to the businesses and people that make our corner of the world so special. We do that with excellent writing, vibrant photographs and fun videos.
We put the peninsula in the palm of your hand. While our largest audience is here in Maine, followed by New York and Massachusetts, Rising Tide stories have found readers in all 50 states and as far away as China and the UK. Those stats are humbling, but more importantly it tells us that people care deeply about this place and the stories that may have otherwise gone out with the tide.
What we’ve covered
Over the past year, we’ve followed the stories that shape life across the peninsula. Take a look at some of our readers’ favorite stories. Click the thumbnail to read the full articles.
Thanks to our writers
The Rising Tide wouldn’t exist without the reporters and columnists who show up and share stories about this place. Together, they report across the peninsula, covering everything from local government to local life, and the people who make this region so special.
Click the thumbnail to get to know our writers by reading their stories.
Powered by community
We’re a local nonprofit—and an officially registered 501c3 organization with the IRS—with an all-local board of directors. Everything we do is made possible by people who believe in what we do. Readers’ financial support allows us to report on the things that matter to our community—and ensures that our stories remain free to all, regardless of income.
Simply put: We do this for you, but we can’t do it without you.
There are plenty of ways to support our mission:
Donations of all sizes help us cover public meetings and stay on the local beat.
Local businesses and organizations can sponsor our content to reach an engaged local audience while supporting free independent journalism.
Subscribe to our newsletter to stay on top of what’s going on across the Blue Hill Peninsula, including Blue Hill, Brooklin, Brooksville, Bucksport, Castine, Deer Isle, Isle au Haut, Orland, Penobscot, Sedgwick, Stonington, Surry.
Submit an event to our community calendar for free, or request a printable calendar poster and QR code to display in your AirBnB or business.
Post a classified ad—now for free!—or post a paid job listing.
Submit an opinion to give an original perspective on current issues or share pieces rooted in local life.
Read, comment, and share our content on Facebook and Instagram.
Thanks for reading and helping us build a stronger community, one Tide at a time. We’re glad your here.
