Maine

Why a young family decided to move to a tiny Maine island on a whim

Published

2 years ago

June 21, 2024

Why a young family decided to move to a tiny Maine island on a whim

Isle au Haut, Maine — If you take a ferry to Isle au Haut, an island community way off the coast of Maine, you can visit a gift shop and general store. And that’s it, because there are no other businesses on the island.

“People who live out here are resilient, they’re creative,” Bob Olney, president of the Isle au Haut Community Development Corporation, told CBS News. But there aren’t enough of them, Olney said.

The island’s population fluctuates between 45 and 50 people. “It’s essential that we continue to attract families,” Olney said.

Last year, this community put a post on social media and on the island’s official website hoping to woo a new family. They were careful not to oversell the place.

“Though it’s not everyone’s cup of tea, who knows, it may very well be yours,” the post read.

And they got a taker: a young family from central Massachusetts.

Dakota and Hannah Waters, and their children Flynn and Amelia, moved here a few months ago.

“Our whole family thought we were psychotic,” Hannah said. “They’re like, ‘A remote island in the middle of the ocean?’”

And yet here they live, the newest members of a dying breed. At one point, there were about 300 communities out here on Maine’s most isolated islands. Now there are just over a dozen. And keeping the communities alive will require attracting people who seek a different lifestyle, people who value solitude over Starbucks, and really don’t mind a little adversity.

“People have traded the good life for a convenient one,” Hannah said. “And convenience isn’t always the best.”

To that point, the Waters raise some of their own food and work multiple jobs. Dakota does plumbing, lawn maintenance and even works on a lobster boat. As for the children, Flynn was one of just two students attending school on the island’s K-8 schoolhouse.

The place is just that small. But Dakota says the tininess is more blessing than curse.

“We have so much more bonding time with the kids,” Dakota said. “It’s indescribably wholesome.”

Hannah plans for the family to stay.

“I’m not moving my stuff off this rock again,” Hannah said. “It was too hard to get it here.”

Steve Hartman

Steve Hartman is a CBS News correspondent. He brings viewers moving stories from the unique people he meets in his weekly award-winning feature segment “On the Road.”

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Maine

Lawmakers advance bill to provide death benefits after two DOT workers killed on the job

Published

2 hours ago

March 11, 2026

Press Room

Lawmakers advance bill to provide death benefits after two DOT workers killed on the job

After a fatal car crash in Waterville killed two Maine Department of Transportation employees in January, state lawmakers are backing a bill to expand death benefits to the families of DOT workers killed on the job. The Labor Committee unanimously voted Tuesday to advance LD 669, which will make DOT employees eligible for the same […]

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Maine

Maine man accused of lighting bed on fire after fight with girlfriend

Published

1 day ago

March 10, 2026

Press Room

Maine man accused of lighting bed on fire after fight with girlfriend

WISCASSET, Maine (WMTW) – A Maine man has been arrested after police say he intentionally set a bed on fire after a dispute with his girlfriend, while they were still in it.

Police responded Monday, March 9, to a report of a fire that had been intentionally set inside a home on Beechnut Hill Road, according to the Wiscasset Police Department.

Investigators say the homeowner, Terry Couture, 41, set the bed on fire following an argument while both he and his girlfriend were in it. Authorities said the fire was extinguished and no serious injuries were reported.

Couture was arrested and charged with attempted murder, arson, aggravated criminal mischief, and domestic violence criminal threatening with a dangerous weapon.

The investigation is ongoing.

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Maine

Celebrate Maine Maple Weekend at Williams Family Farm

Published

2 days ago

March 9, 2026

Press Room

Celebrate Maine Maple Weekend at Williams Family Farm

CLIFTON, Maine (WABI) – Maine Maple Sunday is less than two weeks away, and the Williams Family Farm in Clifton is gearing up for one of the sweetest seasons yet.

A long stretch of frost and snow meant a late start this year, but the first boil of sap has finally run through the evaporator, and maple season is officially underway.

At Williams Family Farm, everything is done by hand:

Fresh maple syrup, bottled on-site
Maple sugar, carefully extracted in small batches
Baked candied pecans, cashews, and more

The Williams family has spent years working with whatever weather sends their way.

Long winters, surprise warmups, and everything in between—they’ve learned how to adapt so community members can enjoy their products.

As co-owner John Williams explains, the key is in the temperature.

“You need to have it warm during the day and still freezing at night, so typically that’s the middle of February,” said Williams. “We have a lot of trees, so we have to start tapping them before the conditions are ideal, so we start tapping way before it’s time for it to run just so we can get them all tapped. If you have ten trees in your backyard, you want to wait until roughly now, the middle of February to now, and when it’s actually running and put them in then because you can put all your taps in, in one day.”

They’re excited to welcome the community during Maine Maple Weekend on March 21 and 22.

They will be boiling up sap, hosting demonstrations, and providing free samples.

Locals can also join them for their third annual pancake breakfast where all proceeds are donated to Holbrook Recreation.

Follow the link to find out their hours for March and more.

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