Ruth Slagle -- Last Edition

On Chebeague Island, two things are predictable: the tides and Ruth Slagle. Until October 10, 2026, at least. That marks Ruth’s last day as the world’s most dependable and determined newspaper delivery person.

Since 2008 (it may have been 2007; she’s not exactly sure of the date), Ruth has picked up bundles of newspapers dropped off at the Chandler’s Wharf by the first Casco Bay Lines boat of the morning and headed out on her circuitous island rounds.  About 50 newspapers when she began years ago, down to less than 30 now.  A mix of the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Portland Press Herald.  Summer folks boost the numbers and the mix.

Ruth admits she glances at the front page before she begins her run. But not for the reason you might think. “I have to figure out what day it is,” she says, “to know who gets the papers.”  Some customers subscribe only on random days.  And then, of course, is the matter of actually finding the subscribers, especially if they aren’t yearounders. The lack of street signs poses a challenge, says Ruth, and delivery instructions aren’t always intelligible. “But this job has definitely taught me the names of a lot of people and where they live.”

For the regulars, however, you can pretty much set your watch.  The delivery time on Fenderson Road, for example, is close to 6:48 a.m.  (Back when Ruth was having muffler problems on her Subaru, her arrival was hard to miss.) She often shows up before the town’s snowplow, sometimes with disastrous results.

But it’s not just humans who will miss the morning ritual. On Soule Road, Piper Johnson sits by the window until she hears Ruth’s car, races out to meet her, takes the paper and delivers it inside for a treat. “We just don’t know how we’re going to deal with this after next week,” says a worried Bev Johnson. She’s thinking of planting a fake paper in the driveway each morning just so Piper’s not brokenhearted.

For Ruth, the paper’s appearance is as important as its arrival. Neatly folded in thirds, slid into a plastic bag, stuffed deep into the delivery tube next to the mailbox.  (She appreciated a return of the bags.)

Even in the worst weather, if the paper wasn’t there, the weak link wasn’t Ruth. It was the wimpy mainland delivery system. Massive storms didn’t slow down Ruth. Fallen trees didn’t deter her from her appointed rounds. If, for some reason, Casco Bay finally dropped off the papers at 2 p.m. instead of 6 a.m., she’d make sure you had your copy that day.

At 88, Ruth figures it’s about time to slow down. The newspaper distributor didn’t even try to find a replacement.  The Portland paper offered to mail subscribers the print edition. (And you wonder why the newspaper business is in trouble.) Digital editions are now the island’s only option.

We’re all going to miss that, including Ruth. “I want my paper with my morning coffee,” she says.  A screen shot just doesn’t cut it.

Thank you, Ruth Slagle.  Now, on Chebeague when it comes to reliability, we only have the tides.

	For the last 9 years Piper Johnson has been getting the paper from Ruth every day except Monday. Click here to see a youtube video Click here to see another