About Us
The Peaks Island News is a federally-recognized 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation formed by a group of island citizens who felt it was important for the island to have its own newspaper again. For years, island news was primarily available through individual voices through social media sites, often resulting in less than civil discourse on community matters.
Our print-only monthly newspaper is dedicated exclusively to coverage of our island community. We are the island's paper of record that aims to deliver in every issue news about our schools, businesses, local government and organizations, featuring current events, arts, history, people and island culture.
When something happens on or around Peaks Island, the place to read about it is in the Peaks Island News.
Board of Directors
President
Rhonda Berg is a Mainer and longtime Peaks Islander with a background in social work and a career in real estate. She loves island life and community. The newspaper helps to preserve and celebrate the unique character of Peaks Island ensuring it remains a thriving year-round community.
Cecilia Bohan is a visual journalist with over 30 years of experience at The New York Times. She has a strong background in international news, and a deep interest in hyperlocal news. She believes that having a strong neighborhood newspaper is the critical linchpin of a local news ecosystem – and everyone benefits. Her roots on the island go back 45 years, and she has finally dropped anchor for good near Josiah’s Cove.
Owen Davis - Biography forthcoming.
Marty Dobrow - Biography forthcoming.
Michael DiLorenzo and his wife, Molly Honan DiLorenzo, have lived at the top of Welch Street since 2017. Molly’s family has deep roots on Peaks Island, going back more than a century. Michael studied journalism at the University of Massachusetts and began his career as a staff writer for local community newspapers, including the Metrowest Daily News in Massachusetts. His writing has also appeared in The Boston Globe, The Boston Herald, and on NHL.com. Beyond journalism, Michael has built a career as a chief marketing officer, with experience spanning the National Hockey League and a number of venture-backed technology start-ups. He is excited to be contributing to the community alongside the talented and dedicated editors and board members of the newspaper.
Vice president
Scott Dolan worked for 17 years in the daily newspaper industry as a news reporter and editor, most recently as a reporter covering the courts for the Portland Press Herald. Scott left the Press Herald in 2016 to pursue a career in law, and now works at the Portland law firm, Petruccelli, Martin & Haddow. Scott and his wife, Cara, and their three children, Sid, Lizzie, and Joe, live on Brackett Avenue. They moved to Peaks Island in 2022 from South Portland.
Treasurer
Susan Hanley has been trying to figure out what to do for work ever since the arrival of her third child put her blossoming career as a world-famous photolithography engineer on hold. Inexplicably, her interests in textiles, needlework, writing, history, and all things French have coalesced into her current job as a teacher. She married onto Peaks Island in 1989, and has six kids and four grandkids to make life interesting.
Sam Hughes - Biography forthcoming.
Editor-in-Chief
Ben McCanna, an ex officio member of the board, has served as Peaks Island News' editor-in-chief since February 2025. McCanna entered the world of journalism in 2010, first as a writer, then as a photographer, working for newspapers such as the Portland Press Herald, Forecaster and Morning Sentinel. His background as an editor began in 1998, working first on scientific journals, then books and encyclopedias. He holds a B.F.A. in creative writing from Emerson College. He has lived on Peaks Island since 2016 with his wife, Jennifer, and their two sons Otis and Arlo.
Gary Samuels discovered Peaks Island in the summer of 2020 but didn't begin to appreciate its magic until moving here full-time in June 2025. Previously, he spent 30 years on another island farther south — Manhattan — where he worked a lot, first as a business journalist and later as a corporate communications hack. Now retired from both pursuits, he lives near the water with his wife, Patrice, and their two Italian greyhounds.
Secretary
Ross Sneyd and his husband, Warren, live with their two little black-and-white dogs (Salty and Zorro) on Island Avenue, across from the school playground. They’ve been here since 2011 and moved to the island permanently from Vermont in 2020. They spent about 10 years running a small bed-and-breakfast outside Montpelier. Ross is semi-retired and works part-time as a bicycle tour guide for Lighthouse Bikes. Most of his career was spent as a news reporter and editor, primarily for the Associated Press and Vermont Public Radio.
Alfred Wood - Biography forthcoming.