by Ruth Leubecker

Better access to justice in Washington County, says Rep. Will Tuell, means Downeast Mane needs two district attorneys.

A years-long debate has hinged on the issue that Washington and Hancock counties, having long shared a DA, now each need their own. “I’m thrilled with the support,” says Tuell, sponsor of LD 272, An Act to Establish Separate Prosecutorial Districts in Downeast Maine. “We  could elect our own district attorney in November 2022.”

by Nancy Beal

Jonesport’s Peabody Memorial Library is full of artwork these days, all part of a silent bidding auction from now through July 17. The subjects range from the traditional boat and shore scenes that this seaside area traditionally inspires through illustrated mottoes to a couple of abstracts. They are the product of Laura Fish’s art students at Beals Elementary School, professional painters who live in the area, and six posthumous panels done in decoupage.

EAC is thrilled to announce our Summer Workshop Series, to be offered June 29 through August 17 at the center, in accordance with CDC guidelines for safe gatherings. In addition to the center’s usual Tuesday afternoon offerings, there will be a special Sunday afternoon workshop in late July, and a four-day Summer Arts Camp for youth.

The Washington County Extension Association will hold its annual meeting virtually, featuring the Norman W. Duzen Community Service Award, on Tuesday, June 22, beginning at 6 p.m.  

Jane Ellen (Magner) Kamm
August 23rd, 1940 - May 20th, 2021

by Ruth Leubecker

As substance abuse dominates the front pages, infecting a growing number of troubled lives, it is noteworthy to hear about a success story. Jamie Corbett of Marshfield is a practitioner from all angles. Her youthful substance abuse became a traumatic battle to survive. Hers is a story of hope and positive accomplishment, worth telling as a beacon for others to exemplify. After setbacks and relapses, she did more than just survive; she became a drug counselor and impassioned champion of others waging the same war.

by Jayna Smith

The border with Canada has been closed since March of 2020 for all but essential travel.  Falling under the category of essential includes media, an important means for citizens to obtain information about safety and welfare, as well as other critical information.  

For one local businessman, Pierre Little, owner of The Calais Advertiser and Machias Valley News Observer, the regular cross into St. Stephen from Calais was not allowed, despite proper credentials and a U.S. CDC-issued vaccination card.  

Democratic Senators and Sanders, King and Collins vote to confirm Lying Anti-Semite racist to Top Department of Justice Civil Rights Job

On Tuesday, June 15, at 6 p.m., the Camden Public Library will host Maine author Robin Clifford Wood for an online book talk and narrated slideshow about her new book The Field House: A Writer's Life Lost and Found on an Island in Maine. The book is a compelling blend of biography and memoir recounting the remarkable life of writer Rachel Field. The story is told by the woman who lived in Field’s old island home in Maine, sparking a unique sisterhood across time. Email jpierce@librarycamden.org to request a Zoom link to attend.

by Joseph Horn

My wife and I traveled to Washington, D.C. for a Wuflu delayed family reunion with our sons and their plus-ones. What follows are my notes and observations after five days of following my promise to my wife to say nothing in response to the pro-BLM, pro Critical Race Theory, anti-capitalist, anti-Constitutional millennial ravings of our progeny and the possible mothers (excuse me, birthing persons) of our grandchildren, should we be so blessed.

Bangor

by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

Unusually dry conditions likely contributed to a wildfire that spread through nearly 18 acres of Northfield and Wesley last week. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Women for Healthy Rural Living (WHRL) and Maine Outdoor School, L3C, (MOS) are excited to announce that registration is now open for OWLette, a free summer day camp for girls. Owlette will happen twice this summer, and participants will gain outdoor, gardening, and naturalist skills while learning about climate change. The first session will be June 28 through July 1st and will be for girls ages 11 - 16.

Stage East proudly returns to the theater with two in person offerings this June. Krapp’s Last Tape by Samuel Beckett and The Human Voice by Jean Cocteau will be played back-to-back June 4, 5 11 and 12, at 7 pm, and June 6 and 13 at 2 pm. Both plays are short one-person works that deal with themes of isolation and technology, and are being mounted by a vaccinated cast and crew with strict adherence to CDC guidelines to create a safe and enjoyable night of theater for attendees.

by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

By unanimous vote at a meeting held Tuesday, May 18, the Machias Board of Selectmen appointed former selectman Bill Kitchen as interim town manager. 

Former town manager Christina Therrien vacated the position on Friday, May 15, six weeks earlier than expected.

Board chairman Joshua Rolfe raised Kitchen’s name first at Tuesday’s meeting, detailing his qualifications.

by Jayna Smith

Many felt relief last week with the step closer to normalcy when the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced that those who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 can stop masking and social distancing in most situations.

by Nancy Beal

Beals selectwomen have been reviewing the town’s ordinances, both existing and future planned. Next week, townspeople will be asked to impose a 180-day moratorium on the application of windmill permits in order to give the town time to draft and pass rules that would govern their installation. A public information session on the need for such a moratorium, followed by a town vote on it, is scheduled for 6 p.m., Tuesday, May 25 in the town office meeting room.

The Training Ship State of Maine (TSSOM) arrived in Norfolk, Virginia, last week under blue skies and fair weather. The vessel sailed past the Norfolk Naval Station and into Lambert’s Point, navigating through one of the busiest ports on the Eastern Seaboard.

Last week’s column argued that that the FBI and Department of Justice were systemically biased against right of center Americans and called for their defunding because their unequal administration of justice is a recipe for tyranny.

I shared my concerns with Representative Golden and Senators King and Collins. Senator King has not deigned to respond.  Senator Collins acknowledged receiving my concerns. Rep. Golden wrote a lengthy response arguing for the passage of HR1 and claiming credit for fighting corruption.

Here are their unedited responses.

by Jayna Smith

Folks who have been in downtown Calais lately have surely seen the new food truck on Main Street. Lined with colorful decor, the small trailer named Mama Lola’s Mexican Food Truck sits next to Triangle Park.

Don’t be fooled by its size, however. What it lacks in kitchen space, Mama Lola’s compensates in flavor with an authentic Mexican-food experience.
Owner Manuella “Mannie” Medrano is a first-generation Mexican-American. “My mom was from Mexico, my grandma was from Mexico, my dad was from Mexico,” she said.

by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

Former Machias Town Manager Christina Therrien issued a 110-day notice of resignation in March, but shortened that timeframe with a written resignation notice sent Friday, May 14, effective immediately.

“Due to the current stressful situation, I felt it was best for my health to resign at this time,” said Therrien. “I’ll miss the community tremendously.”

by Nancy Beal

Benny Beal, originally of Beals but now of Jonesport and having reached the age of 88, was barely out of his teenage years when he set about building a small working lobster boat that would become a racing legend. The half-model for the Stella Ann, as he would name the vessel for his oldest daughter, was created by his grandfather, (William) Riley Beal, at his kitchen table on Beals Island where he fashioned a half-model that was the typical blueprint for boatbuilders of the last century.