by Ruth Leubecker

More than 200 bills related to the state’s growing elderly demographic are waiting for attention from the 130th Maine Legislature.

They represent a vast array of subject matter, ranging from excessive drug prices and expanding dental health coverage to improving access to bariatric care in nursing homes and the long-term impact of economic abuse.

by Celia Cummiskey

March will mark one year since the World Health Organization officially declared COVID-19 a pandemic and the United States entered a state of national emergency. Since then much of daily life as we knew it has changed, including, for many, where they call home.

by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

On Tuesday, Feb. 23, Carine Reeves will be sentenced for the murder of Sally Shaw whose body was found shot on the side of the road in Cherryfield in 2017. Shaw was 55 years old.

A jury convicted Reeves in Oct. 2020 after four hours of deliberation.

At the time of the murder, Maine State Police linked Shaw’s body with a black 2017 Chevrolet Impala found to have been in an accident at the intersection of routes 193 and 9, approximately 13 miles from where Shaw’s body was found. The car had been rented in Bangor.

by Jonathan Reisman

Last month a controversy erupted in Hancock County, fueled by left-wing media and the wokerati whose operational motto is “Obey or be canceled.”

by Ruth Leubecker

For decades Maine has openly recognized and profited from the economic engine of snowmobiling in Maine.

In 2010, sledding generated over $356 million in revenue, and over the past decade that bottom line has increased impressively. According to a new study by the University of Maine in conjunction with the Maine Snowmobile Association, snowmobiling brought $459 in direct spending to the state’s economy, supporting 2,279 jobs in the 2028-19 season.

by Praise Moore

Sadie Dunn is a mother of three who has been homeschooling for six years. She chose to homeschool her children because of their beliefs, she wanted to be close to her kids, able to tailor their education to each child’s strengths. When asked if COVID-19 has impacted the homeschool community, Dunn responded, “Yes and no.”

by Jayna Smith

Are you a lover of the marshmallow treat Peeps?  Those sugary treats that used to be found in stores leading up to Easter have made their way to shelves for every holiday in recent years, it seems, except throughout the pandemic.

Prior to the pandemic, Peeps could be found at Halloween in the form of ghosts, at Christmas in the form of trees and other creations, and at Valentine’s in the form of hearts. Since the pandemic started, however, candy maker Just Born Quality Confection halted its Peep production.

Fiction for adults: Marauder-A Novel of the Oregon File by Clive Cussler; The Lightkeeper's Daughters by Jean Pendziwol; Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters by Ben H. Winters. Nonfiction for adults: Shredding Paper-The Rise and Fall of Maine's Mighty Paper Industry by Michael G. Hillard; on video DVD Masterpieces of Short Fiction, a Great Course taught by Michael Krasny; on video DVD Emerson, Thoreau, and the Transcendentalist Movement, a Great Course taught by Ashton Nichols.

The Maine Community Foundation offers more than 650 scholarships that support students pursuing studies in music, journalism, teaching, horticulture, technology, the arts, and many other fields. The scholarships are available for students who attend secondary, post-secondary, and graduate schools, as well as non-traditional programs.

by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

Exactly one year ago, four girls from Jonesboro Elementary School were giddy with success, having raised nearly $1,000 toward their goal of a new playground. Today, they fondly remember back to when they thought that was a lot of money.

“I thought it was a lot, a LOT of money,” says Vanna Smith, age 9. “Like, a million dollars!”

by Praise Moore

At her house, every day you can hear the cha-ching of an Etsy notification sounding on the phone when Grace Moore gets a new order. Moore’s business, Binkies Bunny Treats, was founded on her love of bunnies. She sells foraged organic rabbit treats from right here in Washington County, to rabbit owners all over the world.

by Jayna Smith

Enacted in 2007, Maine’s “Move Over” law requires motorists to slow down to 20 miles per hour below the posted speed limit when encountering an emergency vehicle or public service vehicle stopped with flashing lights.  If possible, the law also requires drivers to move over at least one lane from the scene where the vehicle is working.  Drivers who fail to do so can face a fine of $326.

University of Maine Cooperative Extension and University of New Hampshire Extension will offer a webinar for home gardeners about edible native plants in the landscape from 6–7 p.m. Feb. 24.

“Nibbling on Natives in Your Backyard and Beyond” identifies more than two dozen species of native edible wild plants suitable for adding to backyard landscapes and supporting native pollinators. Russ Cohen, expert forager and author of “Wild Plants I Have Known … and Eaten,” will lead the workshop.

When Christian Dior showed up at our shelter, we were so happy to have him as ours until we could get him adopted to the right family. Unfortunately, one of the worst things that could happen occurred a few days later: Christian escaped. Even with all efforts, community engagement, and awareness, we could not seem to capture Christian and get him back to safety. This was just the beginning of our sleepless nights and colder weather.

Down East Community Hospital today, Feb. 3,  released the following letter concerning online registration for the COVID-19 vaccine. The hospital urges residents to assist any elderly who might have difficulty registering online for the vaccine clinics, which will take place as vaccine doses are made available to the hospital.

Due to the volume of interest, the hospital is only taking vaccine registrations online, not via phone.

by Ruth Leubecker

For years pioneering Susan Corbett has impressively furthered her dream of providing broadband access to rural Mainers, but in these crisis days of the pandemic, new and fertile territory is enhancing those goals.

by Nancy Beal

The Jonesport budget committee spent 90 minutes with the town’s selectmen January 27, considering their suggestions and preparing a spending plan to put before voters next month. The total came to $767,113 but included $40,000 for rebate on taxes paid early, a discount that has been consistently voted down at town meeting in recent years.

Elections have consequences, and President Biden has decided that one consequence of the election that shall not be questioned is the elevation of the “America is systemically racist” falsehood to holy writ. He has appropriately chosen former UN Ambassador Susan Rice to lead that charge. The execrable Ms.

by V. Paul Reynolds

In Maine and in a number of Western states, ballot box biology continues unabated.

What is ballot box biology? Put simply, it is when well-intentioned but misguided animal rights activists use the democratic process to unilaterally impose wildlife management policies that rightfully should be left to professional wildlife biologists and policymakers.

by Ruth Leubecker

With demand already exceeding supply, then 4,400 doses of COVID vaccine arriving in Maine unusable, this has been a week of crisis as the state continues to battle the virus.

“We decided 35 of the 50 shipments to Maine had exceeded the safe temperature,” explained Dr. Nirav Shah in his January 19 briefing. “That’s 4,400 doses over the required minimum storage temperature on the Moderna vaccine. We should be receiving replacement shipments over the next two days.”

by Nancy Beal

At their January 20 meeting, Jonesport selectmen completed the requests that they will recommend to the budget committee this week for consideration by the town next March. The grand total is $762,113, an increase of $88,515 over last year’s amount. If voters follow the pattern of late years and choose not to raise $40,000 as rebate for early-paid taxes paid, the increase will be $48,515.

by Jayna Smith

Our local UPS drivers are always greatly appreciated for their delivery service, day in and day out bringing us our awaited packages. However, on one day just recently, two UPS drivers did much more than that and are credited with saving the lives of a man and his dog.

Two weeks ago, UPS driver Josh Gillespie made a stop at an East Machias home. This particular stop was not supposed to be part of Gillespie’s route that day, so he took care of it very first thing.