The following two stories were released today from the US Attorney's Office and Maine Drug Enforcement Agency.

On Thursday, May 2, more than thirty Maine Drug Enforcement Agency Task Force Agents joined law enforcement partners from county, state and federal agencies in Washington and Hancock Counties to arrest a number of individuals who are now charged with criminal drug offenses either in state or federal court.

by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

The town of Machiasport has scheduled a special town meeting to discuss how to proceed with its proposed purchase of 37 acres of land abutting Bucks Harbor. The town’s plans to purchase the property were thwarted when it came to light that a residential covenant applies to all 37 acres. That means that without the approval of abutting landowners, the land may only be used for private housing, and not to expand harbor parking and public harbor access.

by Lauren Koss

by Nancy Beal

Luke Crowley may have been the first Moosabecker to notice the new sheriff in town when he was coming over the Beals-Jonesport bridge before 5 a.m. on May 2 to go to haul with his father. While stopped for the traffic light, he watched a significant contingent of law enforcement vehicles pull out around him and burn through the red light. He phoned his parents, who were up and waiting for him, to tell them of the strange sight he had just witnessed.

Bangor Region Leadership Institute (BRLI) is proud to announce the 2019 G. Clifton Eames Leadership Award will be presented to Jillian Piehler, BRLI Class of 2014.

The G. Clifton Eames Leadership Award is presented each spring to an outstanding BRLI Alumni who has demonstrated exceptional community leadership and whose efforts have made a lasting positive impact on the Bangor Region. The award is named for Clif Eames, who is a model of leadership in the Bangor region, and an example of what BRLI graduates should strive to be in the community.

by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

A press release from Governor Janet Mills’ office lit up the statewide media on Friday, May 3, saying that the state will build a pre-release facility on the site of the old Downeast Correctional Facility in Machiasport.

In March, Department of Corrections Commissioner Randall Liberty stated that the DOC would not support reopening the prison, but would consider a pre-release center in another Downeast location, such as the Supertek building in East Machias.

by Ruth Leubecker

Battered by foreign competition and diving prices, Washington County’s wild blueberry growers are hoping for a legislative helping hand.

LD 145, sponsored by Rep. Bob Alley from Beals, seeks to even up the Wild Blueberry Commission board, upping the number of members from eight to 10, so that instead of five processor members and three growers, there would be five of each - if the bill passes as intended.

by Jayna Smith

May is National Pet Month, a time to celebrate the benefits that pets bring to people’s lives--and vice versa. One feline friend showing lots of love and affection to her owner is Millie, a cat who has never seen her owner, Greg Williams, because she has no eyes.

About 12 years ago, Greg saw Millie’s picture in The Machias Valley News Observer. Millie was the featured cat that week by The Ark Animal Shelter in Cherryfield.

The Machias Airport Committee, supported by the Town Manager and Selectboard, announced the official launch of the MVM Phase I Capital Fundraising Campaign beginning with a $50,000 pledge from Machias Savings Bank, bolstered by a $12,500 pledge from Bold Coast Smoke Shop, and further backed by numerous private citizen donations.

Imagine being able to travel to space, the moon or even to Mars. What would it be like to live and work in space? What would the training be like to be an astronaut? Jonesboro Elementary School’s Principal Marjorie Hicks and her dedicated team were able to fundraise and be the first group from Maine to go to the Cosmodome. In partnership with Professor Chris Abbandonato, Director of STEM Outreach at UMM, their team brought 24 fifth to eighth-grade students to the Cosmodome in Laval, Québec to participate in the Atlantis Space Camp program.

Quoddy Voices will present its spring concerts on Friday, May 31 at 7 p.m., and Sunday, June 2 at 3 p.m., at the Eastport Arts Center. The program, Around the World In 80 Minutes, is a rhythmic and joyful exploration of the great diversity of musical traditions in our world.  The featured work is one recently composed for Quoddy Voices by Chinese composer Yujing Bai.

by Jayna Smith

Fiddleheads, the young coiled fronds of the ostrich fern, are a springtime delicacy in Maine and New Brunswick, and in other Northeastern states and Maritime provinces.  According to University of Maine Cooperative Extension, nearly all ferns have fiddleheads, but not all fiddleheads are edible.

by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

Christopher Stevenson of Roque Bluffs pleaded nolo contendere to charges of operating after suspension, reckless conduct with a dangerous weapon and manslaughter for an accident that took the life of his 11-year-old daughter on the night of Dec. 14, 2017. An earlier charge of operating under the influence was dismissed.

Stevenson was sentenced to 30 days in jail and four years probation. His daughter, Keagan Stevenson, was a student in the 5th grade at Rose M. Gaffney Elementary School in Machias.

by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

At a town meeting held Wednesday, May 15 residents of Roque Bluffs voted 63 to 27 in favor of building their own high-speed broadband network, funded either by a USDA grant or loan taken out by the municipality.

Washington County Librarians along with Lisa Shaw and Jennifer Melvin, both of the Maine State Library, met on Monday, May 13 at the new Whitneyville Public Library. Librarians came to discuss what is new and what is happening at their libraries.

 The American Legion Post #9 will lead a Memorial Day ceremony at Longfellow Cemetery on Monday, May 27, at 10 a.m. Longfellow Cemetery is located on Court Street on beyond the hospital, heading toward Whitneyville. Then the Memorial Day parade will line up at Machias Memorial High School at 10:30 a.m., and march at 11 a.m. down Court Street.

by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

Despite lifelong struggles with reading, Shannon Davenport just wrote an essay on what it’s like to live with a learning disability.

“It just came to mind, writing about it. It just came to me,” said Davenport. “I could see the words on the paper, and that just helped.”

by Nancy Beal

Sixteen teachers from the three schools in the Moosabec area’s Union 103 district gathered in the art room at Jonesport Elementary School May 14 to air their grievances and plan their next step. They have been working without a contract for over a year during which time the negotiating teams from their union, the Moose-A-Bec Teachers Association (MAT), and the school board have been unable to reach an agreement on a new three-year contract.

by Nancy Beal

The Moosabec Ambulance Service (MAS) took part in EMS Week (Emergency Medical Services) last week with a service award luncheon at its hangar on Jonesport’s Main Street, where members of the MAS crew were recognized for their years of service. The event was organized by MAS service chief Renée Gray, a homemaker, Lubec town manager and a 20-year veteran of the ambulance service.

The Machias Bay Chamber Concerts will present a fundraising pre-season piano show on Sunday, June 9, at 7:30 p.m. in Centre Street Congregational Church in Machias. This concert will feature local pianists who perform in a variety of styles, including classical, jazz, blues, and experimental. There will be a mid-show intermission with refreshments, as well as a visual-art display. This presentation will benefit this 50th season of the series, and we’re asking a minimum $5 admission for this amazing evening. Here’s a preview of the musicians for this night:

by Joseph Horn

by Nancy Beal

School board meetings in Union 103 (Beals and Jonesport) are usually low-key affairs that rarely draw the public out. Last week, the May 23 meeting of the joint committee that oversees issues affecting all three district schools attracted over 20 teachers and community members looking to challenge the board on its refusal to accept the salary recommendations of a fact-finding panel. That panel supported the teachers’ request to change the number of steps on the salary scale and to increase the step monetary raise.