by Nancy Beal

With guidance from Jared Guillette of the Washington County Council of Governments (WCCOG), the Jonesport selectmen met last week, linked by the video conferencing system known as Zoom, and the public was able to watch and join in. During their hour meeting, they dealt with recreational marina floats, an appraisal of the hoped-for commercial marina, and listened to another presentation on broadband.

by Jayna Smith

Within just a couple of weeks, many Americans will be receiving economic impact payments to help deal with the economic fallout as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. This money is part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act).

by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

Jonesboro-Roque Bluffs Fire Chief Mike Schoppee said no people were injured in separate fires that destroyed two homes last week.

Seven departments responded to a fire that destroyed the home of Joe and Janet Mawhinney in Jonesboro on Sunday, March 29. Chief Schoppee said a wood fire in an outbuilding spread to the main structure. “The [outbuilding] was fully engulfed when we arrived,” said Schoppee, “and the garage was already on fire, and it was attached to the house.”

by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

Down East Community Hospital spokesperson Julie Hixson last week took to social media to address inaccurate rumors that the hospital’s lack of PPEs (personal protective equipment) was due to financial constraints.

“This couldn’t be further from the truth,” wrote Hixson. “We feel it is important to communicate to our staff and community members that our access to PPE has nothing, whatsoever, to do with our financial condition or decisions.”

by V. Paul Reynolds

Fishing regulations, like any rules or regulations, are not easy to love. Some time ago, as fishing law books got thicker and the water-by-water rules got increasingly complex with multiple S-codes and exceptions to the General Law, a cynic made the observation that a serious law-abiding angler needed two companions with him on the water: a Sherpa to carry the law book and a lawyer to interpret the regulations and S code for each body of water.

by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

Michael Peasley discovered his love of science growing up in Machiasport. Today, he’s part of the Abbott Laboratories team manufacturing a rapid COVID-19 test which will soon be deployed in Maine and nationwide.

by Ruth Leubecker

Substandard broadband and ill-suited federal policies have seriously hampered information technology from bringing optimum health care to rural Maine.

The hurdles for rural Mainers are often insurmountable, plagued by a lack of resources, generally hinging on insufficient manpower and funding.

by Wayne Smith

I caught up with one of my cousins. Tianna Muniz is 21 years old and works at Lawrence General Hospital in Massachusetts where she is a nurse’s aide. She works on the COVID-19 floor, and she talked about what she does there. She talked about how she has dealt with different situations and about how it takes a toll on her mentally and physically. She also speaks about where she gets her inspiration. She was brave to tell her story, at times her voice shook yet we got through it.

by Natalie Boomer

Many of us have noticed ladybugs in our homes recently. These bugs are actually a specific type of ladybug known as the Multicolored Asian Lady Beetle, and they become more common in New England homes during times of cold weather.

The Washington County legislative delegation today sent an open letter to Governor Janet Mills appealing for resolution to the unemployment compensation issues which have delayed payment to many small entrepreneurs.

The full text of the letter is contained below.

Dear Governor Mills,

by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

A spring tide and two-foot storm surge combined to flood downtown Machias on April 9, filling one business with more than five inches of water. The storm blew all day, but the worst damage came near midnight when the Machias River crested its banks. Business owner Joey Dennison described seeing the water roll down Route 1 from the Machias boat landing.

by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

Whole Life Natural Market owner Jenny Spencer is reinventing her business on a near-daily basis. Like many small businesses impacted by the coronavirus shutdown, Spencer found herself suddenly juggling the demands of childcare, staffing concerns, and supply limitations while trying to keep her family, employees, and customers safe. As a food market, Whole Life is essential and could have stayed open. But in the era of social distancing, its tight physical quarters worried Spencer.

by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

Grocery shortages and a sense of uncertainty have driven some to discover — or rediscover — local food and gardening. Jacob Berry of East Machias recently built 10 raised beds for local families who want to start gardens of their own this spring.  

by Wayne Smith

Kimbley Marie Davis (Gray)
July 6, 1973 -- April 10, 2020

On Friday, April 10, 2020, Kimbley Marie Davis, 46, passed away at her home in Addison. She was born July 6, 1973, in Machias, the daughter of Rose Denny and Bobby Gray of Jonesport.

The Washington County Commissioners yesterday delivered a letter to Governor Janet Mills stating that rural Maine occupies a unique position relative to the coronavirus pandemic, and asking the governor to include the three most rural counties in conversations about how to reopen the state for business. 

The full text of the letter appears here:

by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

Eight organizations are urging the state to provide more specific location data for Maine's positive COVID-19 cases. The April 27 letter to Governor Janet Mills and Maine Center for Disease Control Director Nirav Shah was written on behalf of the Maine Freedom of Information Coalition (MFOIC).

by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

University of Maine President Dr. Joan Ferrini-Mundy last week announced professor Daniel Qualls has been appointed vice president for academic affairs and head of campus at the University of Maine at Machias (UMM) for a three-year term.  

by Ruth Leubecker

While hundreds of bills in various stages of completion remain on the table, Maine’s 129th Legislature, closing early, inches toward a tenuous reopening on June 16, 2020.

As reports of the first cases of COVID-19 in Maine began hitting the newsfeed, Angela Fochesato, Healthy Acadia’s Cancer Patient Navigator, became increasingly concerned for the health of her cancer patients. Patients with cancer may be immune-compromised - depending on the type of cancer they have, their age, the type of treatment they are receiving, and other co-existing health conditions - putting them at a higher risk of contracting infections, including COVID-19. The risk of being immune-compromised is typically highest during active cancer treatment, such as chemotherapy.

Last May, Washington Academy (WA) seniors Ryan Conley, Jocelyn Scoville and Marilyn Mubang completed a year-long Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA) course. They were pinned and became certified CNAs in a ceremony held at Washington Academy on Tuesday, May 14, 2019. At the time, Ryan, Jocelyn and Marilyn didn’t realize that less than a year later they would be working in healthcare facilities during a worldwide COVID-19 pandemic. These seniors are also completing their last semester at Washington Academy through distance learning.

by Joseph Horn