by Nancy Beal

The date for wild blueberry growers and processors to complete and return lengthy questionnaires into their businesses was extended from its original Nov. 16 deadline, but not much information was being sent at last month’s end. This was the signal according to Addison grower Marie Emerson, one of four new members on the Wild Blueberry Commission of Maine (WBC) that monitors and advises the activities of Maine’s wild blueberry industry.

by Natalie Boomer

The Stuart-Green American Legion Auxiliary in Lubec will be hosting its third annual Children’s Drive-thru Christmas on Saturday, Dec. 5.

“Our third annual kids Christmas party is still being held this year, but it’s going to be a bit different,” said auxiliary officer Shona Feltner.

To ensure social distancing, certain precautions and CDC guidelines will be followed.

by Jayna Smith

The Maine Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) has recently partnered with some Walgreens locations across the state to offer free drive-through rapid COVID-19 antigen testing. This includes the Calais and Machias Walgreens locations.

The Calais Walgreens was one of the first ten to initially have the testing available. Machias was added late last month, bringing the total of Maine Walgreens locations offering the testing to 65.

by Marina Schauffler

Editor’s Note: This article is reprinted with permission of the Maine Monitor. The Maine Climate Council is submitting its Climate Action Plan to the Legislature on Dec. 1. Topics related to the plan have been covered this fall in a Maine Monitor series of columns called Sea Change.

by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

A weekend of torrential rain and wind canceled last Saturday’s Machias Parade of Lights, but its organizers are not quick to accept defeat. Instead, they have turned on a dime to plan a drive-through parade and toy giveaway for Thursday, Dec. 10.

by Ruth Leubecker

Homelessness and hunger, tandem travelers in these times of COVID-19, are capturing the attention of many support groups and community partners.
Maine itself has invested $536,000 in virus relief funds for Meals on Wheels. The  number of such meals has more than doubled just from October to November, now having served 102,000 meals to 5,500 people.  

by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

A charity formed by the faith of one Machias woman has fed dozens of Ugandan street orphans every night for the past eight years. In that time Little Hands of Hope has also provided those orphans with medical care, clothing, vocational training, constructed wells to provide the community with clean drinking water, and built a brand new orphanage, too.

Now founder and Director Kristen Johnson says years of working with local government regulations have led to her happiest announcement yet.  

by Jonathan Reisman

In a couple of months, the Biden crime family will move into the White House and commence an effort to reverse and erase as much of the Trump years as executive orders, media sycophancy and deep state and judicial co-conspiracy can accomplish.

by Joseph Horn

by Nancy Beal

There will be no mid-winter tourney in Bangor to look forward to in 2021 and no gold ball to bring home to a trophy case already full of them, but Royal basketball will return to the gym at Jonesport-Beals High School this week, after the Moosabec CSD board that governs the joint high school voted December 9 to allow the sport for which that school is legendary to go forward.

by Natalie Boomer

A Holiday Cheer Scavenger Hunt has begun in Cherryfield!

All school aged children of the area are invited to grab a list from Mathew’s Store, the Cherryfield Library, or from the bulletin board at the post office, and start hunting.

The list includes 16 questions to answer. Some of the questions asked are, “What is the number of the mailbox that is decorated in lights?”, “Where can you find a light up flag pole?”, and “Where is the memorial tree for our loved ones' past?”.

Down East Community Hospital bids a fond farewell to Urologist, Dr. Dhanvant Rathod, who gave 16 years of dedicated service to the hospital and the community.

by Jonathan Reisman

Things fall apart; the center cannot hold - W.B. Yeats

Entropy is a concept from chemistry and physics that measures the state of disorder in a system. The second law of thermodynamics makes it clear that disorder in a system will increase over time without external intervention- or as more poetically put by poet William Butler Yeats, “Things fall apart; the center cannot hold”.

November 12, 1936 - December 12, 2020

by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

Its snow-covered fields and forests make Hadley Lake Road especially picturesque this time of year, but that’s not the reason so many cars are there, slowly crawling along. During the month of December, Hadley Lake Road becomes the Christmas light epicenter of Washington County, thanks to the winter wonderland installed on Troy and Lynn Huffman’s front lawn.  

“If we were on Route 1 we’d probably have a traffic jam,” laughs Troy.

by Ruth Leubecker

Traditionally, pridefully recognized as the home of wild blueberries and potatoes, as agricultural crops go, cannabis is now a contender vying for economic first place.

Adverse weather conditions and the pandemic managed to plague both blueberries and potatoes this season. Less demand from China and an uneven playing field with Canada, crippled wild blueberries even further.

One of the pleasures (and some of the pain) of punditry is the feedback I get from readers near and far. Here is a sampling from 2020, anonymized when it was an e-mail direct to me, as I do not have permission to share their identities.

“Biden Crime Family” triggers responses

This is the season of giving, so it is fitting that on Friday, December 4, a beautiful Yamaha piano was delivered to Washington Academy’s Talbot Dormitory common area. The piano belonged to Mrs. Gloria Bodman, a dedicated musician, who taught music in the Machias area for decades. Mrs. Bodman recently relocated to Arizona. Her daughter, Lynn, grew up playing the piano and is ecstatic to know it is at Washington Academy (WA) and being appreciated by young musicians.

Please enjoy this map to most of the area's wonderful Christmas decorations, with the compliments of the season from the Machias Valley News Observer.

by Natalie Boomer

A small, home-based firearms business located in Machias is hosting a benefit raffle for Maine State Trooper, Andy Foss.

Down East Firearms has donated a Palmetto State Armory AR 15 rifle to raffle off to members of the community.

The plan, donate the money raised to Foss and his family while he battles Acute Myeloid Leukemia.

by Natalie Boomer

A local man from Machias has started building custom miniature lighthouses for people near and far.

“My husband Ken makes them. He’s been doing it for 15 years now,” said Donna Pothier. “We moved up here 16 years ago from Boston. He lost one leg. He needed something to do so he came up with this idea. Started with small ones but then people started asking for one that fits over a well pipe and he designed one that does.”

by Wayne Smith