by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

Extensive planning by the Machiasport Shellfish Committee has led to the reconstruction of a concrete slip that allows clammers to put their skiffs into the Machias River alongside the historical society’s Gates House museum. Rob Boynton, Zach Wood, Whitney Stevens, and David Cale serve on the shellfish committee. 

The Pembroke Historical Society is honored host Charles Lagerbom on Tuesday, January 18th, for his Zoom presentation "Risk & Reward off Cape Horn: The Story of Captain Jesse Thayer Carver, of Searsport, Maine, and the Wreck of the Maine-built Downeaster St. Mary. The presentation will start at 6 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. Register at www.pembrokemainehistoricalsociety.org under Events.

by Ruth Leubecker

Assailed by runaway prices and rampant red tape, Mainers, particularly seniors, are finding it increasingly difficult to navigate a consumer-unfriendly healthcare system. 

“Health care should be universal. It will save lives,” said Sen. Angus King last week. “My beliefs stem from my experience of many years ago. I caught cancer as a young man, and it would never have been caught without insurance.” 

by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

Danielle Wheeler of Perry has been charged in the murder of her ex-boyfriend, 50-year-old Jason “Cowboy” Aubuchon of Eastport, who died by gunshot on Sunday, Dec. 26, just before 9 p.m., according to Maine State Police. 

by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

Nathaniel Kerruish, 23, of East Machias, on Jan. 5 was indicted by a grand jury with charges of felony murder and burglary class B, according to the Maine State Police Major Crimes Unit - North and Washington County Jail.

Kerruish was directed to report to the jail on Jan. 5 and was released the same day on $2,500 bail.

Kerruish is the first local person indicated in the Nov. 4 shooting of 17-year-old Brandin Guerrero, whose body was found on High Street in Machias. 

Stuart Donovan, from Englishman’s Bay in Jonesport, visited Down East Community Hospital at the end of December to deliver a check in the amount of $10,000 for the Comfort Care Suite in memory of his wife.  Stuart’s wife, Carole M. Donovan, who passed away on April 30, 2021, after a courageous battle with cancer, told her husband she wanted to donate to the suite. “This is what my wife wanted, and this is what I’m doing”, stated Mr. Donovan when presenting the check.

by Jayna Smith

In 1992, the Worcester Wreath Company in Harrington first sent wreaths to Arlington National Cemetery. Those wreaths were placed in one of the older sections of the cemetery that had been receiving fewer visitors with each passing year.

by Nancy Beal

Several members of the committee tasked with writing an ordinance covering aerospace activities attended the Jonesport selectmen’s meeting last week (Jan. 5) to request help in determining what the town’s citizens want in the ordinance. Reading from a prepared request, Jane McMichen said the group specifically wanted a yes-or-no vote from the town at a special town meeting.

Kristi Doten and Dan Jones’ daughter, Indira, is seen here with Mom and Dad shortly after becoming the first Washington County baby born in 2022.

The Jonesport-Beals School Board has reversed its original ban on out-of-town basketball spectators and limited numbers of home fans and voted unanimously Tuesday night to open the gym to all fans.

The Jonesport-Beals girls and boys have a total of three home games between today, Jan. 12, and Jan. 14, and another home game on Juan. 22.

by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

Residents and staff of Narraguagus Bay Health Care nursing home in Milbridge have been evacuated after high winds created roof damage. Parts of the roof have collapsed during the storm which covered the entire coast of Maine today, Monday, Jan. 17. The National Weather Service warned of gusts greater than 65 mph.

An employee of the nursing home has confirmed that no one has been injured by the damage.

by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

For the first time since last year adopting a remove participation policy, remote participants were able to attend last Wednesday’s meeting of the Machias Board of Selectmen via Zoom. Selectman James Jackson, who is currently traveling out of state, attended the meeting online. As always, the meeting opened with the pledge of allegiance.

by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

Machiasport was once home to a historic piece of American engineering and railroading history, the Whitneyville and Machiasport Railroad. Today, the remaining pilings of the Machiasport trestle are still visible from the Port Road. 

by Jonathan Reisman

Sesame Street is now a property of HBO, which has made the Muppets even more woke and insufferable than they were on PBS.  There are now specific BIPOC and LGBTQ Muppets, and Sesame Street has apologized for earlier incarnations, which apparently promoted systemic racism, implicit bias, and white supremacy. I was a big fan of the Muppet Show back in the day, and I wondered how some of my favorite iconic characters would fare in wokeville.

Statler and Waldorf : My role models

EAC’s Sunday Afternoons at the Arts Center series continues January 23 with Stage East Artistic Director Mark Macey on Theater Appreciation and the Basics of Dramaturgy. Macey will cover the basics of theater history and dramatic theory. Attendees will learn to better "read" and understand scripts, staging, and design. "I'm providing folks with a toolkit to enjoy theatre in a more engaged and meaningful way," said Macey, a graduate of Dell’Arte International School of Physical Theatre who also holds a BA in Theatre Studies from the University of Utah.

by Ruth Leubecker

Last week’s National Day of Action for Maine’s nurses was aiming to focus on holding hospitals accountable for staffing shortages, but instead veered onto another topic. 

“The major issue is the CDC weakening the COVID isolation guidelines,” explained Jennifer Nappi, spokesman for the Maine State Nursing Association. “We want them to make these decisions based on science, not what’s good for the industry. Shortening the isolation time down to five days during the most contagious variant is not a smart decision.” 

by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

When Keith Mercier accepted the position of Machias Police Chief, he knew he would need to jump into rebuilding mode. Every position in the four-man PD was vacant at the time, making hiring his top priority.

In the two-plus months since his Nov. 1 start date, Mercier says he’s pleased with the department’s staffing progress. Two out of the three vacant officer positions have been filled, with the remaining slot likely to be filled by April.

by Ruth Leubecker

From Costa Rica to Gray and all points in between, Christi Holmes has remained a Machias girl, born and bred.

“Growing up Downeast, there was never much to do, so it seemed like a natural progression,” explains Holmes of her innate propensity for all things outdoors. “After college I wanted to understand and see where my food came from, so I suppose that became part of (my interest in) hunting and fishing.”

by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

by Jonathan Reisman

A great deal of resources, freedom and integrity are sacrificed daily in support of policies that advertise moral superiority but accomplish little or nothing promoting their supposed goals and, in fact, are often counterproductive. Climate change, Covid and assorted Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) mandates all offer excellent examples of authoritarian moral preening that damages the country without actually averting any global warming, infections, or racial animus.

by Joseph Horn