by Will Tuell

by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

At their meeting last Wednesday, the Machias Board of Selectmen resolved two matters raised at their final meeting of 2022. 

First, the board voted to approve the town’s release of a UCC filing against some brewery equipment owned by Bad Little Brewing Company, which closed its doors in December 2022. 

The UCC filing, a type of lien, was given to the town until BLB met its $180,000 Community Block Development Grant (CDBG) terms. 

by Jonathan Reisman

As President Biden struggles to find a classified document discovery hiatus that allows him to announce his re-election plans, nearly three-quarters of Americans believe the country is on the wrong track. Here is why:

Climate alarmism and the Price of Energy

When Biden took office and canceled the Keystone pipeline, gas, and heating oil were under $2.50 a gallon, America was energy independent, and the climate alarmists were only dreaming of banning internal combustion engines and gas stoves. 

The public is invited to attend the first of three sessions in the UMaine at Machias’ Wabanaki Voices Spring ‘23 series, to be held Thursday, Feb. 9, at 12 p.m. in the Science Building, room 102.

Osihkiyol (Zeke) Crofton-Macdonald is a Wolastoqey person from the Houlton Band of Maliseets in Maine (Metaksonikewiyik) and the Oromocto First Nation (Welamukotuk) in New Brunswick, Canada. Zeke has spent his life advocating for Native rights in the United States and Canada. He will be hosting a talk titled "Wabanaki Nationhood Past, Present, and Future." 

Ben Wiant of Romulus, New York has joined the Maine Marine Patrol as its newest Officer and will serve in the Washington County communities of Harrington, Jonesport, Beals and Addison.

Officer Wiant, who was sworn in recently by Department of Marine Resources Commissioner Patrick Keliher, has completed the Maine Criminal Justice Academy’s Law Enforcement Pre-Service Training Program and is currently undergoing the Marine Patrol’s 45-day field training program.

by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

Pierre Little, publisher of the Machias Valley News Observer and Calais Advertiser, has purchased the Union Springs Herald, one of Alabama’s oldest newspapers, and says he’s looking forward to spending more time in Bullock County, where the newspaper was founded in 1866. Little also publishes Alabama’s Southern Star, founded in 1867.

by Will Tuell

Cutler native and Maine Lobsterman’s Association President Kristan Porter told members of the Legislature’s Marine Resources Committee last week that the state’s 4,000 lobstermen and their allies are fighting for the survival of the state’s small, coastal communities as regulators seek to impose stricter rules on gear designed to protect endangered right whales and site controversial off-shore wind turbines off the coast of Maine. 

by Nancy Beal

The Jonesport budget committee met Jan. 25 to finalize the money items for the warrant to be voted on at the annual town meeting next month (March 13). A threefold increase in money for the ambulance service (see MVNO, February 1, 2023) drove the total of $814,162, about $100,000 above the 2022 total — after $300,000 in that total raised for town roads last year was borrowed from surplus instead of added to the tax commitment.

Because of such authorized paybacks to surplus, nearly $110,000 will be added to this year’s $814,162.

by Jonathan Reisman

Editor’s note: DEI refers to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. - SCD

The cold snap (February made me shiver) and our next President’s ongoing efforts to vaccinate Florida from the woke virus inspired me (with apologies to Don McLean).

Long, long time ago, I can still remember

How diversity used to make me smile

And I knew if I had my chance

That I could make those divas dance

And maybe they'd be happy for a while

But February made me shiver

With every lecture I'd deliver

by Will Tuell

Longtime State Trooper Andy Foss retired after nearly 24 years in law enforcement last week. Though his official last day occurred in late January, approximately 75 friends, family, and colleagues joined him at the State Police barracks in Jonesboro for a “signing off” ceremony Feb. 9. 

by Nancy Beal

The national shortage of teachers continued to play out locally last week, as again, approximately 20 members of the public turned out for the monthly meeting of the Jonesport Elementary School board meeting, concerned about the lack of a third-grade teacher. Despite advertising the post since last summer, the school had gotten little response. To fill the vacancy temporarily, the board brought in Joan Pulkkinen, who retired from teaching pre-K and kindergarten at Beals Elementary School and agreed to work until Christmas.

by Will Tuell

The Legislature’s bipartisan Government Oversight Committee consisting of six Democrats and six Republicans, voted Feb. 10 to take preliminary steps towards launching an investigation into unspecified allegations of financial irregularities at Maine Veterans’ Homes, which has residential care facilities for veterans and their spouses in seven locations across the state. 

by Jonathan Reisman

by Hazel Stark

There are moments in winter that feel like living in a black-and-white photo. While February often boasts those bluebird days with bright sunlight bouncing off fluffy snow and casting mini sparkling rainbows everywhere if you care to look, those are the winter days we venture out into the most. The days when the sky is entirely overcast, perhaps even releasing some mixed precipitation—those are the days we are more apt to shut ourselves indoors. 

by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

For the third time in two months, the Machias Planning Board discussed the 12-cottage riverside building permit application of Graham Holdings before voting unanimously to approve it on Thursday, Feb. 16.  

At the beginning of last week’s 36-minute meeting, scheduled one week prior to discuss Graham’s application, Machias Code Enforcement Officer (CEO) Kevin Brodie informed the board that on Feb. 13, he signed the building permit. 

by Will Tuell

Representative Tiffany Strout (R-Harrington) presented a bill that would require youth hunters to be at least five years old during a public hearing before the Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Committee on Feb. 13. The bill, LD 261, would reinstitute a minimum hunting age after it was repealed for all species except moose in 2015. 

by Jonathan Reisman

2023 is just getting started, but the 2024 Presidential election is well underway. I would rather pay attention to spring training, but given the likely mediocrity (at best) of the Red Sox, my attention to Florida will be more on Tallahassee than Fort Myers.

First, the Democrats:

Have you always wanted to start your flowers and vegetables from seed but felt a little out of your element?  Here’s your chance to make your vision or a healthy productive garden a reality. The Lubec Community Outreach Center (LCOC) has announced an adventurous class that will cover the amazing process of growing your own food and flowers from tiny seeds!  

by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

Every year at tourney time, dozens of scam websites post links on Washington County social media pages pretending to sell a way to watch local teams play. In fact, if you're seeing this post on social media, check the comments, and you'll probably see some of the scam posts stacking up..

If you aren't going to the Cross Center and you want to watch it from home, you'll need to pay $10 for a month-long membership to www.whou.live, the only site we could find offering streaming of the regional finals.