Nurses Working Since October Without a Contract

By Paul Sylvain

Bone-chilling cold on Jan. 27 failed to deter at least 22 nurses and techs employed at Down East Community Hospital in Machias from rallying on the Jeremiah O’Brien Bridge. The nurses have been working without a contract since October and are trying to leverage public support for what they call “safe staffing” levels as part of their new contract. 

Public Hearing set for Feb. 5

By Paul Sylvain

For Machiasport’s selectmen, their Jan. 26 meeting must have seemed like deja vu all over again.

For the second time in six weeks, Machiasport’s three-member board, along with town attorney Stephen Wagner of Bangor, met to consider five legal motions aimed at taking by condemnation and eminent domain portions of private property at 1755 and 1759 Port Road in Starboard to build a public access road to the Point of Maine and a pair of islands accessible only at low tide.

The Lubec Community Outreach Center (LCOC) is pleased to announce a Knot Tying Workshop on Saturday, Feb. 3, from 10 to 11:30 a.m. 

This is a repeat of an earlier knot tying workshop, which proved to be extremely well attended and much enjoyed. The LCOC is happy to bring back the workshop and its co-leaders, Captain John “Jack” Lynskey and retired fisherman Nathan Dunford, for a second round!

by Jonathan Reisman

With an eleven-point victory in the Granite State GOP primary over last woman standing, Nikki Haley, Donald Trump is the almost-certain-to-be Republican presidential nominee. I think he is a riskier choice than almost all the alternatives, especially Ron DeSantis. Riskier means potential variance in outcomes. 

By Will Tuell

Northern Light Health announced on Feb. 2 that an unspecified number of its computer servers were compromised by hackers earlier in the day, adding that patient information is safe and that care would not be disrupted across Northern Light’s sprawling network of care providers. 

By Paul Sylvain

The Machias Town Office at 7 Court St. has been closed since the first of two storms ravaged the Shiretown on Jan. 10. Nearly a month later, its days appear numbered as town officials consider abandoning it for other options.

By Paul Sylvain

Rebecca Moores, the 43-year-old Robbinston woman who in December pled guilty to murdering her former lover and principal drug supplier in 2022, was sentenced Monday, Jan. 29 in Washington County Superior Court in Machias to serve 32 years in prison.

by Jonathan Reisman

It has been a month since Ernie, blessed be her memory, passed. I am in a state of grief, a distressed state of mind. The sea of sad tasks invokes memories, reflection, love, and tears but also actions and interactions that my maternal grandfather would have called “mitzvahs”- good deeds. Good grief, or so it seems.

By Wayne Smith

I recently caught up with Jim England and Don Powers of the Bullseye Band when they played at the Milbridge Theatre and Community Arts Center. England and Powers talked about playing music together, entertaining live crowds, and the ups and downs of band life. 

Selectboard Approves Hiring Ryan Allen as a Reserve Officer

By Paul Sylvain

According to a report presented to the Machias selectboard at its Jan. 29 meeting, the town’s police department responded to 1,326 calls for service in 2023. Put another way, each of the department’s four full-time officers, which includes Chief Keith Mercier, kept busy last year protecting and serving the town’s 2,200 citizens by handling an average of 331.5 calls.

Fishermen Skeptical of ‘Ropeless Gear’ Study at Zone A Council Meeting

By Will Tuell

By Phil Stuart

The 2024 high school basketball post-season is here, and it looks as though both teams from Jonesport-Beals, Machias, and Washington Academy will be in action.

The Washington Academy teams will both have to go through a preliminary round this week  in order to play at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor. The Woodland girls, Calais boys, and Narraguagus boys will also be in the hunt.

by Jonathan Reisman

To paraphrase Don McLean in American Pie, “February makes me shiver.” February has Groundhog Day (the rodent predicted at least six more years of relentless climate catastrophe propaganda following every storm), Valentine’s Day (the legacy media is embarrassing itself with its slobbering embrace and protection of Joe Biden), and President’s Day, (which will probably be celebrating mandated electric vehicle sales).

Here are a few other items that are giving me chills:

University of Maine Cooperative Extension 4-H will offer “Science Fridays” beginning Feb. 23. The in-person program is designed to engage youth, ages 9-14, in exploring various science topics and develop scientific skills. 

Selectboard Approves Liquor License, Entertainment Permit at Feb. 14 Meeting

By Paul Sylvain

What should have been a routine order of business on Feb. 14, involving a simple selectboard vote to approve an on-premises liquor license and a special entertainment permit in advance of Mason’s Brewing Company’s much anticipated mid-March opening Downeast, evolved into several moments of drama by selectboard member Ben Edwards.

By Phil Stuart

Ten out of 14 Washington County high school girls' and boys’ basketball teams are qualified for post-season play based on the final point standings. Only the Jonesport-Beals girls, Machias boys, and Calais boys got automatic bids to the Cross Center, while the Narraguagus girls, Machias girls, Washington Academy girls, and Woodland girls had to play a preliminary game in order to qualify for the northern tournament along with the Narraguagus, Jonesport-Beals, and Washington Academy boys.

Dr. Reza Namin, Superintendent of Maine Indian Education and former University of Maine Machias chemistry professor, has been selected to serve as a judge for the Future Engineers Program. 

The Future Engineers Program was founded in 2015 by leading engineering associations to address the shortage of students pursuing engineering careers. Through an annual competition, students submit innovative proposals for tackling issues such as climate change, space exploration, and sustainability. Submissions are evaluated by a panel of engineers and STEM experts, including Dr. Namin.

by Jonathan Reisman

“Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand.” - Matthew 12:25

“A house divided against itself, cannot stand.” - Senate candidate Abraham Lincoln, 1858

Friends and acquaintances from left, right, and middle have shared their anxiety and concerns concerning possible violence and social unrest this year. Fear of desolation is a rare area of unity in our otherwise divided American house.

On Feb. 15, Washington County Commissioners Vinton Cassidy (R-Calais), John Crowley, Sr. (R-Addison), and Chris Gardner (R-Edmunds) awarded a contract to J&J Construction of Jonesboro for the purposes of demolishing the former District Attorney’s Office on 82 Court Street in Machias, the county said in a press release last week. The contract, valued at $22,000, includes the cost of salvaging portions of the 1800s building, which may be repurposed. 

By Will Tuell

By Nancy Beal

The Dutch company that intends to establish a $100 million land-based fish farm in Jonesport on Chandler Bay recently received a huge cash infusion to upgrade the electric infrastructure from Route 1 in Jonesboro to its Mason Bay location. Kingfish Maine, which presented its plans to the Moosabec area nearly three and a half years ago, will receive $4 million in federal money to bring a 34.5-kilovolt line to the nearly 100-acre site north of Greenwood Cemetery.

by Jonathan Reisman

Goin' to the chapel and we're

Gonna get married

Goin' to the chapel and we're

Gonna get married

Gee, I really love you and we're

Gonna get married

Goin' to the chapel of love

“Chapel of Love” by Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich, and Phil Spector. The Dixie Cups, 1964 

Love and marriage, love and marriage

Go together like a horse and carriage

This I tell ya, brother