Upsets, Gold Balls, and Epic Performances Mark Busy Year in Downeast Sports

Wood, Shimabukuro, Schwinn Picks for Player, Coach Awards

By Will Tuell

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Floods, Festivals, and a Christmas Eve Fire Among News Toppers in 2024

By Paul Sylvain

As we prepare to put 2024 in the proverbial rear-view mirror and usher in 2025, let’s take a look back at some of the local stories and events that topped the news in this 366-day leap year.

Barely 10 days into the new year, coastal Maine was slammed with the first of two major winter storms, three days apart, that could have been named “Peat” and "Repeat” for their similarities.

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Downeasters’ Resilience Tested in 2024 with High-Profile Deaths

By Will Tuell

From the sudden passing of Machias Town Manager Bill Kitchen on Sept. 9 to the loss of beloved family physician Dr. John Gaddis weeks later, Downeasters had a lot to grapple with in 2024.

Avowed environmental activist Nancy Oden passed away in May. Three Machias mainstays — former selectman and first responder Les Haynes; former Machias lawmaker, businessman, and philanthropist Ed Pellon; and former selectman Stephen “Smitty” Smith — died within two months of Kitchen. 

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PFAS Remediation Tests Using Hemp Plants at Machias Valley Airport Planned for 2025

By Paul Sylvain

The long talked about plan for PFAS remediation research testing at Machias Valley Airport, appears to be cleared for take-off in 2025, according to Machias Selectboard Vice Chairman Ben Edwards.

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Machiasport Celebrates New Town Office with Well-Attended Open House

By Paul Sylvain

On Dec. 20, Machiasport Town Clerk Marcia Hayward and Deputy Clerk Ashley Warren put out the red carpet and opened the doors for an open house and tours of the new town office building at 3 Bayview Drive.

The event, held from 3 to 5 p.m., attracted a steady stream of residents who stopped in for an up-close look-see inside the former hospice building. There were plenty of goodies to snack on and beverages, including coffee and tea, to wash it down.

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Machias Nearing Completion on Town’s First Ever Shellfish Conservation Ordinance

By Paul Sylvain

Machias Selectboard Chairman Jake Patryn is moving closer to presenting a final draft of what will be his town’s first-ever shellfish conservation ordinance, if adopted by town voters.

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In the Year 2025…

by Jonathan Reisman

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A Year After Historic Floods, Jonesport Struggling with Disaster Aid

Selectmen Make Offer on Dow Building, State Rejects 2nd Liquor Licensee in Town

By Nancy Beal

Jonesport selectmen Harry Fish and Denise Cilley met Jan. 2 and, although it was not on the agenda, difficulty accessing disaster aid took up much of the public part of the meeting. 

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First Baby of the New Year Arrives at DECH

 Down East Community Hospital in Machias delivered its first baby of the new year — Davis Joseph Green — at 6:36 p.m. on Jan. 5.

Green is also the first child born to Brenna Davis and Austin Green of Campobello Island, New Brunswick, Canada. He arrived weighing in at nine pounds, seven ounces. and measured 21 ¾ inches in length. Both parents said Dr. Christian Inegbenijie and all the nurses involved were “phenomenal,” and were impressed by and happy to be at DECH.  As to what they had to say about baby Davis, the parents stressed, “We are in love; he is just perfect”!

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New Marine Patrol Officer to Serve in Milbridge

Zachery Allen was sworn in as a Marine Patrol Officer (MPO) by Department of Marine Resources Commissioner Patrick Keliher Dec. 9 in Augusta. MPO Allen has been assigned to the Milbridge patrol in Washington County and previously served as a Hancock County deputy sheriff, a position he held since 2017. 

Zach holds a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice from Husson University and is currently working on his master’s degree. Zach is also a 2018 graduate of the Maine Criminal Justice Academy’s Basic Law Enforcement Training Program. 

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State Fire Marshal’s Office Rules Cause of New Year’s Eve Bluebird Fire ‘Undetermined’

Water, Wi-Fi Issues Force Motel to Cancel Bookings Until February

By Paul Sylvain

The cause of a Christmas Eve fire that destroyed two-thirds of the Bluebird Motel’s main lodging building, fronting Route 1/Dublin Street in Machias, has been classified as “undetermined” by investigators with the state Fire Marshal’s Office.

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Pre-Inaugural Sturm Und Drang

by Jonathan Reisman

The events in New Orleans, Las Vegas, and the Swamp have quickly turned post-election optimism and confidence to pre-inaugural Sturm Und Drang fear, uncertainty, and turmoil. I am, and have been certain, Joe Biden was never “sharp as a tack” or “in charge,” despite having been told that repeatedly over the last four years. A wide swath of the left and the media chose to ignore and cover up Biden’s decline.

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DECH Auxiliary 51st Holiday Craft Fair a Success

The Down East Community Hospital Auxiliary hosted the 51st Annual Holiday Craft Fair on Saturday, Dec. 7, 2024. The Rose Gaffney Elementary School generously allowed the Auxiliary to use their gym and hallways in the school.

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New Era Dawns as Burns, Howard Sworn in as First New County Commissioners in 12 Years

By Paul Sylvain

The Washington County commissioners have a new look for the first time in a dozen years, following the swearing-in of District 1 Commissioner Billy Howard and District 2 Commissioner David C Burns at a brief ceremony at the commissioners’ meeting room on Jan. 2. 

Looking on was District 3 Commissioner John B. Crowley, whose seat was not up for reelection in 2024. 

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Snowmageddon: Remembering the Winter of 2014-15 a Decade Later

By Paul Sylvain

Maine winters aren’t what they used to be, considering the string of relatively mild winters we’ve enjoyed Downeast the past several years. Of course, with the snowiest and coldest winter months yet to come, it remains to be seen how Washington County will fare in this winter of 2024-25.

Still, the lingering memory of that last truly harsh, “old-fashioned” Maine winter a decade ago is one that anyone who experienced it won’t ever forget. 

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Rep. Tuell Outlines Bills He’s Submitted for Jan. 8th Start of the 132nd Legislature

By Paul Sylvain 

(This is the first in a series of articles spotlighting legislative bills being submitted by the Washington County Legislative Delegation.)

In the days leading up to the Jan. 8 start of the 132nd Legislature, District 10 Rep. Will Tuell, R-East Machias, has provided a preview of bills he’s already submitted or plans to enter by the Jan. 10 filing deadline for proposed legislation.

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Maine DMR Nixes Lobster Size Limit Increase as Pressure from Commercial Fishermen Mounts

Drouin Calls U-Turn ‘Unprecedented’

By Will Tuell

The long and fraught battle over legal lobster size changes took another dramatic twist last week as Maine’s Department of Marine Resources (DMR) bowed to pressure from fishermen and withdrew a proposed 1/16th-inch gauge increase that was set to take effect July 1. The news came as fishermen and other industry stakeholders gathered for a Jan. 9 public hearing on the proposal. 

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County Commissioner Howard Pushes to Catch up on 4 Years of Back Audits

By Paul Sylvain

In his first official meeting as one of two newly elected Washington County commissioners, Billy Howard wasted little time, on Jan. 9, identifying his top priority for the upcoming year.

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Sen. Moore Submits Bill to Restore Maine State Police Presence in Washington County

By Paul Sylvain

In July 2023, Maine State Police (MSP) quietly ceased patrolling the state’s rural counties and instead focused their limited patrol resources on higher traffic and more populated parts of the state. Among those counties most affected by that decision was Washington County, in which Sheriff Barry Curtis and his deputies assumed the sole burden of providing law enforcement coverage once shared with state police.

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Machias Officials Waver on Sept. Annual Town Meeting, Could Return to June Date

By Paul Sylvain

Scarcely a week into the new year, and Machias town officials are already busy preparing for the upcoming budget season and a possible return to a June annual town meeting schedule, after trying a September meeting with mixed results last year.

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Machias Science Students to Undertake River Study

By Paul Sylvain

Storm-driven floods are nothing new to downtown Machias. According to Tora Johnson, with the Sunrise County Economic Council, there have been nine such floods in the past six-and-a-half years.

But, Jim Lenke, a physical sciences teacher at Machias Memorial High School, is about to embark on a roughly three-year project with his students to measure water levels from the public dock behind Helen’s Restaurant, near the Route 1 dike and causeway over Middle River.

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Nate Bean Becomes Newest Deputy with the WCSO

By Paul Sylvain

Washington County Sheriff Barry Curtis recently welcomed his department’s newest deputy, Nate Bean, to the Patrol Division. 

“While he might be new to the Washington County Sheriff’s Office (WCSO), Deputy Bean is no stranger to law enforcement,” the Washington County Sheriff’s Office said in a social media post last week. “Deputy Bean served the citizens of Franklin County Maine for 27 years as a Deputy with the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office. He retired from Franklin County this past December.”

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January Alarms

by Jonathan Reisman

January has brought an array of alarms in California, Maine, and North America

Fire alarms in California

The California wildfires are both a natural and human-enhanced disaster. Governor Gavin Newsom’s inferno was made worse by decades of water policies prioritizing endangered snail darters and green liturgy over reservoirs and aqueducts. Controlled burns and fuel load management are apparently not consistent with a conviction that the cause of wildfires is anthropogenic (human-caused) climate change.

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Spotlight on Four Cutler Wildcat Basketball Players

By Doss Dennison

Haleigh Bryant — 

Haleigh is an 11-year-old sixth grader who attends Whiting Village School. She has only participated in one team sport so far — basketball — and she loves it. 

Haleigh wears jersey #12 and scored 14 points once as a peewee player. She enjoys roller skating, especially at the skate park in Lubec. Haleigh has one younger sister, her favorite food is baked potato soup, and her favorite subject in school is spelling. 

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The Last Dance: Longtime Refs Take the Court One More Time

By Phil Stuart

Three Downeast Board basketball officials with over 120 years combined experience worked their last game together on Dec. 19 at Gardner Gymnasium in East Machias when the host Lady Raiders of Washington Academy played the Old Town Coyotes. 

Wallace “Alvin” Hall of Gardner's Lake, Walt “Candy” Cummings of Deep Cover, and “The Doctor” Kevin Barbee of Milbridge, each have had over 40 years on the basketball court, and all three are tournament veterans as well. 

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Trump sworn in as 47th President

Donald Trump is sworn in as the 47th US President in the US Capitol Rotunda in Washington, DC, on January 20, 2025. (Photo by SAUL LOEB / POOL / AFP) (Photo by SAUL LOEB/POOL/AFP via Getty Images, licensed to the Calais Advertiser, Inc.)

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Lost at Sea: Coast Guard Calls Off Search for Missing Scallopers

Vessel Found Under 160 Feet of Water Off Long Point Believed to be Sudden Impact

By Paul Sylvain

After a more than 25-hour search involving 11 rescue vessels over two days, and encompassing 950 square miles of open sea and coastline in eastern Washington County, the U.S. Coast Guard officially called off its search Sunday evening for a South Addison scallop dragger and its two-man crew reported missing since Jan. 18. 

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Manaford’s — Jonesport’s Only Full-Service Grocery Store — to Close for Good Jan. 31

By Nancy Beal

After 17 years as the town’s only complete grocery store serving shoppers in the greater Jonesport-Beals area, Manaford’s Grocery will close its doors for good on Jan. 31.

That news was announced in a recent post on Manaford’s Facebook page, which stated, “With a heavy heart and deep regret, we want to let you know that after 17 years, Manaford’s Grocery will be closing its doors, effective Jan 31, 2025. With great appreciation and gratitude to our customers and employees. Thank you all.” 

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Washington County Sheriff Cuts Assistance to Machias, Other Rural PDs

By Paul Sylvain

In the latest wrinkle involving law enforcement services provided by the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, Sheriff Barry Curtis has notified Machias Police Chief Keith Mercier and other municipal police departments around the county that the sheriff’s office “will no longer be able to provide the same level of assistance as in the past.”

The undated letter tops new business to be discussed by the Machias Selectboard and Chief Mercier at the selectboard’s Jan. 22 meeting.

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Sheriffs, Lawmakers Meet Over Breakfast to Discuss Rural Counties’ Dwindling Resources

By Paul Sylvain

Just because parts of Maine are considered “rural” and “sparsely populated” doesn’t mean there’s any lesser need for a strong law enforcement presence in places that fit those descriptions, like Washington County.

The county’s legislative delegation heard that message loud and early last week at a legislative breakfast sponsored by the Maine Sheriff’s Association. Among those traveling to Augusta for the 7 a.m. gathering were Washington County Sheriff Barry Curtis and Chief Deputy Mike Crabtree.

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Opening Moves: Public Advocate, Equity Schadenfreude

by Jonathan Reisman

The opening weeks of 2025 have brought home the consequences of mixing climate alarmism with identity/woke politics. The Energy, Utilities and Technology committee held a Public Advocate confirmation hearing where the Senate Chair ruled that any discussion of Maine’s energy and climate policies would not be allowed. 

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Washington Academy Students Launch Indie Rock Band

Washington Academy is excited to share campus news in the Raider Report. We hope you join us monthly to read and celebrate Raider students, staff, and faculty achievements. Students have set a vibrant tone for the year, and our first Raider Report features the musically talented Georgia Marsceill, ’26. Georgia shares her recent experience joining a WA indie rock band. 

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Bill to Cap Publicly Owned Land Gets Feb. 6 Hearing

Public Hearing Thursday February 6 on LD 183 9:00 AM, Cross Building, Room 214, in Augusta.

The Legislature’s Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry Committee has scheduled a public hearing on Thursday, Feb. 6 on LD 183, “An Act to Cap Publicly Owned Land Area at No More Than 50 Percent of Any County. The proposal is sponsored by House Minority Leader Billy Bob Faulkingham, R-Winter Harbor, and the entire Washington County legislative delegation. 

The bill summary reads as follows:

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Police Chief Predicts MPD will be ‘Unaffected’ by Curtailment of Services by the Sheriff’s Dept.

By Paul Sylvain

Sleep tight, Machias. Your police department has you covered.

That’s despite a reduction in local coverage outlined in a letter sent to municipal police departments in Machias and four other towns in mid-January by Washington County Sheriff Barry Curtis. 

“Over the past decade, we … have worked very hard to help fill in gaps in your police department's schedule, as we have all faced challenges with filling rosters and budget issues over that time period,” Curtis wrote in the undated letter. 

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Bad Little Falls Summer Concerts to Return as ‘The Kitchen Concert Series’, and Could be Expanded

By Paul Sylvain

The popular, well-attended weekly series of Thursday night concerts at Bad Little Falls Park will be returning this summer, but with a new name — The Kitchen Concert Series.

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Family Seeks Closure as Recovery Efforts Resume in Moose Cove for Missing Scallopers

Benefit Supper, Chinese Auction Planned to Aid Family

By Paul Sylvain

The family and friends of two commercial fishermen from South Addison who are believed to have lost their lives when their 34-foot scallop dragger, F/V Sudden Impact, sank after encountering rough seas on Jan. 18, continue to grieve and pray that divers will bring their loved ones home for closure.

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Three Arrested in Baileyville Drug Trafficking Bust

By Jayna Smith 

On January 16, 2025, Baileyville Police Department conducted a traffic stop on Houlton Road that led to a significant drug bust. Officers developed evidence of possible narcotics in the vehicle, prompting the deployment of a drug detection canine. The canine alerted officers to the presence of narcotics, leading to a search of the vehicle.

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Semiquincentennial

by Jonathan Reisman

That mouthful refers to America’s upcoming 250th anniversary, now less than 18 months away. I have a feeling that Donald Trump’s TV and showman experience is going to play a big part in what I hope is a huge, happy party. I think there is a lot of work and planning to do for that to happen.

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Bulldog Bulletin

By Nadine Preston 

It’s final! Literally. The students at Machias Memorial High School just wrapped up their first semester with final exams. Grades closed on Friday. It was pretty serious in the halls, as last-minute assignments and study guide index cards were a common sight in every student’s hands. Stay tuned for the official Honor Roll announcement, but until then, I’ll catch you up on other news happening around our school. 

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EAC Offering 8-Week Acting Course

Award-winning Casting Director and Producer Laura Stanczyk will offer ‘Scene Study for Beginning Actors,’ for students aged 18 and up, from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesdays, Feb. 4 thru March 25, at Eastport Arts Center. The course will offer an opportunity for beginning and established actors to develop skills specifically in relation to written material, including plays, films and episodics. 

“This is not improvisation, relaxation, or a vocal production class,” noted Stanczyk. “This is scene study.”

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Jazz Presentation to Feature Father-Son Duo

The Eastport Arts Center’s weekly Sunday concert series returns to the EAC at 3 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 2, with Sánchez & Sánchez, a guitar and bass jazz instrumental duo.

The father and son team of Robert Sánchez and Ellis Zipperer-Sánchez will present an array of tunes from the Great American Songbook, including some straight-ahead jazz, and standards ranging from ballads to uptempo tunes, plus several in the bossa style. The duo will also feature singer Lauren Koss on a few numbers. A question-and-answer session will follow the music.

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From Dawn to Dusk, a Day in the Life of a Machiasport Scallop Fisherman Aboard F/V Greyhound

By Paul Sylvain

Most people enjoying a plate full of fresh Maine scallops have no clue about how they make it from the depths of the Gulf of Maine to their dinner plates at home or at a fine-dining restaurant. And if they spent just one frigid January day on the water dragging the ocean floor for their dinner, they might understand why those yummy white ocean meats can cost as much as $30 a pound.

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