by Nancy Beal

The Pleasant River Solid Waste Disposal District board of directors met in person at the Jonesboro town hall on June 15. Present were station manager Fran Havey, supervisor Tom Batson, and board members Mike Schoppee of Jonesboro, Mariner Bunker of Beals and Keith Newman of Addison. Joan McMurray of Columbia was unable to attend because of an out-of-town medical appointment. It was the first meeting since the June 8 vote by Columbia to withdraw from the original six-town transfer station,

Down East Community Hospital welcomes Sharla Moretti, RN, MSM. Sharla is the Vice President of Patient Care Services as well as our Chief Nursing Officer.  She is a nursing administrator with 18 years of diverse experience.  Her background includes experience with perioperative services, specialty and provider clinics, and infusion/oncology centers in multi-organizational systems as well as leadership and clinical expertise in the inpatient and outpatient settings.

by Ronie Strout

Where have the days gone? It seems that they fly by quickly as I get older. I even have to check my calendar to see what the day is, and then I am not sure I am right.

The first day of summer has arrived as well as Father’s Day with the temperature in the high 90’s. I try to get my outside work done before noon now and rest the rest of the day.

This past week I had two appointments in Ellsworth, so I made the most of it by getting a few other errands done while I was in the area.

Each year, during the graduation ceremonies at area high schools, EAC honors seniors who have excelled in music, theater or the visual arts.  Nominated by their dedicated teachers, the students have been chosen based on their commitment and contribution to the fine arts at their school and community.  

by Joseph Horn

by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

Ike Hubbard’s father moved him out of Jonesport in 1952, but he made his way back as soon as he could. Since 1988, Hubbard has been the mastermind behind the Hubbard Rake Company, a Jonesport-based business that ships handcrafted harvesting rakes all over the world. After Hubbard purchased his aunt and uncle’s strawberry farm, he built his business there.

by Nancy Beal

In a 14-8 vote June 8, the town of Columbia voted to withdraw from the Pleasant River Solid Waste Disposal District (PRSWDD). The move puts Columbia in company with Jonesport and Columbia Falls, which began the process a year ago with similar town meeting votes, and represents the loss of 10.3 percent of PRSWDD’s operating revenue. When completed, the withdrawal of the three towns will leave Addison, Beals and Jonesboro as the sole members of the disposal district.

by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

Maine Lobstermen’s Association President and Cutler fisherman Kristan Porter was one of a select few invited to meet with President Donald Trump during his recent trip to Maine. The president flew into Bangor on Friday, June 5, meeting there with fishing industry stakeholders before traveling to Guilford where he toured the Puritan Medical Products swab factory.

“The hardest part was not telling anybody,” said Porter, who was not allowed to discuss the presidential meeting, or its purpose, in advance.

by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

An attempt to negotiate a settlement between the town of Machias and the Machias Water Company has failed. Machias officials last week expressed frustration that the water company responded to their request to reduce a 25 percent proposed rate hike with a reduction of 1.5 percent, taking the total rate decrease to 23.5 percent.

“As a 49 percent owner and the only customer they have, we have zero say,” said Machias Board of Selectpersons Vice Chairman Bill Kitchen. “Our input is irrelevant.”

by Natalie Boomer

The easternmost gift shop in the United States, West Quoddy Gifts in Lubec, is celebrating a big milestone.

“This is our 30th year! Our son was six months old when we opened in June of 1990,” said owner, Junia Lehman.

Steve and Junia Lehman met while serving in the United States Airforce. Soon after, Steve began creating wooden clocks with laser-engraved numbers and artwork of West Quoddy Head, East Quoddy Head, puffins, and whales, so they took the money they had saved up and opened West Quoddy Gifts.

by Joseph Horn

by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

The Narraguagus Jr./Sr. High Class of 2020 marched into their graduation ceremony on Friday, June 5 wearing matching face masks printed in their school colors, one of many concessions this class has made to the coronavirus pandemic. Crafting an in-person graduation ceremony was a challenge, but Principal MaryEllen Day said it was important to preserve as much normalcy as possible.

“They’re the 52nd group to graduate from this school, and they’re going to do it in a very similar fashion, minus the crowds,” said Day.

by Ruth Leubecker

Partnerships are alive and well in Downeast Maine — many of them now expanding to drive a route in benevolent journeys to deliver bread to food pantries.
“I started three or four weeks ago, doing a pick-up in Wells, and taking it half the way to Newport,” says Tom Foss of Foss Trucking in East Machias. “Then I might bring the other half to Wyman’s in Jonesboro, where they’d freeze it for other pantries.”

Despite making the difficult choice to suspend summer camp programs this year, Camp Beech Cliff, with the generous support of Healthy Acadia, is offering a free one-week virtual certificate training program for high school-aged teenagers in Hancock and Washington counties. Focused on youth leadership and development, the program will also address safety precautions during the COVID-19 pandemic.

PFC Ethan Moores was honored with a motorcade on Friday, June 5, when his body was transported from Bangor International Airport to Lubec. Moores, 18, died during training at the U.S. Marines Camp Lejeune in North Carolina. His motorcade was led by a Maine State Police Honor Guard and followed by other official vehicles including the Maine Forest Service, and also the truck of local veteran Raymond Phillips, which flew the American flag.

by Hazel Stark

by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

Modern technology and lots of safety precautions will make possible the Washington Academy Class of 2020 graduation ceremony, to be held on June 13 in East Machias. With more than 80 graduating seniors, the school batted around ideas for how to honor the graduating class and still abide by state coronavirus guidelines, especially the one that caps public gatherings at 50 people or less.

by Ruth Leubecker

After last year’s resounding success story, Gateway Milbridge is announcing this season’s fundraising efforts for bringing back the Milbridge Theatre.

“Last year’s lighthouse art project auction raised $9,640 for us, and the Friday Night Live Concerts raised another $6,835,” says Richard Bondurant, Gateway Milbridge chair. “The building campaign for the exterior of the building is now complete. We’re now focusing on the campaign for the interior of the building -- stage, seats, lighting, sound equipment.”

by Jayna Smith

Those familiar with the 1986 movie Big Trouble in Little China, starring Kurt Russell, are likely familiar with “Pork Chop Express,” the 1985 Freightliner FLC-120 driven by Russell in the film.  What some may not know is that that truck made Calais its home in 2006.  

Portland-based Maine indie-folk band GoldenOak is once again partnering with Healthy Acadia to help raise funds for the nonprofit organization’s Downeast Gleaning Initiative. This year, they are partnering with theaters and arts organizations from across the region to host a virtual concert on June 12, 2020, that will be live-streamed on Facebook.

by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

Machias Memorial High School’s seniors have weathered the coronavirus pandemic with a resilient, positive attitude, says principal Brian Leavitt, and it’s those qualities the school will celebrate with an unprecedented graduation ceremony set for June 7.

“The way they’re handling this whole shutdown has been great,” said Leavitt. “They’ve been really understanding, just really good to work with as a graduating class.”

by Ruth Leubecker

Following a near brush with death, George Eaton remains shaken but motivated to tell his story so that others might learn from his harrowing experience.

“On May 8 about 2:30 in the afternoon, my friend Craig McCaslin and I decided to go four-wheeling at Jameson Place in Whiting,” he explains. “Anyway, Craig’s carburetor blew up so he went to Gardner’s Lake to get it fixed. So I went on alone, and I made two mistakes right then. I went alone, and I didn’t wear a helmet.”