by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

When Machias and Washington Academy students return from winter break on Monday, Feb. 28, whether or not they wear a mask will be up to them. 

by Nancy Beal

In the past year, aerospace activity in Maine has made history and headlines. In late January 2021, a Brunswick-based aerospace company launched a small rocket to the edge of space from a decommissioned Air Force base in Aroostook County using non-toxic biofuel instead of the petroleum-based propellant employed in the industry to that point. Following that world record, bluShift Aerospace contracted to secure a launch spot in Jonesport to propel small rockets into a north-south polar orbit over open ocean without traversing populated land.

by Ruth Leubecker

Long recognized as the presiding dowager in East Machias, the First Congregational Church stands majestically on High Street, albeit a mite shabby and neglected.

An active participant in the lives of multiple generations of families and a stalwart beacon for all to see coming into town, the church’s history dates back to 1771, a scant eight years after the first permanent settlement of the area. 

by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

Editor’s note: This is the second in our “Games We Play” series, sharing the stories of how we have fun together Downeast.

“Did you know that this world is inhabited by Pokémon?” asks Professor Willow, a grey-haired man clad in a white lab jacket, athletic wear, and carrying a rucksack. “Pokémon can be found in every corner of the earth.” 

Even Washington County, as it turns out.

by Jonathan Reisman

February is dream-planting season- planting some garden seeds in the sunroom, dreaming of spring, and planting some political dreams in candidates in boxes, as they collect signatures and plead for campaign donations. Both operations are rooted in optimism, but both are leavened by years of disappointment. Sometimes the promising seedlings get a bit too leggy or are damaged when exposed to the sun and elements after a swaddled infancy in the warm and protected sunroom. The same can happen to candidates.

by Joseph Horn

by Sascha Deri

Earlier this month, I spent the afternoon with a band of students from Jonesport-Beals High School. It was inspiring to see so many smart young people engaging in the science and technology of aerospace. It had me remembering my own childhood in Orland and Bucksport. I grew up knowing I’d have to leave Maine to pursue a career in technology. And that’s what I did.

June 9, 1942 - January 8, 2022

Melvin “Tink” A Davis Jr. left this, his earthly home to enter his heavenly home, on Saturday, January 8, 2022, in Largo, Florida.  

by Nancy Beal

The two school boards governing Beals and Jonesport Elementary Schools turned their attention to school policy last week, specifically on revising an old one concerning participation by the public during board meetings and on creating a new one dealing with student petitions. The CSD board that handles the joint high school will take up the same matters this week. 

by Natalie Boomer

Downeast Coastal Conservancy and Machias Bay Chamber of Commerce will be hosting the Great Machias Outdoor Winter Family Fun Day on Saturday, Feb. 26. 

Community members are welcome to join in on the fun at Middle River Park in Machias from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. 

There will be many fun things to do throughout the day, including a cardboard box sledding contest!

Participants are welcome to create their very own cardboard box sled with a team of family, friends, or on their own, and compete for best design and the most spirit. 

by Jayna Smith

Feb. 2 is always the big day for Punxsutawney Phil, the apparent famed meteorologist. The groundhog has been making predictions since 1887, with just ten years missing from the record. In that time, Phil has seen his shadow now 106 times, resulting in the claim that winter will last another six weeks.

EAC’s Sunday Afternoons at the Arts Center series will continue at 3 p.m., Sunday, Feb. 20 with Eastport artist Roland LaVallee, owner of Crow Tracks woodcarving studio. LaVallee will speak about building a life as an artist in Downeast Maine. He’ll touch on his process development, learning from other area artists, the buying and viewing public, and selling and developing artworks. The talk will conclude with a question-and-answer period.

by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

My normally easy relationship with the English language went through a low point when sentence diagramming dominated the eighth-grade curriculum. I can only assume a mathematician developed the macabre practice, perhaps looking for ways to make language more math-like and, therefore, worse. There may be a variety of opinions on the matter today, but a quick Google search found an Atlantic magazine article titled “The Wrong Way to Teach Grammar” and I agree, so I’ll leave it there.

by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

On Thursday, Jan. 27 at 9:20 a.m., the Machias Police Department responded to a call in reference to a vacant property located on Beal Street in Machias that had been reportedly broken into. Upon arrival, MPD Officers found a rear door that had been kicked in and a vehicle displaying Massachusetts registration plates parked behind the residence.

Machias officers entered the property and contacted five suspects inside the residence. As a result of the investigation, 100 grams of cocaine base were seized.  

by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

Maine’s 2021 pedestrian fatalities tied 2017 for the most on record — 20 lives lost. Two Machias accidents were fortunately not included in that number. Now, officials want to ensure Machias pedestrians never will be.

Machias Town Manager Bill Kitchen says the town has plans to improve crosswalk visibility and signage in town, especially on the Jeremiah O’Brien Memorial Bridge, where a December pedestrian accident took place. 

by Nancy Beal

In response to a plan from Brunswick-based bluShift Aerospace to launch nano-rockets from an outboard island in Eastern Bay, Jonesporters December 1 voted in favor of a six-month moratorium on such activity until an ordinance regulating it can be written. An aerospace committee was appointed to write the ordinance, has met and returned to the selectmen for ideas of how to determine and, accordingly, incorporate the wishes of the town into the document.

Come join families from Jonesboro to Princeton for a day of fun for all!

For the last 20 years, the Winter Sports and Fun event has also raised funds to assist families who have a child with a heart defect. 

Winter fun means snowshoeing, ice skating, sledding, cross-country skiing through woodland trails, a scavenger hunt, a ski race, ice fishing, organized games for kids, and ski lessons. The nineteenth annual Winter Sports and Fun Day will be held Sunday, Feb. 13, in Perry. 

 by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

On Thursday, Jan. 27 at 09:20 a.m., the Machias Police Department responded to a call in reference to a vacant property located on Beal Street in Machias that had been reportedly broken into. Upon arrival, MPD Officers found a rear door that had been kicked in and a vehicle displaying Massachusetts registration plates parked behind the residence.

Machias officers entered the property and contacted five suspects inside the residence. As a result of the investigation, 100 grams of cocaine base were seized.  

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

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 Nancy Beal

For the third time, Jonesport Elementary School is participating in WinterKids, a nation-wide four-week program designed to encourage students and their families to learn healthy habits and enjoy outdoor winter activities. JES is one of 22 Maine schools—four in Washington County, including Cherryfield Elementary — that are taking part. Besides enjoying the fun, schools compete for money prizes, including a grand prize of $10,000.