1. Lawmakers reject bear, beaver bills

    by Will Tuell

    Lawmakers on the Legislature’s Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Committee rejected a proposal from Rep. Ken “Bucket” Davis (R-East Machias) to establish separate times bear hunters can hunt over bait or with dogs during the fall and a proposal from Sen. Marianne Moore (R-Calais) giving landowners, municipal officials, and those preserving recreational trails more latitude in dealing with nuisance beaver. Both bills were unanimously voted down by the 13-member committee. 

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  2. Jonesport Elementary School Board chair change: Renée Jordan-Chandler replaces veteran Farris

    by Nancy Beal

    Next year’s budget, teacher hires, and policy review highlighted the agenda of the May 3 meeting of the Jonesport Elementary School board, but an unannounced and unlisted changing of the guard was first inserted into the nearly two-hour session. Immediately after approval of the minutes and a brief public comment period, Morgan Monroe asked to take the item labeled “Other” out of order, She wanted to know if the board should hold an election of officers.

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  3. Seeking more data, Machias moves town meeting to July

    by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

    Normally held in mid-June, this year, the Machias Town Meeting will take place in July, following a conversation at last week’s meeting of the budget committee. 

    “The selectboard, budget committee, director of finance, and myself unanimously agreed to push the meeting into July to have more time to gather more information about revenues, valuation, and growth, and to take another line-by-line examination of every dollar,” said town manager Bill Kitchen.

    The town elections will still take place on Tuesday, June 13. 

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  4. Lawmakers reject bills to loosen vaccine requirements in schools

    by Will Tuell

    Majority Democrats in the Maine House turned aside four bills that would have rolled back school vaccination requirements May 4. The bills, some in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, others an effort to repeal 2019 legislation that would have closed religious and philosophical exemptions to the state’s child vaccination law, were rebuffed mostly on party lines. 

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  5. Frank Heller, RIP

    by Jonathan Reisman

    My friend and policy brother Frank Heller died on the last day of April. Frank was a little older than Joe Biden. Like Biden, he came from working-class Pennsylvania roots, but he was honorable, incorruptible, and in full possession of his considerable skills and mental faculties until the end of his life.  Maine and I will miss him.

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  6. EAC Open Mic planned for May 26

    Eastport Arts Center’s next Open Mic will be held Friday, May 26, from 6-8 p.m. The event, which has run monthly since January, has grown steadily, and each evening is a lively mix of 10-minute music and spoken word acts, with always some surprises. An array of snacks and hot beverages are provided in a casual coffeehouse-style atmosphere. Those interested in performing may sign up at the event for a 10-minute slot. A limited number of slots will be available for those who’d prefer to sign up in advance.

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  7. Machias Arts Council held its first Spring Art Show

    The Machias Arts Council (MAC) held its first Spring Art Show on Saturday, May 6, at the Machias Memorial High School in Machias.  The weather was about as gorgeous as the incredible artwork that was on display. 

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  8. The Nature of Phenology: Broad-winged hawks

    by Hazel Stark

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  9. Washington County Sheriff Curtis sounds alarm on public safety issues

    by Will Tuell

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  10. Enrollment growth, costs drive Machias school budget increase

    by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

    A.O.S. 96 Superintendent Scott Porter led a presentation to the Machias Budget Committee last Wednesday, taking them through the Machias school’s 10-page budget, which projects an overall increase to taxation of $79,804.31 for the 2023-24 academic year, a 5 percent budget increase over last year.

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  11. Jonesport selectman tours Dutch yellowtail plant; Fish: ‘I found exactly what we’ve been told’

    by Nancy Beal

    Most years, Jonesport fiction writer Sherry Christie spends time in the south of France at a writing retreat. Usually, her husband, Harry Fish, Jonesport’s first selectman, stays home. This year, however, he (and his sister Laura) went with her—as far as Amsterdam. While Sherry continued on to southern France, Harry and Laura motored south through the low country to Kats, a small town in the province of Zeeland on a saltwater inlet (Ooster Schelde) near the Belgian border that is home to Kingfish Zeeland.

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  12. Machias couple opens new Downeast Adventures ATV

    by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

    It’s an exciting season for Brecken and Ryle Mortland, owners of two Machias lodging businesses, the Schoppee Inn and Margaretta Inn. Spring is here, and tourists are beginning to return, just in time for the launch of their new venture — Downeast Adventures, an ATV rental business. 

    Also, they’re newlyweds.

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  13. Mills administration backs off controversial Bucks Harbor sale

    by Will Tuell

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  14. Washington Academy Alumni: Come together to continue the tradition

    by Michael Hinerman

    The Washington Academy Alumni Association strives to bring alumni together on Saturday, Aug. 5, to celebrate 231 years of WA’s educational history and the 200th anniversary of the construction of the “Old Academy” building, still in use today. A small group of alumni is working to revive our Association, create networking opportunities with other alumni, enhance our sense of community worldwide, and help graduates with scholarship opportunities. 

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  15. Testimony

    by Jonathan Reisman

    I have been offering legislative testimony for more than 30 years. Live appearances in Augusta are certainly the most effective, but in recent years I have favored written or zoom testimony over 6 hours of round trip driving. If testimony can be synchronized with op-ed columns in the daily newspapers, that is even better. Unfortunately, since I began to refer to the BDN and PPH as Pravdas on the Penobscot and Presumpscot, they do not seem to want much to do with me. Go figure! 

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  16. Grass fire scorches 27 acres in Wesley

    by Will Tuell

    For the second time in three weeks, Maine Forest Rangers, Wesley firefighters, and those from neighboring communities responded to a wildfire that charred part of the Route 9 community’s remote landscape last Friday afternoon (April 28). The blaze, contained at 27 acres, scorched blueberry land and some adjoining woodland, but was contained before it spread much further according to the Wesley Volunteer Fire Department Facebook page. 

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  17. The Nature of Phenology: Tinder polypores

    by Hazel Stark

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  18. Windstorm creates power outages impacting thousands in eastern Maine, Canada

    by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

    A wind storm that hit early Monday morning knocked out power to thousands of Eastern Maine Electric Cooperative (EMEC) customers, including 100 percent of their Washington County customers and some customers in Aroostook County. 

    The National Weather Service issued a high wind warning from 8 p.m. Sunday, April 30, to 10 a.m. on Monday, May 1, anticipating gusts up to 50 m.p.h. Along the coast.

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  19. Marjorie Whiting Ahlin

    On the afternoon of Sunday, March 26th, 2023, Marjorie Ann Whiting Ahlin passed away peacefully, attended by some of the multitude of friends who loved her. She was eighty-seven years vibrant.

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  20. Telehealth services available, underused in Moosabec area

    by Nancy Beal

    The introduction of telemedicine in 10 of Maine’s 250 public libraries is approaching its one-year anniversary, but it appears that few know it exists. Jonesport’s Peabody Memorial Library and Steuben’s Henry D. Moore Library are two of the 10, but PML librarian Heidi Hinkley reports that only a handful of residents from Jonesport, Beals, and Addison, who have access to the facility, have taken advantage of the ability to consult with a health care provider remotely.

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  21. Bills to shorten, lengthen nighttime coyote hunting season nixed

    by Will Tuell

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  22. Bold Raven Salon makes a move onto Main Street

    by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

    After six successful years on Hadley Lake Road in Marshfield, Bold Raven Salon owner Lida Rolfe is delighted to announce her business is moving to Main Street in Machias. On Tuesday, May 2, she’ll open the doors on her new, larger space at 97 Main Street, the former location of Berry Vines. 

    “This space offers even more space where more women, or men, can come,” said Rolfe, who says throughout her 10-year career, she has worked to create a safe space for her salon’s clientele. 

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  23. Hunt continues for meteorite; museum lab processing ‘loads’ of submissions

    by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

    Work in the Maine Mineral & Gem Society laboratory is much heavier this week after throngs of treasure hunters have descended on Washington County, hoping to find a piece of the bolide meteor that streaked across the midday sky on Saturday, April 8.

     Now those hunters are delivering their finds to the museum for analysis.

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  24. Lawmakers reject welfare reform, sales tax holiday in House

    by Will Tuell 

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  25. AI Angst

    by Jonathan Reisman

    Recent angst over Artificial Intelligence (AI) brought to mind technology, dystopian forecasts, apocalyptic fear mongering, and mythology, both ancient Greek and modern American.

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  26. DCP to host drive for critically needed hygiene products May 26 in Machias

    Downeast Community Partners (DCP) is hosting a “Top to Bottom Drive” to collect critically needed personal hygiene and home cleaning items. The drive will take place Friday, May 26, at Hannaford in Bar Harbor, Ellsworth, and Machias; Walmart in Calais; and the Blue Hill Co-op. “SNAP benefits do not cover hygiene items or cleaning supplies,” notes DCP’s Development Director Sharon Catus, “yet without these items, one’s quality of life can be severely impacted. Imagine not having diapers for your children; soap; shampoo; toothbrushes; deodorant; disinfectant spray; paper towels.

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  27. Roque Bluffs Community Center’s upcoming season

    The Roque Bluffs Art Gallery and Learning Center have scheduled a very ambitious 2023 Spring/Summer season this year. The Center is located at 4 Schoppee Point Road in the beautiful seaside village of Roque Bluffs.

    There will be five recurring classes at the Center. Starting Friday, May 5th, the “Barre Workout with Amanda” will run from 8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. once a week. The Barre Workout is a low-impact, ballet-inspired workout emphasizing muscle tone, flexibility, and balance.

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  28. The Nature of Phenology: Red maple flowers

    by Joseph Horn

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  29. Chamber honors beloved pilot, town manager, Drones Eye View in emotional award ceremony

    by Will Tuell

    The Machias Bay Area Chamber of Commerce (MBACC) honored Machias Town Manager Bill Kitchen as its Employee of the Year, Drone’s Eye View as its Business of the Year, and beloved pilot Andy Patterson who tragically lost his life while flying his plane to Florida earlier this month, as its Volunteer of the Year, during a moving ceremony at the University of Maine at Machias April 13. 

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  30. Machias businesses relocate, open, and expand around town

    by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

    Like a game of musical chairs where everyone finds a seat, multiple Machias businesses are relocating, opening new doors, and expanding this spring.

    Berry Vines Florist and Gifts last month relocated to a new location at 247 Main Street, where this weekend it held a re-blooming open house. In early May, The Bold Raven Salon will relocate from Marshfield to Berry Vines’ former location on Main Street in Machias, next to the River’s Edge Drive-In. 

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  31. Kingfish’s yellowtail finally headed to market; Protect Downeast sues Jonesport for permit grant

    by Nancy Beal

    Kingfish Maine, a subsidiary of a Dutch aquaculture firm that plans to establish a $100 million land-based fish farm on 94 oceanfront acres in Jonesport, sent its first batch of the Dutch yellowtail it plans to raise there to market last week. It was the first of six 1,000-pound shipments the company plans to send out this spring.

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  32. Board holds first meeting on waterfront cabin appeal

    by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

    Technology issues and the need for legal clarification cut short the first Machias Board of Appeals meeting held in living memory which took place last Thursday, April 13, in the Machias Telebusiness Center. 

    Through her attorney Mary Costigan, Machias resident Jeanne Tennison has appealed the Machias Planning Board and CEO Kevin Brodie’s February decision to approve a building permit for Graham Holdings, which plans to construct 12 seasonal rental cabins on its Canal Street property in Machias.

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  33. Wildfires burn over 70 Acres in Washington County as weather warms

    by Will Tuell

    With the arrival of sunny skies and warmer weather, Washington County saw two high-profile forest fires this past week – a 65-acre blaze in Wesley on Monday and an eight-acre fire in Johnson’s Cove Friday, according to the Maine Forest Service, which assisted fire departments across the region with both conflagrations Although no cause has been given for either fire or a trio of smaller burns north of Columbia Falls, Rangers said via social media on Sunday that over 100 wildfires have been reported statewide so far this spring. 

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  34. National Popular Vote: Attack on Constitutional Republic

    by Jonathan Reisman

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  35. Help spruce up Machiasport’s Gates and Cooper House Museums April 29

    Help the Machiasport Historical Society spruce up and prepare Machiasport’s 19th Century  “Gates House & Cooper House Museums” for summer visitors and guided tours!  Your help is needed in sprucing up the exterior of The Gates House. We need help picking up surrounding lawn debris, such as fallen tree branches and loose trash, raking side gardens, and cleaning out its River Bank fire pit. The Cooper House needs tidying up by way of interior dusting, sweeping, and a few other small things. Thank you in advance for your efforts in helping us preserve Machiasport’s proud and rich history!

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  36. Chewonki offers free coastal ecology kayak expeditions for Maine high school students

    Thanks to special grant funding provided by the Maine State Department of Education's “Summer 2023 Coastal Science & Marine Trades” initiative, Chewonki is excited to announce it is now accepting applications for the summer 2023 Coastal Ecology Kayak Expedition.

    The no-cost program is 100% free for participating students, including travel and equipment expenses. It will provide ten Maine high school students the chance to travel the mid-coast region in ocean kayaks and explore marine ecology, as well as marine careers and research opportunities. 

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  37. The Nature of Phenology: Turkeys mating

    by Joseph Horn

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  38. Treasure hunt continues for Washington County meteorite; museum lab processing ‘loads’ of submissions

    by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

    Life in the Maine Mineral & Gem Society laboratory is much busier this week after throngs of treasure hunters have descended on Washington County, hoping to find a piece of the bolide meteor that streaked across the midday sky on Saturday, April 8. 

    Now those hunters are delivering their finds to the museum for analysis.

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  39. Tensions boil as commissioners weigh new sheriff’s office proposal

    by Will Tuell

    Washington County Commissioners Chris Gardner, Vinton Cassidy, and John Crowley agreed to move forward cautiously Thursday afternoon with a proposal to tear down the district attorney’s office and build a new sheriff’s office on-site using federal COVID relief funding awarded to the county. 

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  40. Meserve Head will showcase nature, and Machias history, too

    by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

    Beginning this summer, nature and local history lovers will enjoy hiking Maine Coast Heritage Trust’s Meserve Head Preserve in Machias, a 69-acre preserve with frontage on Elm Street and the Machias River.

    The property is named for the Meserve family, early Machias settlers with ties to the Burnham family. Two Burnham sisters, Elizabeth (Betsy) and Pamela, married two Meserve brothers, Joseph and William.

    Cellar holes from two Meserve homesteads are still visible, along with at least two stone-lined wells, now collapsing. 

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  41. Lawmakers pitch plan to take over federal fishing waters over objections of Marine Resources, industry

    by Will Tuell

    The Marine Resources Committee heard from lobster industry representatives and officials from the Department of Marine Resources that a proposal by Sen. Eric Brakey (R-Androscoggin) to shift the line separating state and federal waters from three nautical miles to 12 would be disastrous for an industry already grappling with restrictive whale rules, during the bill’s public hearing April 6. 

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  42. Machias HS science students hitting new heights

    by Jim Lenke

    Without any help from Buzz Lightyear, Machias Memorial high school has a team of students getting off the ground in a big way. These students have been working all year using Downeast ingenuity to get a couple of experiments, literally, off the ground and as close to space as one could get. 

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  43. Upcoming plans for a single-day prescribed burn at Middle River Park in Machias

    The Maine Forest Service is partnering with Downeast Coastal Conservancy (DCC) to conduct a one-day prescribed burn at Middle River Park in Machias during the week of April 17th-20th. The exact date of the anticipated burn is to be determined and will be based on weather conditions. The designated site is composed of 25 acres of marsh along Middle River, to the east and northeast of the current sliding hill.

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  44. Yes, we have no bananas

    by Jonathan Reisman

    In 2022, the Democratic Party operatives financially supported a number of “MAGA” Trump Republicans in primary contests because they believed them easier to beat in a general election. In gubernatorial and Senate races in Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, Arizona and Michigan, they were correct. Politics ain’t beanbag, as the saying goes.

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  45. Jonesport Elementary teaching vacancies filled; senior staff wants teacher/principal

    by Nancy Beal

    The Jonesport Elementary School board filled its three classroom teaching vacancies last week, but it still seeks a principal. Several of the teachers who were among the approximate 20 members of the public who attended the April 5 meeting urged the school board to consider a teacher/principal. Currently, following the abrupt departure of Principal Heidi Fairbanks in January, Title IA math teacher John Reese is handling the principal’s duties, while Superintendent Lewis Collins is the principal of record.

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