by Nancy Beal

by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

COVID-19 vaccination rates among Maine health care workers rose rapidly in September according to data released last week by the Maine Department of Health and Human Services. Statewide, hospital vaccination rates climbed to an average of 91.6 percent. Rates also rose by more than 10 percent for assisted housing facilities and intermediate care facilities. 

Workers have until Oct. 29 to comply with the mandate.

Artist Anne Black will lead a workshop, Joy of Acrylics, from 1-4 pm, Saturday, October 30, at Eastport Arts Center. Black will take attendees on an exhilarating journey into the magic world of acrylic paints and mediums. “We will explore the incredible versatility of these materials with quick, playful warm-up pieces,” notes Black, who will then guide participants in creating a series of three small paintings using different techniques and combinations of acrylics and mixed media materials.

by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

Down East Community hospital today provided clarification on recent ambulance diversions from its Machias emergency department, which took place over the weekend and ended midday Monday. There is a lot of confusion around the diversion status, said the hospital.

by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

Former Governor Paul LePage spent last Thursday driving the campaign trail through Washington County, stopping at Wreaths Across America, Whitney Wreath, the Bluebird Family Ranch Restaurant, and Helen’s Restaurant, finally ending his day in an evening meet-and-greet at the Calais Motor Inn. 

LePage served as governor from 2011-2019 and in July formally announced his candidacy for a third term, last month hosting a kickoff event in Augusta. 

by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

A quiet gesture of respect between two high school runners has gone viral in the best possible way. After watching Orono high school athlete Ruth White present her 1st place medal to Washington Academy senior Noah Carver, Cindy Moore-Rossi says she wiped a tear from her eye. Then, she wrote a post that has been shared coast to coast more than 200 times, by individuals and by news agencies.

by Ruth Leubecker

Reporting 29 deaths and 836 new cases, Dr. Nirav Shah also announced that Maine had reached the milestone of one million people now at least with one COVID shot.

The occasion was his weekly Wednesday briefing. The message was “get the shot.” And a footnote: as of October 1, Maine had had 4,167 breakthrough cases.

“It’s very different from a year ago, explained Shah, Maine’s CDC director. “We could call it COVID-21. It’s much more contagious than COVID-19, more transmissible, and there are fewer outbreaks.”

by Nancy Beal

Stage East opens their 30th anniversary season on Oct. 15 with 30 plays—or rather, with 30 Neo-futurist Plays from Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind (30 Plays in 60 Minutes) by Greg Allen. This show originally ran in Chicago for 30 years and has been chosen by Mark Macey as the first play of his inaugural season as Artistic Director. “The interminable title aside, it’s a fun, funky, fast-paced show. If you’re looking for something entertaining and lively, this is it,” says Macey.

by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

Washington County Commissioner Chairman Chris Gardner says union employees of the county will receive a 20 percent pay increase over the next three years, roughly broken out to 10 percent the first year, and five percent for each of the following two years.

Gardner says the pay increases were done in negotiation with the unions that represent different aspects of county government and in response to the county’s lagging pay rates, especially relative to wage inflation. For instance, an entry-level dispatcher can earn $17 per hour.

by Ruth Leubecker

Maine’s fast-moving aging demographic is now dealing with a nursing-home crisis moving mightily in the opposite direction.

“We’re working on this piece by piece,” explains Rep, Anne Perry, of current legislative action. “But the main problem is MaineCare pays for it. And MaineCare, paying 90 percent-plus, is not sustainable (with its present reimbursements).” 

by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

Washington County last week nearly doubled its record for weekly cases since the beginning of the pandemic. The previous high of 88 cases was reported in the week ending Sept. 18, and the week ending Oct. 2 reported 170 new cases. Maine Center for Disease Control Director Nirav Shah attributes a statewide increase in cases to the highly contagious Delta variant.

by Jonathan Reisman

We live (at least for now) in a republic- a representative democracy. By constitutional, statutory and judicial decree, representation should be apportioned fairly and equitably amongst and within the states, and citizens are guaranteed a republican (meaning representative democracy) form of government. Every ten years the census measures our population, and redistricting efforts commence thereafter in each state to supposedly assure a fair, equitable, compact, contiguous and reasonable reapportionment. 

by Gordon L. Weil - Maine Monitor

Help wanted.

These words are usually a sign of prosperity and opportunity. Now they are a symbol of frustration as employers search in vain for workers. 

The conventional wisdom had been that when COVID-19 cases went down, so would unemployment. Some maintained that federal unemployment benefits were discouraging people from job seeking, but that would change once the benefits ended.

by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

Bill Kitchen says he was delighted to accept the position of Machias Town Manager when it was offered to him last week. Kitchen was hired after a Sept. 22 meeting of the town’s eight-person search committee, which reviewed 12 applicants and voted unanimously in his favor. 

by Hailey Wood

School is back in session at the University of Maine at Machias. Students began moving back on campus August 26, in order to complete COVID testing before the start of classes on August 31. 

Since school began UMM has put on numerous events for students to participate in on campus like ice cream socials, bingo, dodgeball, and many others. Due to COVID measures, they have still been limited in what they can offer students. For the same reasons UMM is currently not offering events for community members to take part in. 

by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

Gina Finn was inspired to create a family fall event after taking her children to a storybook walk at Downeast Coastal Convervancy’s Middle River Park in Machias. 

“I thought it was so wonderful!” said Finn, a local businesswoman who owns Machias River General Store. “I loved Middle River Park, and thought, what a cool thing to have right here in our town that everyone can enjoy. It gives people an extra reason to come in town, get outside and do something educational while still having fun!”

by Jonathan Reisman

The first eight months of President Biden have brought a perfect storm of an open southern Border, Afghanistan ignominy, Covid surges and freedom killing mandates, race hustling and racism disguised as critical race theory and anti-racism, climate alarmism on steroids, surging inflation and the destruction of the principle of equal justice, as Antifa and Black Lives Matter rioters and arsonists skate while January 6th “white supremacist insurrectionists“ have the book thrown at them.

by Nancy Beal

When the Moosabec CSD board that oversees Jonesport-Beals High School voted 5-4 to keep mask wearing voluntary in that school September 14, two of the three members from Beals, who independently govern Beals Elementary School, were among the four who opted for a return to mandatory indoor masking. A week later, meeting alone as the BES board to consider whether masks should be required in their elementary school, they voted 2-0, with one abstention, to require masks indoors.

by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

Access to high-speed internet can be spotty in rural Washington County, but fortunately for anyone who needs to work from the road, there are a lot of free access points in downtown Machias. Among them are three public hotspots maintained by Axiom Technologies, including one attached to Station 1898 and sponsored by Bangor Savings Bank.

by Ruth Leubecker

For decades Americans have continued to eat more, make poor food choices, and engage in less physical activity. Mainers are no exception, with organized programs only making a serious stab at confronting the issue within recent years.