by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

A vacant space on Main Street will become a hub of activity when the Machias Valley Center For Entrepreneurship opens its doors next year in Machias.

The center will aim to help small Downeast businesses thrive by offering training, access to business advisors, shared workspaces, mentorship, conference rooms, fiber optic internet, and printers among other things. Membership in the center will be sold as a monthly subscription with day and week passes available.

by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

Roque Bluffs is known today for its charming town center, picturesque cottages, and sweeping sandy beaches. But in another age, it was known for its farms, for its fishing, and for its canneries, including an early predecessor to B&M Baked Beans.

by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

Maine newspapers have filed multiple requests asking the state to release the de-identified location data of its positive COVID-19 cases. Currently, the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports positive case data only at the county level, making Maine an outlier in New England where all other states report cases by town or zip code.

Porter Memorial Library invites you to join us as we reopen to the public. Now's the time to Get Your Browse Back On! with Porter Memorial Library's new curbside pickup service, new relaxed membership and return policies, and a socially-safe pop-up used book sale.

by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

Downtown Machias will soon have access to fiber optic high-speed internet thanks to a partnership between two mainstay Main Street businesses.

Machias Savings Bank (MSB) has paid for the installation of fiber optic cable which will allow many downtown businesses and residents to tie into the fastest available internet in the nation, with symmetrical upload and download speeds up to 1,000 Mbps. The network will be built and managed by Axiom Technologies, a Machias-based internet service provider.

by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

After two years of fundraising, area fire departments can now safely remove carcinogens from their turnout gear using a new industrial-grade washing machine and dryer. Marshfield Fire Chief Daniel Bowker said he washed three sets of gear last week and the results were astounding.

“The water that came out of the extractor...was horrendously black, it was some of the dirtiest water I think I’ve ever seen,” said Bowker.

by Nancy Beal

by Wayne Smith

The Faculty and Administration of Jonesport-Beals High School proudly announce the class parts for the school year 2019-20.

State Police Spokesman Steve McCausland released the following information this afternoon.

Maine Drug Enforcement (MDEA) says three men were arrested on drug charges in the Washington County Town of Trescott overnight that evolved into a police standoff. As part of an ongoing criminal investigation, MDEA and Washington County Sheriff’s Deputies served a search warrant at the home of Mark Fields on County Road in Trescott Wednesday evening

by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

When the state said barbershops could reopen May 1, Wayne Wood expected some pent-up demand for haircuts. He left for work at 5:30 a.m. that day, and found one customer sleeping in the parking lot so they could be first in line.

“Had I thought sooner I would have opened at midnight,” said Wood, who shut the doors on Wayne’s Barber Shop in early March, ahead of state-imposed closures.

by Ruth Leubecker

“I thank IDEXX for their generosity and partnership with us,” announced Gov. Janet Mills in her Thursday midday briefing to Mainers. “This will allow the state to administer more universal testing.”

“We now have more than triple the capacity we have had,” said Dr. Nirav Shah, Maine CDC director who shares the spotlight, six feet apart, with Mills.

The Westbrook-based IDEXX has produced the diagnostic test that can provide results in under three hours, according to a recent news release.

by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

Area schools have announced students will not be returning to the classroom this year, a sad eventuality they were already braced for. In an online video message to his students, Elm Street School Principal Tony Maker shared his feelings about the news.

“My heart is broken about that, and I really feel badly that we can’t get together,” said Maker. “I know the teachers so miss you. This is not the way we wanted this to be.”

by Jayna Smith

Vigorous debate erupted last week after Eastport Port Authority Executive Director Chris Gardner announced the possible arrival of the 785-foot Oceania Cruises vessel, Riviera, in the coming days or weeks. If approved, the vessel would arrive in Eastport carrying only crewmembers and could stay docked there for many weeks.

by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

During their second meeting live-streamed on Facebook, the East Machias Board of Selectmen addressed two important issues. The May 7 meeting was attended by selectboard chairman Bucket Davis and selectman Will Tuell. Selectman Dale Richardson was not in attendance.

Dawn Johnson of Orleans, Massachusetts is the 2020 University of Maine at Machias (UMM) valedictorian and Kirsten Lisee of Milbridge is this year’s salutatorian. Both students majored in psychology and community studies.

A member of the Clippers soccer team and recipient of the 2018 USCAA Student-Athlete of the Year award, Johnson draws on her counseling training to help her foster youth development through athletics.

“I love coaching soccer and inspiring young people to play the sport that I fell in love with at a young age,” she says.

On Thursday, May 14, friends, businesses, and well-wishers are invited to participate in a driving memorial birthday for Baylee Kilton, who died in April 2019. Kilton would be turning eight years old this month.

Participants are invited to line up at Meadowbrook Materials (located before Guptill’s Logging in East Machias) at 5:30 p.m. and the procession will be lead by Dean McGuire of McGuire Seasonal Services. The parade is expected to pass Lucky Star Stables in East Machias at approximately 6 p.m. Kilton's family will be watching from the stables.

by Ruth Leubecker

For seniors sheltering in place minus any internet connection at home, a Machias business is offering a tablet with the capability to connect online.

by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

Area children might be disappointed to know they missed the era of Machias-made soda. It’s not quite like losing the chocolate factory to Charlie, but close.

“They were very good soft drinks, I had all I wanted of them,” said John Sprague of Marshfield. “They were in big vats upstairs, vats big enough so that they would put a big bag of sugar in them to mix it.” Sprague’s uncles Quentin “Spike” Sprague and Roland Sprague owned part of the business with Peter Palmer.

by Nancy Beal

The Jonesport selectmen continue to meet weekly via Zoom and teleconferencing. On April 22, they agreed to postpone the opening of the Henry Point Campground until at least June 1, and then review state coronavirus guidelines regarding such facilities. According to the measures issued by Gov. Janet Mills last week (April 28), lodging and campgrounds could open June 1 for Maine residents and for those who have met the 14-day quarantine requirement.

by Wayne Smith

Cherryfield Food Pantry brings smiles and a warm glow to a community when it needs it the most. A place that lights up every Tuesday and Thursday that brings a purpose. It’s an institution where people can get food when they are in need. A place where there is caring, hope and prosperity all mixed in one. And it’s a place where a person can forget the coronavirus for just a minute. People can put two feet on the ground at the same time and get ahead of the game.

by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

Co-organizers Ellen Farnsworth and Nancy Lewis yesterday announced the formal cancellation of what would have been the 45th Machias Wild Blueberry Festival.

"It is with a heavy heart that we are letting you know that we have decided, along with Governor Mills "Stay Safer at Home Order" that we have to cancel...," wrote Farnsworth and Lewis. "COVID-19 has turned our world upside down, and believe me, while we are saddened that this is the outcome, we also believe it is the responsible thing to do."