By Paul Sylvain

Look up the definition of “midwife” and most sources online state it is a person trained to deliver babies. Washington County’s only certified nurse midwife does that, of course, but she delivers much more than babies -- she delivers comprehensive women’s care to an area where healthcare professionals are badly needed.  

Licensed master of surgery and certified midwife-nurse Bjarni Thomas has been helping Machias area women meet their obstetrical and gynecological needs locally for more than four years.

By Paul Sylvain

The planned closure of the Route 1 dike and causeway between Helen’s Restaurant and Dunkin’ in Machias has been delayed a week by Maine’s Dept. of Transportation. 

The project, which was scheduled to start Nov. 27, has been delayed until Dec. 4 at the request of town officials to allow for a full weekend of Christmas festivities the first weekend in December.

By Will Tuell

State Senator Marianne Moore (R-Calais) received a “2023 Elected Women of Excellence” Award, the third-term senator’s office said in a media release before Thanksgiving. Moore, who serves as the Senate’s top Republican on the Legislature’s Health and Human Services (HHS) and Marine Resources committees, joined the Legislature in 2018 and has fought to restore funding for Downeast Correctional Facility in Bucks Harbor, reopen the Calais DHHS office, and served as an ex-officio member on the county’s budget committee. 

By Paul Sylvain

A townhouse-style apartment project on Cooper Street that began in earnest this past spring with groundwork and the pouring of a foundation is expected to be completed with its first tenants moving in sometime in January.

That’s according to Northfield developer Justin King, of King Construction and IMK Properties. A sign showed up on the site a few weeks ago advertising “apartments for rent.” King explained that he is accepting applications for the building's six apartment units.

By Paul Sylvain 

Meeting children’s author Tona Mareglia, you quickly discover she has a deep and genuine passion for writing and especially about the characters she creates.

Mareglia, who lives and writes from her home in Robbinston, was on hand at the Machias River General Store Nov. 17 to sign copies of her book, Manny and Lizzy: Friends Forever. The book, published late last year, tells the story about a big, burly moose named Manny, who hears a strange sound coming from a “box” stuck in the rocks on a nearby shore. 

By Wayne Smith

On Nov. 5, Andy Santerre, formerly of Cherryfield, got inducted into the New England Auto Racing Hall of Fame.

Santerre reflected, “There were six that were inducted in the Hall of Fame, and there were two from Maine. I felt pretty special. I’m going to be inducted in the Maine Hall of Fame next October, but I didn’t think I would ever get in the New England Hall of Fame. For a Maine guy, it’s pretty tough.”

by Jonathan Reisman

In early November, I sent the following request to Rep. Golden:

I am writing about the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, which the Maine Legislature will be voting on in 2024 (LD 1587). I am specifically requesting that you submit legislation granting Congressional consent to this interstate compact, as required by Article 1, Section 10, Clause 3 of the Constitution.

By Paul Sylvain

Hey, Machias! Dunkin’ has reopened with a new, updated look and all your favorite coffees, donuts, and sandwiches.

After being closed for two weeks for major renovations, the popular morning hot-spot reopened for business-as-usual with a full crew on board Nov. 20. It will take a few days for workers to get used to new procedures and finding things that have been moved from once-familiar places, but customers appeared to like the new updated look.

By Hazel Stark

By Paul Sylvain

Many communities in Washington County took time out on Veterans Day weekend to honor the men and women who have served and are serving on active duty and in the Reserve and National Guard units of the United States armed forces.

The holiday, originally named Armistice Day to commemorate the end of World War I on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918,  was changed in 1951 to Veterans Day.

Town Manager Predicts Project Could Take ‘Years’

By Paul Sylvain

A years-long debate over whether to simply rebuild Machias’s crumbling Civil War-era dike and Route 1 causeway with a new, improved version or remove and replace the dike with a bridge was decided last week by Maine Department of Transportation with news that sections of the existing structure are teetering on the edge of catastrophic failure.

by Jonathan Reisman

It was gloomy and raining when I went to the Cooper Community Center (the former Grange) to vote. I brought some cake for my neighbors who were working the polls and defending democracy, hoping to give them a little cheer on what would be a long, dark, and stormy day. If Election Day was somber, at least most of the results in Maine were not. The results across the nation were more of a mixed bag.

By Joseph Horn

By Will Tuell

With one of the highest concentrations of servicemen and women in the country, Washington County schools have historically gone above and beyond to pay homage to those who fought for America’s freedom. Whether it be colorful ‘thank-you’ cards lovingly inscribed by kindergartners, speeches honoring loved ones who fought overseas by junior high students, or rousing renditions of patriotic tunes from high schoolers, the area youth and their teachers have faithfully honored veterans young and old. 

Community Outpouring for Andy Foss Touches Mass. Ambulance Crew

By Paul Sylvain

The Machias select board on Oct. 25 authorized Machias Ambulance Service Chief Ryan Maker to spend up to $45,000 to equip a recently purchased 2014 Chevrolet ambulance with a heart monitor and other items needed to put the truck in service for emergency calls and patient transfers.

by Jonathan Reisman

The phrase “beyond the pale” means unacceptable or beyond the standards of decency. It stems from the Pale of Settlement, a vast and varying swath of the western Russian Empire from Lithuania to the Black Sea where Jewish settlement was allowed. The Pale was established in the late 18th century and persisted until the Russian Revolution in 1917.

Washington Academy recently honored longtime trustee Dr. John Gaddis, who graduated from the East Machias-based high school in 1965. 

84% of the vote reporting

Question 1: Citizen Initiative

Do you want to bar some quasi-governmental entities and all consumer-owned electric utilities from taking on more than $1 billion in debt unless they get statewide voter approval?

Question 1: Yes - (65%-35%)

Question 2: Citizen Initiative

By Paul Sylvain

Citing a need “to keep control of what we can keep control of,” Jeff Davis, Chairman of the Machiasport Board of Selectmen, led board members Ryan Maker and Ryan Sprague in a unanimous vote to enact a 180-day moratorium on new commercial solar farm applications in the town.

by Nancy Beal

Jonesport First Selectman Harry Fish has been a member of the Washington County budget committee for many years. He reported to his fellow selectmen Oct. 25 that the county committee, which is currently compiling next year’s budget, anticipates a hefty increase to its bottom line. The amount on that line is paid by all the municipalities in the county—calculated according to the state-assessed value of each town’s real estate.

By Will Tuell

Time is running out to enter Maine’s dive or drag scallop fishery lotteries. The lotteries, which opened Oct. 16, are set to close Nov. 6 at 4:30 p.m, according to the Department of Marine Resources.