By Paul Sylvain

As the saying goes, if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. And for some residents at the Machias annual town meeting on Sept. 25, it was -- especially after reports of the town’s generous budget proposal surfaced last week. 

By Will Tuell

For the third week in a row, Downeasters struggled to cope with the loss of a beloved community member as news of the passing of Dr. John Gaddis, a lifelong resident of East Machias who practiced family medicine for decades on the banks of the river he grew up on, swept through the greater Machias area.  Known for his folksy Downeast manner and a willingness to treat a wide range of aches and ills, Gaddis was, for many Washington County residents over the span of four-plus decades, the only physician they ever saw.  

By Will Tuell

Janice Bronson and Colleen Brown – the two candidates who vied for a seat on Whiting’s Board of Selectmen – will not soon forget the razor-thin margin that separated them. Bronson, a 23-year veteran of the town’s selectboard, secured 29 votes while Brown, a relative newcomer to local politics, picked up 27 votes on Sept. 23 in one of the closest local races in recent history. 

By Jayna Smith

A recent social media post generated widespread discussion in Calais and surrounding towns, following claims that Governor Janet Mills contacted Calais Mayor Artie Mingo regarding the relocation of asylum seekers to the city.  The post alleged that Governor Mills informed the mayor she would be sending two busloads of asylum seekers to Calais, and that Mayor Mingo responded by stating two buses would be waiting to send them back to Augusta.

By Paul Sylvain

What, for several months, appeared more like a big hole containing only the 40-by-90-foot concrete foundation for the future two-story Washington County Safety Building, began taking shape above ground last week with the addition of the building’s outer walls.

It has been a slow grind since the project’s official groundbreaking ceremony on June 13, at the Court Street site, across from the current Washington County Sheriff’s Office. 

Edwards Replaces Porcher as Vice Chair

By Paul Sylvain

Probably the last thing the five-member Machias selectboard wanted to do after slogging through a hefty 55-article town meeting warrant on Sept. 25 was to reconvene to conduct routine housekeeping chores at the Telebusiness Center town office. But meet, they did, at 8:55 p.m.

The Downeast Salmon Federation (DSF) and the Pleasant River Fish and Game Conservation Association (PRFGCA) partnered together with community volunteers to clear downed trees along trails in DSF’s Pleasant River Community Forest in Columbia last week.  

By Nancy Beal

For at least a decade, an eight-unit housing complex located north of Greenwood Cemetery on Jonesport’s eastern side that used to house personnel from the Jonesport Coast Guard base has stood empty, after the servicemen and their families moved to a complex in Harrington. Recently, the (federal) General Services Administration (GSA), which handles the purchase and sale of government property, asked the town of Jonesport if it was interested in buying the abandoned group of houses and invited the town to make an offer if it was.

By Will Tuell

Days after the Machias area was left reeling with the sudden and tragic loss of beloved town manager Bill Kitchen, area residents struggled to come to grips with a second tragedy, that of 18-year-old Joshua “Joshy” Dudley of Whiting, who lost his life in an automobile wreck Sunday, Sept. 15. 

Officials told WABI TV 5 in Bangor that Dudley crossed the centerline multiple times, resulting in a rollover before striking a utility pole at approximately 5 p.m. He was then ejected from the vehicle, the report continued. 

By Paul Sylvain

Renee Gray wrapped up her first year as Washington County manager on July 6. As she explained in an interview at her office in the county courthouse building on Sept. 17, it has been a rewarding, though at times challenging, year. 

As Gray digs in for her second year as the Sunrise County’s administrator, 2025 may be even more challenging for her, given the uncertainty over a proposed $10.8-million budget currently under scrutiny by the county’s budget committee.