by Nancy Beal

Four weeks from the day (Aug. 17) that the Union 103 school board, by an 8-0 vote, relaxed the mask-wearing mandate that had governed its three schools last year, the group was back at Jonesport-Beals High School addressing a mask requirement again. The September 14 meeting did not produce a change in the masking policy, but the vote was much closer: five in favor of voluntary masking, four for mandatory face coverings.

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.

by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

Washington County reported its highest-ever weekly COVID-19 case count on Monday when 108 new cases were reported for the week ending Sept. 18, bringing the county’s cumulative cases to 1,229 since the beginning of the pandemic.

by Jonathan Reisman

"This is not about freedom or personal choice"- Dictator Joe Biden lies to the nation on vaccine mandates, vaccine and mask efficacy and natural immunity.

“Welcome to North Korea”- one of my Cooper neighbors assessing the Biden dictate.

“F*** Joe Biden”- popular chant at mass gatherings, football games, and rare public Biden sitings, soon to be banned by you-tube and the CDC as misinformation deleterious to public health. 

Immediately following an end-of-summer squall, 'Shead Ahead', a quartet comprised of two father/son pairs, kicked off Eastport Pirate Festival celebrations with a high energy set of jazz, funk, and rock tunes. The fathers are Robert Sánchez, guitar, and Heron Weston, bass. Sons are Kieran Weston, drums, age 15, and Ellis Zipperer-Sánchez, age 12.

After a rapid setup, with pop-up shelter at the ready in case the rain continued, the four opened with Sánchez's own Bossa arrangement of Gershwin's "Summertime," and continued for an hour of tunes in many flavors.

by Jayna Smith

Baileyville’s Octoberfest, a big festival that draws hundreds to the Village of Woodland, is back, and it promises to be jam-packed with fun for all ages.  This comes along with the announcement that First National Bank has committed to being a major sponsor of the annual festival.

According to organizer Jamie Bohanon, the fun kicks off Friday night, Oct. 8 with a drive-in movie.  This, he said, will be held in the parking lot of the Woodland IGA on Route 1.  

by Joseph Horn

by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

With one full week of school under their belts, Machias principals Nicole Case and Sue Dow say the new school year is off to a strong start.

“The staff is tired, but they’re amazing,” said Dow, who this year took over the position of Rose M. Gaffney (RMG) Elementary School Principal, after the retirement of Joyce Fragale. Dow has more than 30 years of education experience, including nine years at Washington Academy and 21 years at Narraguagus Jr/Sr High School.

by Celia Cummiskey

One of the first lessons Alan Kryszak teaches his filmmaking students is, “You can’t screw up, I’ve screwed up more than you ever will, I’ve lost hours of footage, so don’t worry about it!” Kryszak is an award-winning composer and filmmaker who teaches the University of Machias Maine’s Downeast Documentary filmmaking course, as well as Music in Film, Piano, and Digital Audio Production.

by Ruth Leubecker

Pre-pandemic, Maine lacked thousands of affordable housing units, a situation that has been exacerbated by out-of-staters flocking eastward to buy above the asking price.