By Paul Sylvain

A planned bridge replacement project in Centerville, winter preparations, and a shellfish program highlighted discussions between Unorganized Territory Supervisor Heron Weston and Washington County Commissioners in Machias on Nov. 12.

“The preliminary report came back on this big bridge replacement in Centerville,” noted Weston. “The original engineering design was done in 2021. The new design is finished, so of course the price has gone up.”

By Paul Sylvain

County Commissioner Chris Gardner has said many times that the “most important thing” dispatchers at the Regional Communication Center in Machias do “is answer the phones.” If nobody answers the phone, ambulances, fire trucks. and police will never roll in response to a critical situation.

But, what would happen if calls were attempted but the phones never rang?

By Paul Sylvain

The dust has settled and more than 95 percent of the Maine vote has been counted. While absentee ballots from United States citizens living, working, or stationed with the military overseas will be among the last ballots counted, for all intents and purposes, the 2024 presidential election is in the books.

By Phil Stuart and Will Tuell

With Washington Academy and Narraguagus winning state volleyball championships, the focus quickly shifted to other local teams’ playoff runs in soccer. 

In Class C, WA’s boys’ soccer team has exceeded expectations and made it all the way to the state championship game where they squared off against Hall Dale and dropped a hard-fought 1-0 contest to come home runners-up in the competition. 

By Will Tuell

Whitecaps were visible from the Lubec Historical Society overlooking Cobscook Bay Saturday morning as a hearty group of Lubeckers and their guests gathered to honor dozens of the town’s veterans who are featured on banners a citizens group has placed on telephone poles heading into Lubec. All told, some 65 veterans are featured as part of the “Veterans Banner Project” with another 35 banners in the works for 2025, bringing the total number of Lubec and Trescott service members recognized as part of the project to approximately 100. 

The Maine Marine Patrol has added a new patrol vessel to its fleet. The P/V Sentinel II, a 42-foot Calvin Beal-designed hull, was launched recently in South Bristol and will be stationed in Jonesport. The vessel’s hull and top were provided by SW Boatworks in Lamoine, the engine was provided by Billings Diesel and Marine in Stonington, and the vessel was built and finished by Farrin’s Boat Shop in Walpole.

This is the second 42-foot Calvin Beal vessel Marine Patrol has been able to build in recent years; both vessels replaced existing patrol boats. 

By Nancy Beal

Policy review took up much of the Moosabec CSD board meeting on Nov. 6. Revisions to the current policy on post-secondary enrollment options would permit students in all grades to take post-secondary classes and remove the one-course restriction. It would expand the institutions named in the policy where such courses could be taken (currently limited to the University of Maine System, community college system, and Maine Maritime Academy).

By Will Tuell

Christmas is close to two months away, but for many churches in the area, gathering hygiene products, stuffed animals, school supplies, and other small gifts that can easily be packaged into colorful “shoe boxes” and shipped to less fortunate corners of the globe is a year-round production.

The Community Christmas Giving Tree volunteer elves — named in honor of longtime Machias resident Helen Vose — were called together in September for a meeting to finalize preparations for their 24th program year. The gathering was quite touching, however, with goodbyes being said to Head Elf Debra Eckart who is moving away to be closer to family. 

By Nadine Preston 

On Friday, Nov. 8, the students of Rose M. Gaffney Elementary School and Machias Memorial High School held their annual Veterans Day program. This program grows more every year, and all veterans and their families are encouraged to attend. Students from both schools honor our area service members in a variety of ways from choral songs and band performances to the Presentation of Colors by our Scout Pack #125.