Maine CDC Opens Formal Outbreak Investigation for Baileyville Mill

 

Natalie Boomer 

& Jayna Smith

Eleven contractors who were working at Woodland Pulp LLC and St. Croix Tissue in Baileyville around the dates of September 21st through the 25th have tested positive for COVID-19.  As tests ensued through the end of the week, additional cases of COVID-19 linked to the mill were confirmed and a formal outbreak investigation was opened into those cases. 

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U.S. Senators Ask Trump to Ease Border Restrictions

 

Canada Implements Changes to Allow for Reunifications

Jayna Smith

[email protected]

Senators Collins and King of Maine and Senators Hassan and Shaheen of New Hampshire last week called on the Trump administration to ease travel restrictions on the Canadian border.  

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Calais Fire/EMS Kicks Off Fire Prevention Week in a New Way

 

Natalie Boomer 

[email protected]

During Fire Prevention Week, your friends from Calais Fire/EMS go to the local schools and teach children about fire safety. Due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, they were sadly not able to do so this year.

This, however, did not stop the team from finding a way to deliver this important information to children everywhere. 

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Freedom Studies - October

 

Jonathan Reisman

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.”- Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities

 “Surprise, Surprise, Surprise”- Gomer Pyle (Jim Nabors)

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Cross Country Back on Course for Season

 

Coach Ryan Furtek

On Sept. 25th, the Calais High School Cross Country team boarded the bus to Naraguagus for one of the first high school sporting events in Washington County during “COVID times.”  Everyone seemed to take all the new social distancing and mask-wearing guidelines to heart and were eager to be in competition again.  

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The Knights of Columbus Tootsie Roll Campaign

 

Each year since 1979, the Maine State Council Knights of Columbus has sponsored a fundraising drive to assist handicapped citizens in Maine. This program is known as the “Program for People with Disabilities, or the Tootsie Roll Program.

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Get Batty for Bats this October

 

Jayna Smith

[email protected]

With October comes lots of spooky things, like monsters, witches, and of course, vampires and bats--or the mammals known as vampire bats.  But bats are much more than an image of Halloween, and they are celebrated this month during Bat Appreciation Month, with the last week of the month designated as Bat Week.  

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Coastal Conservancy Partners with Astronomers Club for Stargazing Event

 

Jayna Smith

[email protected]

This Saturday night, Downeast Coastal Conservancy (DCC) will host the Reversing Falls Night Sky Tour at its preserve in Pembroke.  The event, with the presentation provided by Downeast Amateur Astronomers, will give attendees a view of constellations and will also provide on-the-spot imaging of deep sky objects, shown through a special type of telescope.  

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Even Amid Pandemic, Community Comes Through for Turkey-a-Thon

 

Jayna Smith

[email protected]

The coronavirus pandemic brought some uncertainties for this year’s Classic Hits Turkey-a-Thon, specifically whether it would prevent people from coming out to make donations or whether donations would be as great as in prior years.  When the day ended on Friday, however, the 16th annual Turkey-a-Thon proved to be a huge success.

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Senator Collins Visits Calais

 

U.S. Senator Susan Collins made a stop in Calais on Tuesday morning as part of her “All of Maine Bus Tour,” which is taking her to all 16 of Maine’s counties.  

  “I always enjoy visiting Calais and speaking with members of the community.  I had a great breakfast at Karen’s Diner this morning, which was the perfect way to begin a busy day in Washington County,” said Senator Collins.   

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Preserve Your Photo Memories at Croptoberfest

 

Jayna Smith

[email protected]

There is a fun group of ladies who meets quite regularly, all sharing the hobby of scrapbooking.  Coming up at the end of the month, the group is inviting others to join in on the fun for an annual Croptoberfest.

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McVicar Scores Her 100th Goal

Calais High School senior Sophia McVicar scored four goals on Thursday to help the Blue Devils remain undefeated with an 8-1 win over the Woodland Dragons.  Those goals also got Sophie to her 100th high school career goal, a feat only reached by one other Blue Devils girls soccer player, Meaghan Cavanaugh, who graduated in 2013.  Sophia is pictured here with her parents Bill and Kim McVicar.  (Photo by Brenda Batson)

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Police Remind Public it’s a Crime to Steal Political Signs

 

Jayna Smith

[email protected]

Political signs are a common sight with any election, but this year, with our Presidential election, such signs seem to be planted everywhere.

According to Calais Police Department’s Sgt. Matt Vinson, it is a crime to unlawfully remove or deface any political sign.  “There are lots of stipulations regarding the placement of temporary signs, and just because you may not agree with what it displays, you can’t simply remove it,” he said.

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St. Kateri Youth Group in Calais to Collect and Distribute Free Coats to Community

 

Thanks to the youth group at St. Kateri Tekakwitha Parish (Immaculate Conception Church, Calais; St. Joseph Church, Eastport; St. James the Greater Church, Baileyville; St. John the Evangelist Church, Pembroke; St. Ann Church, Indian Township; St. Ann Church, Perry), many community members in need will receive warm clothing this winter.

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Senator Collins Participates in Eastport Airport Groundbreaking

 

U.S. Senator Susan Collins, the Chairman of the Transportation Appropriations Subcommittee, delivered the keynote address at a groundbreaking ceremony at Eastport Municipal Airport on October 13.  Senator Collins secured a $5,806,900 grant for runway and lighting improvements, as well as for wastewater infrastructure.

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SCA-Rotary Club of Calais Candidate’s Night

 

Wednesday, October 21, 2020, 5:30 p.m.

SCA-Calais Rotary is hosting a candidate’s night for Calais School Board and Calais City Council candidates. This virtual event will be moderated by local community leader and Rotarian Theresa Brown. 

The virtual event will be streamed live to the FaceBook group “What’s Happening in Washington County” at https://www.facebook.com/groups/1778552792360444/ 

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Calais-Area Fall Baseball Ends Regular Season

 

Calais-area fall baseball wrapped up its regular season of play on Sunday, splitting with the tough Reapers team from Bangor.  Calais dropped the first game 12-4, and then held off a Reapers charged to earn an 8-7 win.  Play-offs are set to begin this weekend. 

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CHS Cross Country Continues Making Strides

 

Asst. Coach Ryan Furtek

On Saturday, Calais High School’s cross country team traveled to Eastport.  The 2.8 mile course, although mostly flat and run on the road, offered its own challenges, mainly the howling winds.  

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Couple Gets Innovative with a COVID-Style, Cross-Border Wedding

 

Jayna Smith

[email protected]

The coronavirus pandemic has halted many events this year, but for one Nova Scotia couple, it did not prevent them from holding their very unique wedding here in the St. Croix Valley.

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The Sergeant Schultz Defense Won’t Hunt

 

By Jonathan Reisman

“I know nothing”- Sgt. Schultz on Hogan’s Heroes and the Biden Crime Family

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Washington County Mainah’s for Trump Gather to Rally

 

Natalie Boomer 

[email protected]

Locals have joined together for a second time to support President Donald Trump in the upcoming presidential election.

On Sunday, October 18th, three separate groups from Whiting, Baileyville, and Pembroke came together at 12:30 p.m. in Calais to parade through the town and rally.

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Storefront Receives Extensive Damage After Being Struck by Car

 

Jayna Smith

[email protected]

On Saturday, Oct. 17, Calais Police Department responded to a single-vehicle accident at the Cigaret Shopper, 338 North Street.

According to Sgt. Matt Vinson, around 2 p.m., John Gallupe, 54, of Baileyville, was attempting to park his 2009 Mazda 3.  Instead, he accidentally drove the vehicle up over the curb, striking the front of the building.  

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Sunrise Eye Care Welcomes New Optometrists

 

Sunrise Eye Care is pleased to announce that Dr. Lauren Shaffer and Dr. Trevor Bet have joined the Sunrise Eye Care team. 

Dr. Shaffer and Dr. Bet both graduated in 2017 from the Pennsylvania College of Optometry at Salus University.  They are looking forward to meeting their patients and exploring Maine. 

Both doctors are currently seeing new and established patients at Sunrise Eye Care in Calais and Machias.  

Sunrise Eye Care can be reached by calling 207-454-2277 for the Calais office or 207-255-4461 for the Machias office. 

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Halloween Activities

 

Kaileigh Deacon 

With so much change and uncertainty lately, many in Calais and surrounding communities are doing whatever they can to keep things normal for the kids. While a complete return to normal isn’t in the cards for a lot of annual events, a lot of new events and creative ideas will still ensure that kids get to celebrate Halloween. 

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Calais Elementary to Celebrate Red Ribbon Week

 

Jayna Smith

[email protected]

An annual tradition at Calais Elementary School is the celebration of Red Ribbon Week, this year slated for Oct. 23 - 31.  

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Calais Boys’ Cross Country Takes Top Spot in DACs

 

Asst. Coach Ryan Furtek

The Addison Coty Memorial Race for high school cross country was held at the Moosehorn National Wildlife Refuge on Thursday, October 15th.  The kids had a sparkling fall day for the race, and the school took the opportunity to honor the three seniors on the team: Sophia McVicar, Luke Furtek, and Mason Ritchie.  

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Downeast Athletic Conference Champions

The undefeated Calais High School golf team earned the DAC Championship title last week at Jonesboro’s Barren View.  Team members (left to right) are Coach John Moody, Josh Calder, Jace Cook, Shane Delmonaco, Kobe Saunders, Joseph Footer, Nate Pesce, Zachary Wentworth, and Andrew Barnard.  Three of the Calais team members who also earned individual DAC All-Star status are junior Kobe Saunders, who shot a 91; senior Shane Delmonaco, who shot a 97; and sophomore Jace Cook, who shot a 104.  (Photo by Jayna Smith)

 

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No Deficiencies Found at CRH; Ombudsman’s Oversight Terminated

 

Jayna Smith

[email protected]

Last April, Calais Regional Hospital was court-ordered to have the involvement of an ombudsman to make sure patients are treated properly during its ongoing Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceeding.  This came amid incidents at the hospital that resulted in Maine DHHS to become involved, specifically, when an emergency room doctor was unable to intubate a patient back in February.  The hospital did cut ties with that doctor.

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Man Finishes Marine Corps Marathon in his Hometown

 

Natalie Boomer  

[email protected]

On Sunday, October 18th, Louie Nicholas completed the Marine Corps Marathon virtual event. 

He began his 26.2-mile journey at his camp located on Sysladobsis Lake near Dobsis Dam and declared the Princeton public boat landing his finish line. 

Nicholas originally planned to participate in the Mount Desert Island Marathon, but when it got postponed he decided to sign up for the Marine Corps Marathon. 

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The Calais Advertiser Receives 17 Awards from Maine Press Association

Wins MPA’s Highest Honor for Advertising Efforts

At its annual state conference, held virtually on Oct. 24, the Maine Press Association recognized The Calais Advertiser for its exceptional journalism work, awarding it with 17 awards, including the MPA’s highest honor for member newspapers, the prestigious award for General Excellence in Advertising.  Its sister paper, Machias Valley News Observer, won 13 awards, for a total of 30 awards combined between the two Washington County publications.  

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Election Fears

 

The emotion governing this election, for both the left and the right, is not hope but fear. There is some talk of hoping to unite the nation and end the divisiveness, but that is nonsense. The goals of the left (socialism, color-conscious “anti-racism”, and an ever-expanding nanny state) are directly in conflict with the goals of conservatives (capitalism, colorblind equal protection, freedom of speech and religion and limited government).

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Rotary Club Brings Municipal Candidates’ Forum

 

Jayna Smith

[email protected]

St. Croix Area - Calais Rotary Club held its first Candidates’ Night last week, held virtually and featuring all three candidates vying for the two vacant seats on Calais City Council and three of the four candidates vying for the two vacant seats on Calais School Board.  

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Ken Berry Honored for Years of Volunteer Work to Riverfront Walkway

 

Jayna Smith

[email protected]

Many recognize the beauty of the Calais Riverfront Walkway, but few realize the countless hours one man has put into its upkeep.  That man, Ken Berry, was recognized on Monday for his dedication to the improvement of the trail.

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CDRC Announces Scarecrow Contest Winners

 

Jayna Smith

[email protected]

Many businesses and organizations took part in this year’s Calais Downtown Revitalization Coalition (CDRC) scarecrow contest, a just-for-fun event to help decorate the downtown.  Rules were simple:  choose a lamp post and create a scarecrow of your liking.

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Red Ribbon Week at CES

 

Noah Gillespie, a kindergarten student at Calais Elementary School, shows off his Red Ribbon Week mask which reads “Be happy.  Be brave.  Be drug free.”  He is also donning his red attire for the themed day be RED-y to fight drug abuse.  Every year, the students and staff at the school celebrate Red Ribbon Week, the oldest and largest drug prevention program in the country.  One can learn more at redribbon.org.  (Submitted photo)

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Local Woman to Give Tedx Talk

 

Kaileigh Deacon 

For many, it is hard to imagine the possibility of bringing what they do to the National level, but for Lanette Pottle, the seemingly improbable has become a reality. Lanette will be presenting at a TEDx talk on November 28 in Houston, Texas. 

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Local Hosts Croptoberfest for Scrapbooking Fun

 

Natalie Boomer

[email protected]

A. Bitar Scrapbooking in Perry will be hosting Croptoberfest Weekend beginning Saturday, October 31 and going into Sunday, November 1. Participants will be able to create four traditional 12x12 scrapbook pages throughout the weekend. 

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MaineAEYC Celebrates our 2020 Children’s Champions

 

This week, in an online recognition ceremony, the Maine Association of the Education of Young Children (MaineAEYC) honored Representative Jay McCreight and Senator Marianne Moore with Children’s Champions Awards. The original celebration was going to take place at the State House in April during the “Week of the Young Child.” It was rescheduled to coincide with an early childhood education policy and advocacy webinar series that MaineAEYC has been hosting this month.

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