Jayna Smith

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Last week, the Second Baptist Church of Calais made headlines across the state as 27 area people connected to the church tested positive for coronavirus.  According to Maine CDC Director Dr. Nirav Shaw, 18 of those cases were considered primary, or directly related to individuals involved at the church.  

The remaining nine were considered secondary, or resulting from close contact of a primary case.   

Jayna Smith

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A stage, an emcee and an applauding audience are just some of the things common with a pageant, but of course, like nearly everything in 2020, things were very different for this year’s Miss St. Croix Valley and Miss Acadia pageants.  Both pageants were ultimately held virtually.  

This is a special year for the local Knights of Columbus as it celebrates its 125th anniversary in the St. Croix Valley.  Last month at a special ceremony, St. Croix Knights of Columbus Council #149 announced its new officers for the 2020-2021 fraternal year.  The officers were formally installed into their positions by Knights of Columbus State Secretary Jon Harvey from Hermon.

Tom, our handsome office cat has turned 4-years-old. He was born around November in 2016 but because he is a rescue cat, PAWS of Calais didn’t have the exact birth date. He joined our office staff in July of 2018. Please join us in wishing him a very Happy Birthday! Tom requests that any birthday gifts should be directed to the other animals at PAWS in Calais by making gift donations in his name to PAWS, 368 South St., Calais or online at: https://paws-calais.com/donate

Until Nov. 22, the Calais Visitor Information Center at 39 Union Street is collecting non-perishables for the Irene Chadbourn Ecumenical Food Pantry.  Anyone making a donation will receive a free Maine map.  Items can be dropped off at the center inside the Wabanaki Culture Center seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and contactless dropoff can be coordinated by calling (207) 454-2211.  (Photo by Jayna Smith)

Standing Guard While the Nation Mourned 

Jayna Smith

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It was 57 years ago this month when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated while riding in a motorcade through Dallas, Texas.  The date was Friday, Nov. 22, 1963.  

Jayna Smith

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The Maine Principals’ Association (MPA) recently released what is hoped to be the beginning phase of getting athletes on the court this winter. 

Jayna Smith

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The Calais Lioness Club is always busy working on some type of great event, all to raise funds to help those in need in the greater Calais area.  For the past month, the club's major project has been preparing for the 23rd Annual Lioness Christmas Parade.  This one event draws hundreds to downtown Calais on the first Friday of each December, and this year promises to be no different.

For a third time in the last four years, the Calais High School girls’ soccer team earned the DAC Championship title, this year finishing with a perfect 10-0 record.  Team members are (front, left to right) Sophia McViar, Maddy Parks, Nedra Bassett, Serina Fredette, Taylor Carter, (back, left to right) Coach Tom Parks, Katie Bitar, Alexis Donahue, Megan Mitchell, Brenna Critchley, Mercedes Owen, Skylar Smith, and Coach Josh Smith.  Absent from photo are Gracie Colpitts, Chloe Farrar, Trinity Jones, and Sage Phillips.  Maddy Parks and Sophia McVicar also were named DAC All-Stars, while Sophi

The Knights of Columbus international headquarters located in New Haven, Connecticut, has recognized the local Knights of Columbus.  Jon Jozefowicz, District Deputy, from Bangor, presented the engraved plaque award to the council at a special ceremony held on Nov. 1. The Columbian Award is presented for excellence in the sponsorship of programs that serve families, church, youth and community, as well as council members. The Founders Award is given for outstanding promotion of the organization's fraternal insurance programs.

Jayna Smith

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For some adults, returning to school can be a challenge.  Between juggling priorities at home and responsibilities at work, education often can take a back burner.  Locally, however, there is Washington County Adult Education and Training, a small non-profit organization that offers an array of courses to meet the needs of adults in the area.

Quoddy Voices, which resumed its work together in September for a ‘virtual’ season, recently presented its first choral video. The community choir’s director John Newell guided the singers through each step of the new musical process, which centered around Monday evening rehearsals via Zoom. To aid singers in recording their voices, Newell made guide track videos in which they heard their part played against the other voice parts’ lines, and watched Newell conducting the time and cutoffs. 

Jayna Smith

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While some might be muttering “bah, humbug” when thinking of the pandemic and other hardships of the year, the staff at Dead River in Calais has certainly gotten into the Christmas spirit and hopes the positivity spreads to others.  

Jayna Smith

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As many likely expected, travel restrictions between Canada and the United States have been extended until Dec. 21 in an effort to stop the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. 

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tweeted, “We’ve extended the current border measures by another 30 days.  Non-essential travel between our two countries remains restricted until at least Dec. 21.”  

Natalie Boomer

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Last year, 68,145 deer permits were given out to hunters in the state of Maine. This year, 109,990 were given out. With an increase of 41,745 permits, many hunters are finding it hard to find a butcher to provide wild game processing after a successful hunt.