Paul Sylvain

In July 2023, Maine State Police (MSP) quietly ceased patrolling the state’s rural counties and instead focused their limited patrol resources on higher traffic and more populated parts of the state. Among those counties most affected by that decision was Washington County, in which Sheriff Barry Curtis and his deputies assumed the sole burden of providing law enforcement coverage once shared with state police.

Phil Stuart

Three Downeast Board basketball officials with over 120 years combined experience worked their last game together on Dec. 19 at Gardner Gymnasium in East Machias when the host Lady Raiders of Washington Academy played the Old Town Coyotes. 

Wallace “Alvin” Hall of Gardner's Lake, Walt “Candy” Cummings of Deep Cover, and “The Doctor” Kevin Barbee of Milbridge, each have had over 40 years on the basketball court, and all three are tournament veterans as well. 

Paul Sylvain

In his first official meeting as one of two newly elected Washington County commissioners, Billy Howard wasted little time, on Jan. 9, identifying his top priority for the upcoming year.

At a recent basketball game, the Calais High School National Honor Society hosted its annual fundraiser with a fun twist – selling strips of tape to help secure Superintendent Mary Anne Spearin to the wall. Proceeds from this event will be donated to the Good Shepherd Food Bank, the NHS state charity dedicated to fighting hunger. (Photo by Jayna Smith)

Jayna Smith

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The Woodland Dragons were defeated by the Calais Blue Devils in a home game for Calais on Monday, January 6, with a final score of 83-58. 

Jayna Smith

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Residents and travelers along Route 9 are invited to participate in an on-demand formal public meeting concerning the replacement of the Big New Stream Bridge over the East Branch of New Stream in Wesley. This infrastructure project will replace the aging steel structural plate pipe arch with a more durable precast concrete box culvert.

Water, Wi-Fi Issues Force Motel to Cancel Bookings Until February

Paul Sylvain

The cause of a Christmas Eve fire that destroyed two-thirds of the Bluebird Motel’s main lodging building, fronting Route 1/Dublin Street in Machias, has been classified as “undetermined” by investigators with the state Fire Marshal’s Office.

Paul Sylvain 

(This is the first in a series of articles spotlighting legislative bills being submitted by the Washington County Legislative Delegation.)

In the days leading up to the Jan. 8 start of the 132nd Legislature, District 10 Rep. Will Tuell, R-East Machias, has provided a preview of bills he’s already submitted or plans to enter by the Jan. 10 filing deadline for proposed legislation.

With the beginning of this new year 2025, the Lincoln Memorial Public Library in Dennysville is going to be continuing their Tuesday afternoon Storytime program with students from the first through the fourth grades, alternating between children from the Pembroke School, which includes residents of Dennysville, and children who attend the Edmunds School. The first Tuesday in January will bring the Pembroke School students, and the second Tuesday will be hosting the Edmunds School students.

Remains Under Investigation

Paul Sylvain

Firefighters from Machias and surrounding towns struggled against single-digit temperatures and unrelenting winds that enveloped them in thick, breath-choking smoke to battle a Christmas Eve fire at the Bluebird Motel on Route 1/Dublin Street in Machias.

That’s according to Machias Fire Chief Joey Dennison, who, on Wednesday — though still exhausted from the experience the previous night — recounted the details of the Christmas Eve fire.

Jayna Smith

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The holiday spirit continued to shine at Calais Elementary School as the Santa Shop returned from December 16 to 19. Organized by the CES Parent Teacher Organization (PTO), the event gave students the opportunity to purchase affordable gifts for their loved ones, each priced at just 25 cents.

In a matchup between local rivals, the Calais Blue Devils were victorious with a 56-36 win over the Woodland Dragons on Saturday, December 21.

Dragon junior Karleigh Smith led all with  21 points at the game hosted by Woodland.

Other Dragons in the scoring column were sophomore Mishun Cornelius with 7 points, junior Lara Salan Hurtado with 3, freshman Addison Tripp and eighth grader Jordyn Phelps each with 2, and freshman Maddison Coleman with 1.  

Paul Sylvain

On Dec. 20, Machiasport Town Clerk Marcia Harward and Deputy Clerk Ashley Warren put out the red carpet and opened the doors for an open house and tours of the new town office building at 3 Bayview Drive.

The event, held from 3 to 5 p.m., attracted a steady stream of residents who stopped in for an up-close look-see inside the former hospice building. There were plenty of goodies to snack on and beverages, including coffee and tea, to wash it down.

Jayna Smith

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As winter settles in, it's important to remember that failing to clear snow from your vehicle’s roof and windshield isn’t just dangerous — it’s against the law. Maine law imposes fines for those who neglect this responsibility.

Toys purchased from the proceeds of Barbara’s School of Dance Santa’s Benefit Show, held Sunday, December 15th, were  donated to Calais Elementary  School. Pictured are Barbara, Michaela, Felice, José, and from CES, Megan and Betsy. (Submitted photo)

Boyd-Smith-Mitchell Memorial VFW Post #9779 proudly announces Tiernan Cox as the Post-Level winner of the 2024-2025 Voice of Democracy Contest.

Since its inception in 1947, the Voice of Democracy has served as the Veterans of Foreign Wars’ (VFW) premier scholarship program. This competition invites students to showcase their thoughts on an annual patriotic theme through written and recorded audio essays. For this year, participants reflected on the theme, “Is America Today Our Forefathers’ Vision?”

Jayna Smith

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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has announced plans to revisit and revise rules governing the importation of dogs into the United States. The decision, revealed on December 17, 2024, comes in response to continued pushback from U.S. Senator Susan Collins (R-ME), other northern border state senators, and stakeholders concerned about the impact of earlier regulations.

Will Tuell

Jayna Smith

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Twice a year, millions of Americans shift their clocks forward or back, an act that disrupts their sleep cycles and circadian rhythms. As the body adjusts to the sudden change — often feeling more fatigued or out of sync with natural light — the debate over the necessity of daylight saving time (DST) continues. 

Jon Reisman

December has been a bit of an emotional and political rollercoaster, which can make focusing on weekly wordsmithing problematic. End of year Christmas and New Year’s columns often have early deadlines, and that is the case this year. On top of that, my head is spinning from a strange combination of sadness and grief one year after my wife’s passing and confident optimism, pride, and pleasure in my writing and political and policy productivity. The result is a somewhat scattershot column.

Equity and ME

With the anticipation of Christmas, the annual Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols will take place at the Congregational Church in Dennysville on Sunday, December 22, at 4 p.m. Carols illuminating the Christmas story will accompany traditional lessons from the Old and New Testaments read by members of the congregation. 

Baileyville’s holiday committee put together another fantastic Christmas Parade that brightened the town on Friday night, December 13. This entry by V.L. Tammaro, its blue truck as recognizable as Santa’s sleigh, was adorned with festive decorations and certainly did not disappoint. After the parade, children eagerly lined up at Woodland Elementary School to share their holiday wishes with Santa. (Baileyville Holiday Committee photo)