Softball seniors Natalie McDonald (captain), Aubrey Stevens (team manager), and Kayleigh Scott (captain) were joined by baseball senior Kaeson Dana (captain) and their families during last week’s final home game of the season. (Photo by Jayna Smith)

Jayna Smith

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A voice of Charlotte County is making a return to the printed page. The Saint Croix Courier, originally founded in 1865, is once again in print as of June 1, now as The Courier. Though it had faded from newsstands in recent years, the paper’s iconic name is now attached to a fresh, free monthly edition spearheaded by CHCO-TV.

When Lauren Remington stepped into the Early Childhood Education classroom at St. Croix Regional Technical Center, she wasn’t just filling a position, she was reviving a program that had been dormant for two years.

Jon Reisman

Jayna Smith

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Calais-area residents came together on Memorial Day to pay their respects to the men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to their country. The day’s events began at 10 a.m. with the longstanding tradition of a solemn ceremony at Ferry Point Bridge.

Jayna Smith

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On Thursday, May 22, 2025, the Calais City Council met for its regular meeting, with Mayor Marcia Rogers presiding over Councilors Mike Sherrard, Elery Beale, Pete Foster, Bill Quinn, and James Macdonald. 

What follows is a brief summary of the meeting, with the full meeting available for viewing on the City of Calais’s Facebook page.

Washington County Community College (WCCC) proudly celebrated the achievements of its Class of 2025 during a heartfelt commencement ceremony held on Friday, May 16, at Calais High School. Families, friends, faculty, and community leaders gathered in person and online to honor more than 150 graduates receiving degrees and certificates across a range of fields from criminal justice and early childhood education to welding, heavy equipment operations, and human services.

Woodland High School alumnae Shaye Beers and Keila Gallway (Class of 2018) sparked a vision just before the pandemic to bring the Yellow Tulip Project to their school, an initiative to help end the stigma surrounding mental health. In 2023, that vision bloomed as Mr. Moody, Mr. Knowles, and PE students planted 100 yellow tulip bulbs. At that time, Mr. Moody said the project will continue each year as a reminder that even after the darkest days, hope can return. Last week, as has become tradition, this year’s seniors picked the flowers as a symbol of hope and resilience.

Paul Sylvain

Maine Drug Enforcement Agency Supervisory Special Agent Chris Thornton opened the May 22 Washington County Commissioners meeting by recognizing the collaborative efforts between the county’s sheriff’s office and his department.

Jon Reisman

Laws are like sausages. It’s better not to see them being made. – Attributed, likely apocryphally, to Otto von Bismarck 

Regardless of the source, the verity of the observation was evident in Washington and Augusta last week. Close observance of the sausage making process is not for those with a weak Constitution, and it does make me wonder occasionally about the wisdom of promoting transparency... you are likely to see some things that you can't unsee but wish you could.

Jayna Smith

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Calais City Councilor Kevin Niles, first elected in 2022, has resigned from his seat effective immediately, delivering a pointed rebuke of the council’s current direction and warning of a lack of urgency in addressing the city’s economic challenges.

A rare piebald deer was recently spotted downtown, displaying its striking mix of white and brown fur. The unusual coloration is caused by a genetic mutation found in fewer than 2% of white-tailed deer. (Photo by Jayna Smith)

Jayna Smith

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The Woodland Dragons ended the week 7-3 on the season after a four-game win streak. 

They outscored the Shead Tigers by a combined 24-2 across the two games, taking the first contest 13-1 on Monday, May 12, and following it up with an 11-1 win on Wednesday, May 14.

Calais High School is proud to announce Kate McPhee as the Valedictorian of the Class of 2025. She is the daughter of Bradley and Julie McPhee, of Calais. In the fall, Kate will attend Husson University, where she plans to pursue a degree in nursing. In addition to her academic pursuits, she will be a member of the university’s volleyball team. Kate aspires to become a travel nurse following graduation and intends to further her education to become a certified nurse anesthetist.

From UMaine News

Alexandria Banou Morgan, of Perry, a 2021 high school graduate of Washington Academy, is a 2025 co-salutatorian and the outstanding graduating student in the Honors College and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS). She is majoring in psychology with minors in neuroscience and philosophy.

Four members of Calais Fire-EMS were each recently presented with Maine EMS’s prestigious Phoenix Award, a distinction given to emergency medical professionals who are directly involved in the successful resuscitation of a patient suffering a non-traumatic cardiac arrest outside of a hospital setting. The award recognizes not only the critical medical skills required in such high-pressure situations, but also the teamwork, quick decision-making, and dedication that result in patients returning to their lives neurologically intact.

Zachary Wentworth, a 2022 graduate of Calais High School, is the Outstanding Graduating Student in the College of Education and Human Development (COEHD) at the University of Maine, Orono. He is a secondary education major with a concentration in social studies and a minor in history. 

A Maine Top Scholar, a Maine Seacoast Mission scholar, and a Galen Cole Family Foundation scholar, Wentworth served as president of the University of Maine chapter of the Student Maine Education Association for the past two years. 

Jayna Smith

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The Calais Blue Devils rode a strong pitching performance from sophomore Noah White to secure a 6–1 victory over Houlton on Friday in the first of a doubleheader.

White tossed six complete innings while allowing only three hits, one earned run, and striking out nine without issuing a single walk. He threw just 67 pitches, 50 of them for strikes, and faced only 21 batters.

Jayna Smith

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On Thursday, May 8, 2025, the Calais City Council met for its regular meeting, with Mayor Marcia Rogers presiding over Councilors Kevin Niles, Mike Sherrard, Elery Beale, Bill Quinn, and Jame Macdonald. Councilor Pete Foster was absent from the meeting.

What follows is a brief summary of the meeting, with the full meeting available for viewing on the City of Calais’s Facebook page.

Jayna Smith

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Fiddleheads — the young, coiled fronds of the ostrich fern — are a treasured spring delicacy in Maine, New Brunswick, and across the Northeast and Maritime provinces. According to the University of Maine Cooperative Extension, although many ferns have fiddleheads, not all are edible. Only the ostrich fern is recommended for safe consumption.

Jon Reisman

Higher Education in America is in for some change. The change process is not pretty or pleasant, but it is necessary because American higher education is the source of quite a bit of the toxic ideology and idiocy that has poisoned America in recent years, including identity/oppression politics, critical race theory, equity, and climate alarmism. DEI divas and defenders were created and trained on America’s campuses. 

Phil Stuart

One of the best-known players in the Quoddy Baseball League has passed away at the age of 84. Richard “Dickie” Norton of Addison played in four different decades and was one of the most productive hitters that the league produced during the 30 years of its existence.