by Ruth Leubecker

An anonymous donor, a stage move to the waterfront and a coveted recognition for transparency and results have honored the volunteer efforts of Gateway Milbridge.
“The donor has offered us a $50,000 matching grant opportunity,” says Richard Bondurant of the grant proposal which was announced back in September, but has special significance over the holiday season. “We have until December 31 to fulfill the match. Some supporters have said they’ll donate toward the match challenge as part of their year-end gift giving.”

On Wednesday, Nov. 20 at 3:44 p.m. Deputies Matthew Carter and Toni Bridges of the Washington County Sheriff's Office were conducting a traffic stop on Water Street in Addison. The deputies requested the assistance of Deputy Ryan Allen and his K-9 Runa for a vehicle search. Runa is trained and certified to detect illegal drugs.

 After a prolonged absence due to insurance difficulties, the Town of Machias and the Machias Bay Area Chamber of Commerce are pleased to announce the return of the public ice skating rink to Southside Ball Field.

“It broke our hearts that the rink was not able to be installed for the last several years,” said MBACC Executive Director Sharon Mack. “This was a very popular place in the past and offered great outdoor recreation for many children and families.”

by Joseph Horn

by Ruth Leubecker

When Renata Lahner came to Washington County last week she brought good news for many.

The certified Medicare specialist, with better than 20 years of experience in the field, was here to explain the Medicare Advantage plans that will come into effect in 2020. “For those who are eligible, this is a big thing for Washington and Piscataquis counties,” she explained, “because they’re going to have more options.”

by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

After a decade hiatus, the Sunrise County Economic Council renewed its tradition of hosting an economic summit focused exclusively on the issues and opportunities in front of Washington County.

So it was that on Friday, Nov. 8 the parking lot of Cobscook Community Learning Center in Trescott was full to overflowing, and the conference rooms inside were buzzing with almost 100 attendees, all interested in some or all aspects of life in the Sunrise County.

by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

At their regular bi-weekly meeting held Wednesday, Nov. 13, the Machias Board of Selectmen signed an agreement to sell 2.63 acres of land to Rising Tide Towers, LLC. The land is located behind the Machias Telebusiness Center on Stackpole Road, and Robert Parsloe of Rising Tide Towers said it will be used to construct a cell tower that will carry the signal for FirstNet, a nationwide wireless broadband network dedicated to public safety.

by Natalie Boomer

Tyler Mann, of St. Stephen, has turned a hobby into a full-blown business.

“Birch Corner started as a little side hustle for me in 2017. I make farmhouse style signs and farmhouse style tables. It started with me just selling off of a Facebook page, hand-delivering every sign,” said Mann.

Last holiday season Mann delivered nearly 1,000 signs in the two months prior to Christmas.
“I grew Birch Corner from one design to over 150 currently,” he said.

Calais Celtic Concerts will bring a little bit of Cape Breton's Celtic Colours to Calais as it presents the award-winning trio group of  Miller/MacDonald/Cormier to the Knights of Columbus Hall on Saturday, Nov. 23.  The group is regarded as one of the most important folk acts on Cape Breton Island today by CBC Mainstreet.

by Nancy Beal

Anthony Beal celebrated his 72nd birthday on November 4. Two days later, the Beals lobsterman celebrated those years in a different way after getting dumped into the water in Barney’s Cove off the northwest corner of Beals Island. A life jacket that very few fishermen wear and quick action on the part of friends and fellow fishermen combined to save his life.

by Nancy Beal

A Dutch aquaculture company will be in Jonesport next week to introduce Moosabeckers to what it hopes will be an extensive land-based fish farm that will command scores of jobs without affecting the environment. The company is Kingfish Zeeland, a fish producer already in production in the Netherlands, producing fresh fish that it has branded “Dutch yellowtail” for its citizens and surrounding European companies.

by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

In the course of any given workweek, Washington County Sheriff Barry Curtis deals with all kinds of characters, not all of them friendly. But Curtis was in cheery company last week when he took delivery of 54 fuzzy teddy bears, each one lovingly handcrafted by members of the Down East Quilters group.

“Some of us did the sewing, some of us did the stuffing, and some of us were finishing them off,” said Linda Throckmorton, one of the founding members of the group. “They’re small, as you can see, and they’re very soft.”

by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

Dr. Cynthia Teer is scheduled to appear in Kennebec County Superior Court later this month for a contempt hearing, according to Maine Office of the Attorney General (OAG) spokesperson Marc Malon.

Teer’s license to practice veterinary medicine was suspended by the state in Jan. 2018, and revoked following a Sept. 25 hearing of the Maine Board of Veterinary Medicine.

by Ronie Strout

I guess it is time, I waited till the 5th to build my first fire in the kitchen cookstove. We have a Union Crawford cast iron stove that puts out a lot of heat in the downstairs area. Now we will do most of our cooking on this as it is quicker than the gas stove. Now I must ready my wood box for the load of wood that I can place in it from the woodshed and bring in my bundle of kindling that I put in a huge cast iron pot beside the stove to start the fire with. Let it snow, I am prepared…

by Hazel Stark

by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

Beginning Friday, Nov. 8, knitters, crocheters and other yarn enthusiasts will have a wooly destination to tide them over between stops in Ellsworth and Lubec. That’s the day Melissa Molinari will celebrate the grand opening of Machias’ own yarn shop, Wooleez, which will be located on Main Street next to Sew Fetch Dog Co.

by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

Area municipalities have been directed not to honor rabies certificates issued by Dr. Cynthia Teer, due to her lack of a veterinary license. The notice, sent from the desk of Maine Assistant State Veterinarian Dr. Rachael Fiske, was circulated Friday, Nov. 1, and advises towns to decline rabies certificates issued by Teer in 2018 and 2019.

by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

Two multi-unit apartment buildings in Washington County were fitted with solar panels late last year. Now the data is in, and it shows the payoffs are big.

“We installed the solar system around October and November of 2018 and went down to an electric bill of zero dollars since the sun started coming out again [in May,]” said Sunrise Opportunities Executive Director Tom Michaud, pointing to a graph. “I expect the trend to continue.”

“Scientific Illustrations,” an exhibit of new work by Margaret La Farge, will be displayed in the Art Gallery at the University of Maine at Machias through the month of December. The gallery is located in Powers Hall and is open to the public from 9 a.m.–5 p.m., Monday–Thursday and noon–5 p.m. on Fridays. For more information or to request a reasonable accommodation, contact 207.255.1200.

Featuring exquisite black-and-white renderings of wildlife and plants, the series showcases La Farge’s painstaking attention to detail and heartfelt appreciation for the natural world.

by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

An alleged horse trailer business operating under the name Equine Station LLC lists its United States Inventory address as 36 Broadway, Machias, and responds to customer inquiries stating it ships from Machias zip code 04654. However, there is no such address, and the state of Maine has no record of a business by that name.

by Nancy Beal

To a lecture hall of approximately 40 faculty, students and administrators last week, University of Maine System (UMS) Chancellor Dannel Malloy brought a proposed structure he called “unified accreditation” of the flagship university in Orono and the seven satellite campuses located from Portland to Fort Kent. His audience included UMM President Joan Ferrini-Mundy and Head of Campus Daniel Qualls, as well as a handful of skeptics whose questions he encouraged following his presentation.