Machias Officials Pursuing Federal Disaster Relief

By Paul Sylvain

Like the classic book by Charles Dickens that begins with, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times,” you might call the post-flood Machias town office building saga A Tale of Two Town Offices. 

For the month of March 2024, the StoryWalk® at Porter Memorial Library in Machias will feature the beloved children’s book, The Lobsterman, by Dahlov Ipcar. The classic children’s favorite follows a day in the life of a lobsterman in Maine, told from the perspective of the life of a lobsterman's son working alongside his father. Ipcar, in his signature style, captures the unique beauty and culture of the Maine coast and conveys the importance of hard work and stewardship of nature.

At around 10 a.m. Saturday, March 2, the Machias Police Department issued a community alert stating that officers were “actively searching” for 33-year-old Jesse Perez-Robicheau. According to police, Robicheau “escaped protective custody” at the hospital “wearing a hospital gown and no shoes.”

The alert was lifted about an hour later, saying Robicheau had been located without incident. No details were given about where he was found; although, one person posted on social media that Robicheau simply returned to the hospital on his own.

By Paul Sylvain

A record turnout of Machiasport residents voted overwhelmingly at a special town meeting Monday evening to take by eminent domain a 50-foot wide strip of land across the front of two Starboard district property owners’ lots to build a new two-lane public road accessing the Point of Maine and private properties beyond.

Jury Selection Gets Underway Feb. 29

By Paul Sylvain

The trial of two men charged with felony murder in the  drug-related shooting death and robbery of 17-year-old Brandin Guerrero of Massapequa, New York, is set to begin with jury selection on Feb. 29. Guerrero’s body was found on Nov. 4, 2021, in a resident’s yard on High Street.

By Will Tuell

By Will Tuell

Wood has always been in our family. 

By Nancy Beal

The Dutch company that intends to establish a $100 million land-based fish farm in Jonesport on Chandler Bay recently received a huge cash infusion to upgrade the electric infrastructure from Route 1 in Jonesboro to its Mason Bay location. Kingfish Maine, which presented its plans to the Moosabec area nearly three and a half years ago, will receive $4 million in federal money to bring a 34.5-kilovolt line to the nearly 100-acre site north of Greenwood Cemetery.

By Paul Sylvain

Calling Machias Hannaford’s “our community store,” Machias Food Pantry co-directors Nancy Lewis and Ken Warner on Feb. 23 accepted a $12,000 donation for the purchase of a new freezer/cooler from the store’s manager, John Thimlar.

By Nancy Beal

The former welding shop of Ronnie Gray on Route 187 in the Indian River district of Addison burned down in the early morning hours of Feb. 21. Fire crews from three towns -- Addison, Columbia, and Jonesport -- brought the blaze under control in about three hours. Heat from the fire blistered an exposed wall of a nearby dwelling. The former Gray’s welding shop was currently being used by Robbins Construction. No injuries were reported as of press time. The cost of damage related to the blaze is, as yet, unknown.