by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

Service deferrals at a Penobscot County cancer care center mean Washington County cancer patients must drive even further for care, or delay it.

Almost all Washington County cancer patients receive treatments at the Lafayette Family Cancer Institute in Brewer, says East Machias Family Nurse Practitioner Christine Moulton, but three months ago, Lafayette stopped accepting most new patients. 

by Joyce Kryszak, Maine Monitor

Hope and Despair, the tiny twin islands perched near the mouth of Little Kennebec Bay, could serve as an allegory for Washington County. Beleaguered by boom and bust since the demise of the canning factories that used to line the coast, the once-thriving region has nearly drowned beneath unfulfilled plans and promises.

by Nancy Beal 

The inadvertent addition of three words to state-provided language for a liquor referendum in Jonesport has caused its selectmen to pull it from next week’s ballot and to post signs telling voters to ignore the question.

Machias Savings Bank (MSB) announced last week that it will donate $250,000 to the Maine Lobstermen’s Association’s (MLA) Save Maine Lobstermen campaign. The donation comes after a federal appeals court granted a motion to expedite the MLA’s appeal of a decision in its lawsuit against National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). The MLA seeks to reverse what it calls a scientifically flawed federal whale plan that will cripple Maine’s lobster industry and negatively impact the economy of Maine and our coastal communities.

Down East Community Hospital made the upgrade to a Senographe Pristina™ mammography unit in 2021.  This system provided two-dimensional screenings as well as additional comfort.  We are happy to announce we purchased the upgrade to that system and can now offer three-dimensional screenings to our patients!

by Jonathan Reisman

Golden is running against former Congressmen Bruce Poliquin and Independent Tiffany Bond. I cannot bring myself to vote for any of them.

We got an envelope and card from Ms. Bond last week, which was a refreshing break from the glossy mailers supporting or attacking Mills, LePage, Golden, and Poliquin with assorted lies and half-truths. Ms. Bond invited me to e-mail her any questions I had. She responded pretty quickly:

It is wonderful to see that the upcoming generation in the Downeast area is carrying on the traditional community commitment and connection that has lived on in this region for centuries.

On Oct. 7, the Machias Memorial High School JV and Varsity Volleyball teams hosted a Dig Pink volleyball game in support of October's Breast Cancer Awareness month.

by Hazel Stark

by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

Bad Little Brewing Company (BLB) in Machias has successfully met the conditions of its $180,000 Community Block Development Grant, according to Maine’s Department of Economic and Community Development. 

The grant’s successful completion means neither the town of Machias nor business owners Sean Lent and Kathryn Toppan are liable for repayment of the grant, funds from which helped to open one of the shiretown’s newest eateries.

by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

All are invited to enjoy a harvest dinner together this Friday, Oct. 28, when the Community Caring Collaborative’s Annual Family Harvest Meal returns for its fourth year. The dinner will take place at the Lee Pellon Center, Route 1, Machias, from 4 to 6 p.m.

“We love to have this event that helps get a really healthy meal out to families when so many families are already in town,” said Community Caring Collaborative Executive Director Charley Martin-Berry.