Town Attorney Claims DeFalcos, Aschettino ‘Offering Land They Do Not Own’

By Paul Sylvain

More than 100 of Machiasport’s estimated 1,000 citizens packed the Fort O’Brien School gymnasium on a bitterly cold evening on Feb. 5 for a tense and emotionally charged public hearing on eminent domain.

By Phil Stuart

The 2024 high school basketball post-season is here, and it looks as though both teams from Jonesport-Beals, Machias, and Washington Academy will be in action.

The Washington Academy teams will both have to go through a preliminary round this week  in order to play at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor. The Woodland girls, Calais boys, and Narraguagus boys will also be in the hunt.

By Wayne Smith

On Dec. 10, 2023, the Merchant family of Sullivan’s lives were changed forever when they lost their son, Cole, in a car accident in Steuben. Two months later, Cole’s mother, Holly Merchant, decided it was the right time to tell her story. Speaking with her on the phone last week, she never sugarcoated the emotions that she is dealing with from the loss of her younger son. At times, I could feel the emotions running through the phone line as we talked.  

The Roque Bluffs Community Center received a $3,000 gift from Machias Savings Bank on Feb. 8. 

Sam Whitney, Assistant Vice President and Branch Manager of the bank’s Machias branch, made the award, which will help cover the cost of new flooring as part of renovations of the RBCC’s lower level. The Center said in a press release that its lower level is being converted into a permanent art gallery for the area and that most of the work is being done by community volunteers. 

University of Maine Cooperative Extension 4-H will offer “Science Fridays” beginning Feb. 23. The in-person program is designed to engage youth, ages 9-14, in exploring various science topics and develop scientific skills. 

By Phil Stuart

Many times, success on a basketball court is achieved because other family members have been involved in the game as well.

On Jan. 31, Kristin Grant of Machias scored her 1,000th career point as the Lady Bulldogs defeated Calais 50-36 at the “Doghouse.”

Grant, a native of Lubec, became the second member of her family to join the 1,000-point club.

Selectboard Approves Hiring Ryan Allen as a Reserve Officer

By Paul Sylvain

According to a report presented to the Machias selectboard at its Jan. 29 meeting, the town’s police department responded to 1,326 calls for service in 2023. Put another way, each of the department’s four full-time officers, which includes Chief Keith Mercier, kept busy last year protecting and serving the town’s 2,200 citizens by handling an average of 331.5 calls.

By Phil Stuart

The regular season is winding down, and several area teams will be extending their season into the playoffs.

In Class B girls, Washington Academy is currently seeded ninth. If that position holds up, the Raiders will be on the road for a preliminary matchup. 

The Machias Lady Bulldogs are sixth in Class C with a 13-1 record and could possibly move up a notch. If Machias stays in the sixth spot, they would have a home preliminary contest against the 11th-seed.

By Paul Sylvain

The Machias Town Office at 7 Court St. has been closed since the first of two storms ravaged the Shiretown on Jan. 10. Nearly a month later, its days appear numbered as town officials consider abandoning it for other options.

By Will Tuell

Each of the eleven towns that make up a confederation of local school systems known as AOS 96 has received subsidy projections from the Department of Education. The figures, based on a combination of student enrolment and local property valuation, give school budgeters an idea of what they will have to work with as they prepare school budgets for the upcoming fiscal year, set to begin July 1.