by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

A two-year joint effort to find funding to rehabilitate the Machias Recreation Area has proven successful.

by Nancy Beal

A dozen Jonesporters braved the cold last week (February 27) to attend a public hearing on a proposed medical marijuana ordinance that will be formally voted upon at next week’s town meeting (March 11). (A description of the ordinance appeared in the MVNO of Feb. 20, 2019.) After an hour of discussion, the only changes proposed and accepted in hand votes were lowering of certain fees and clarification of terms.

Beals Elementary School students in fifth through eighth grades are currently preparing for a visit in April from author Sophie Blackall. Blackall's book, "Hello Lighthouse,” recently won the Caldecott Medal.

On Monday, March 18 at 6:30 p.m. the Beals Historical Society will proudly host BES students as they present their Lighthouse projects at the Beals gym.  

by the St. Croix Historical Society

Among the most iconic law enforcement figures in the living memory of the Calais and greater Maine community is State Trooper Francis “Bull” Powers. Known for his size as much as his demeanor, Powers served the area well with his particular approach to justice until 1964.

The Machias and Marshfield Fire Departments will be the beneficiaries of a special Pop-Up sale, to be held at Bags O Rags on 15 Main Street. One hundred percent of the proceeds will be used towards the purchase of a special washer and dryer for first responder's turnout gear, designed to significantly reduce cancer-causing contaminants that cling to their clothing after a fire.

by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

The East Machias Board of Selectmen voted Friday, March 8 to authorize the demolition and removal of debris from a fire that destroyed Stone Soup Cafe and Market on Sept. 11, 2018.  Selectmen Bucket Davis, Will Tuell and Dale Richardson were all in attendance at the Friday morning meeting.

The demolition is expected to take place on Monday, March 11. The Stone Soup property is located along Route 1 in East Machias.

The Revolutionary War Reenactors of Downeast Maine will be holding their next meeting on Monday, March 25, at 5:30 p.m., at the Machias Valley Baptist Church.  The meeting will be open to anyone interested in learning about reenacting for Margaretta Days, the Battle of the Rim, or any other event.

Come by and question our reenactors, learn how to create a persona, or just learn a bit of the history of the Machias Patriots and their Native Allies, during the American Revolution.

Ten years ago Josiah Brown began his passion for wrestling with Washington Academy Youth Wrestling. Today, Josiah holds two 2019 championship titles. Early February, Josiah earned the Penobscot Valley Conference (PVC) Championship title in the 182-pound weight class and was voted Outstanding Wrestler of the Meet by conference coaches. A week later he went on to become the Northern Maine Regional Champion at the Northern Maine Regional Wrestling Championship held at Ellsworth High School. Josiah has been preparing for these titles since he was in third grade.

U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) commended the work of the men and women in Maine’s fishing industry at the Maine Fishermen's Forum in Rockport last week, listening first-hand to the priorities and concerns of Maine fishermen from around the state.

by Wayne Smith

To the most beautiful person in the world. We made 15 years together without killing each other. There’s been ups and downs, twists and turns. Memories built up enough to build a castle that we have dreams about living in one day if we win the lottery. We don’t have much, yet we have each other. And that’s all that matters. Robin, you always have put a smile on my face with your dry humor. You have guided me through the best and worst of times, the times when on a trip and times we never wanted to come home to face the housework.

Washington Academy National Honor Society students Ryan Conley and Mikaila Loughlin recently visited The Ark Animal Shelter in Cherryfield to photograph shelter cats in the hopes of raising the chances to find their “forever home.” The resulting photos and campaign comprise their National Honor Society service project.

They call their campaign, “Happy St. Catty’s Day, Help Us Get Lucky!” Conley said some of these cats have been in the shelter for more than a year. To find out how you can adopt one, call The Ark at 207-546-3484.

by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

A state bill to ban philosophical and religious exemptions from childhood vaccinations will have a public hearing before the Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs on Wednesday, March 13. Numerous Washington County residents plan to attend the hearing to testify against the bill and in favor of vaccine choice and “informed consent,” as one father puts it.

by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

When she celebrates her birthday on St. Patrick’s Day, Mathy Terrill plans to be racing through famous landmarks like Central Park and Times Square, on her way to completing the New York City Half Marathon. This will be the second 13.1-mile race for Terrill, who went from a non-runner to a half-marathoner in only two years.

by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

Maine Coast Heritage Trust (MCHT) Project Manager Jacob Van de Sande addressed the Machias Board of Selectmen at their bi-weekly meeting held Wednesday, March 13.

Van de Sande was following up on an earlier conversation about the old Seagull Motel, most recently used as the Machias River Redemption center. Van de Sande told the board MCHT has secured an option to purchase it and is prepared to facilitate the town’s purchase and demolition of the building to create a public green space.

by Nancy Beal

by Ruth Leubecker

States should always take a hard look at what works in other states and seriously evaluate making changes accordingly. Maine does not do well when it comes to these potential actions.

For years our neighbors — specifically Massachusetts and New Hampshire — have funded their governments either without residents paying any income tax at all, or paying significantly lower than Maine residents do.

Hannah Sprague recently returned from three weeks spent in the Philippines serving with Medical Missions International and Inspire Hope Ministries. While there, Sprague assisted medical teams serving in the region and brought her camera with her to use in her spare time. Sprague is the owner of Mainely Moments Photography & Videography, based in Machias. Here she shares a little bit about her experiences, in her own words.

Cherryfield Academy Community Center will be having its Annual Quilt Show and Artisan Fair on May 4 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The center is located at 53 Main Street in Cherryfield.

Artisans will have some wonderful items for you to purchase and some will do some demos throughout the day. Each artisan will contribute one of their items to the Grand Prize Basket, which you can enter to win at $1/ticket.

On Saturday, March 30 at noon The Grand's season of high-definition simulcasts from The New York Metropolitan Opera continues with one of the most challenging pieces in the repertoire, Richard Wagner’s Die Walküre.  

A group of 13 gathered at Eastport Arts Center for two four-hour Saturday sessions, March 2 and 9, to explore block printing on fabric with Susan Lehnen, an artist and educator who lives in Perry. The first meeting included a lesson in the traditional techniques and symbolism of adinkra cloth, a hand-printed fabric developed by the Ashanti people in Ghana. Workshop participants then began developing their own symbolic stamps, cutting designs into linoleum mounted on PVC plastic plates and making their first efforts at printing the stamps.

by Brian Lonergan

• Purchase price of $959 million USD ($1,286 million CAD) for shares plus acquired debt, for total enterprise value of $1.3 billion USD ($1.8 billion CAD)
• Fully achieves the targeted asset sale component of Emera’s three-year funding plan and proceeds will be used to support Emera’s capital investment opportunities within its regulated utility businesses and reduce corporate level debt

by Ronie Strout

What a week this has been for meetings….Monday the 18th my husband and I had an appointment in Ellsworth in the afternoon. After we returned home we attended the supper that the Columbia Cemetery Society sponsored. I later returned for their town meeting.

Columbia Town Meeting

They voted on forty five articles with Sonny Beal as moderator and Sharon Tibbetts, Pat Favolize and Sonja Grant as ballot clerks.

On Thursday, March 28  at 6 p.m. and, in a special closed-captioned, matinee screening on Friday March 29 at 1 p.m., H&R Block of Ellsworth and Bucksport continue their “Awards Season” series for 2019 with a British historical epic which was twice nominated for the 2019 Oscars- “Mary, Queen of Scots.” See it the way it was made it to be seen- through a state-of-the-art digital projection system- on the Coastal Eye Care giant screen.

by Nona Barrett

Vietnam Veterans Day commemorates the sacrifices of Vietnam veterans and their families and is part of a national effort to recognize the men and women who were denied a proper welcome upon returning home more than 50 than years ago.

by Sarah Craighead Dedmon
Two years ago the residents of Machiasport voted to purchase land to expand the town’s access to Bucks Harbor, but a recent turn of events has put that plan in jeopardy.

by Sarah Craighead Dedmon
A movie filmed off the coast of Washington County will be shown at the University of Maine at Machias next weekend. “Lobster War: The Fight Over the World’s Richest Fishing Grounds” will be screened at the UMM Performing Arts Center on Saturday, March 30 at 2 p.m.

The film tells the story of increasing tensions in the waters between Washington County and Canada, locally referred to as “the grey zone.”

by Ruth Leubecker
Serving more people who are food insecure and covering more territory in the process is the aim of Washington County’s 10 food pantries in 2019.

“Good Shepherd’s Food Bank is represented at every meeting, and they are very transparent and supportive of the pantries’ efforts,” says Regina Grabrovac, Healthy Acadia’s food program manager. “Our next meeting is June 6 and we welcome any community member who would like to attend.”

by Sarah Craighead Dedmon
When the state closes a clam flat because of a biotoxin like Red Tide, communicating that closure is critical for the public’s health, and when a clam flat is ready to be harvested again, communicating that opening is equally critical for a shellfish harvester’s pocketbook.

by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

At a public hearing which ran more than three hours on Wednesday, March 27, legislators, former employees and concerned Downeast residents spoke in favor of reopening the Downeast Correctional Facility in Machiasport and Maine Department of Corrections Commissioner Randall Liberty spoke in opposition to reopening the site.