The Machias Valley News Observer

29/01/2025

On newsstands today, the latest issue of The Machias Valley News Observer!!!

25/01/2025

Washington Academy Students Launch Indie Rock Band

Washington Academy is excited to share campus news in the Raider Report. We hope you join us monthly to read and celebrate Raider students, staff,...

25/01/2025

Opening Moves: Public Advocate, Equity Schadenfreude
https://ow.ly/xKpT50ULSLL

25/01/2025

https://www.machiasnews.com/bill-cap-publicly-owned-land-gets-feb-6-hearing Public Hearing Thursday February 6 on LD 183 9:00 AM, Cross Building, Room 214, in Augusta.

The Legislature’s Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry Committee has scheduled a public hearing on Thursday, Feb. 6 on LD 183, “An Act to Cap Publicly Owned Land Area at No More Than 50 Percent of Any County. The proposal is sponsored by House Minority Leader Billy Bob Faulkingham, R-Winter Harbor, and the entire Washington County legislative delegation.

The bill summary reads as follows:

“This bill limits publicly owned land in the State to no more than 50 percent of the land area in any county. The bill also allows the State, a county, or a municipality to exceed the limits with the approval of 2/3 of each House of the Legislature.

The Department of Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry is required to report biannually beginning April 15, 2026 to the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over public lands matters on the percentage of federal, state, county, and municipal property ownership statewide and by county.”

Faulkingham brought the proposal forward at the request of Cooper selectman Jon Reisman.

“More than 15% of the state is publicly (federal, state, local) owned,” Reisman said, “and the current climate action plan goal is 30%. Washington County leads the state with 30% publicly owned land, but Piscataquis and Somerset are right behind us. For some reason, no county in the 1st Congressional District is more than 7% publicly owned (Sagadahoc); Cumberland (Portland) is under 5%.”

The hearing is slated for 9 a.m. in the Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry Committee Room (Cross Building 214). Members of the public who can’t make it to Augusta may also testify via Zoom through the Legislature’s website at https://www.mainelegislature.org/testimony/

Use this form if you wish to testify using Zoom before a committee at a public hearing on a bill or confirmation or to submit written testimony.

25/01/2025

Sheriffs, Lawmakers Meet Over Breakfast to Discuss Rural Counties’ Dwindling Resources

By Paul Sylvain Just because parts of Maine are considered “rural” and “sparsely populated” doesn’t mean there’s any lesser need for a strong law...

24/01/2025

Jonesport Working Waterfront Delayed as DEP Requests ‘More Info’

By Nancy Beal It has been nearly seven years since residents of Jonesport voted to buy the Henry Dana Point peninsula on the southside of Sawyers...

24/01/2025

Washington County Sheriff Cuts Assistance to Machias, Other Rural PDs
https://ow.ly/sSOG50ULS9S

24/01/2025

Manaford’s — Jonesport’s Only Full-Service Grocery Store — to Close for Good Jan. 31

By Nancy Beal After 17 years as the town’s only complete grocery store serving shoppers in the greater Jonesport-Beals area, Manaford’s Grocery...

23/01/2025

Community Rallies for Toddler Battling Leukemia, Raises $50,000+ in Days

By Will Tuell Downeasters from Beals to Lubec and beyond are rallying behind two-year-old Isaac Hall and his family as they come to grips with the...

23/01/2025

Lost at Sea: Coast Guard Calls Off Search for Missing Scallopers

Vessel Found Under 160 Feet of Water Off Long Point Believed to be Sudden Impact By Paul Sylvain After a more than 25-hour search involving 11...

23/01/2025

Trump sworn in as 47th President

Donald Trump is sworn in as the 47th US President in the US Capitol Rotunda in Washington, DC, on January 20, 2025. (Photo by SAUL LOEB / POOL / AFP) (Photo by SAUL LOEB/POOL/AFP via Getty Images, licensed to the Calais Advertiser, Inc.)

22/01/2025

Three Arrested in Baileyville Drug Trafficking Bust

On January 16, 2025, Baileyville Police Department conducted a traffic stop on Houlton Road that led to a significant drug bust. Officers developed evidence of possible narcotics in the vehicle, prompting the deployment of a drug detection canine. The canine alerted officers to the presence of narcotics, leading to a search of the vehicle.

The search uncovered 43.5 grams of fentanyl, 5.4 grams of methamphetamine, 3.8 grams of crack co***ne, and 0.4 grams of co***ne. In addition, officers seized a shotgun, cash suspected to be proceeds from drug sales, and other items indicating involvement in drug trafficking. The estimated street value of the seized narcotics is approximately $8,000.

Three individuals were arrested in connection with the incident and transported to Washington County Jail:

Katelyn Fields, 29, of Bangor: Remains in custody at the Washington County Jail on $15,000 cash bail. Charges include Aggravated Trafficking in Scheduled Drugs (Class A) and Unlawful Trafficking in Scheduled Drugs (Class B).

Walter Tomah, 42, of Indian Township: Remains in custody at Washington County Jail on $15,000 cash bail. Charges include Aggravated Trafficking in Scheduled Drugs (Class A) and Unlawful Trafficking in Scheduled Drugs (Class B).

Zandra Campbell, 25, of Indian Township: Released on bail. Charges include Aggravated Trafficking in Scheduled Drugs (Class A) and Unlawful Trafficking in Scheduled Drugs (Class B).

Baileyville Police Department received assistance from the Washington County Sheriff’s Department and U.S. Border Patrol during the operation. It is important to note that all suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

22/01/2025

Sometimes reporting the local news is not easy. This is one of those weeks as we join a Down East fishing family in praying for their loved ones lost at sea, another local family whose 2-year-old is battling leukemia, and an entire community losing their local grocery store. We also have news of the Sheriff's Department cutting back routine Patrol services in communities with police departments, and Jonesport's working Waterfront project delayed yet again by red tape.

Doss and Phil have all the local basketball action you could want, while Peter Duston reflects on the 80th anniversary of the Holocaust.

In opinion, Mark returns with his We the People column, Jon Reisman has a brand new Freedom studies column, Paul presents From Away and Back, Will returns with Downeast Dispatches, and Billy Bob Faulkingham presents the County delegation update from Augusta.

Check it out on newsstands today or on demand at machiasnews.com!

18/01/2025

The Last Dance: Longtime Refs Take the Court One More Time

By Phil Stuart Three Downeast Board basketball officials with over 120 years combined experience worked their last game together on Dec. 19 at...

18/01/2025

Spotlight on Four Cutler Wildcat Basketball Players

By Doss Dennison Haleigh Bryant — Haleigh is an 11-year-old sixth grader who attends Whiting Village School. She has only participated in one team...

18/01/2025

January Alarms

by Jonathan Reisman January has brought an array of alarms in California, Maine, and North America Fire alarms in California The California...

17/01/2025

Nate Bean Becomes Newest Deputy with the WCSO

By Paul Sylvain Washington County Sheriff Barry Curtis recently welcomed his department’s newest deputy, Nate Bean, to the Patrol Division. “While...

17/01/2025

Machias Science Students to Undertake River Study

By Paul Sylvain Storm-driven floods are nothing new to downtown Machias. According to Tora Johnson, with the Sunrise County Economic Council, there...