Crime/Public Safety

Firefighters Battle Bucksport Structure Fire

(Bucksport)  Orland firefighters spent five hours Sunday night into Monday morning battling a fully involved structure fire on Foss Farm Drive in Bucksport.  First responders were called to the scene shortly before midnight and tackled the blaze amid freezing temperatures.  According to a social media post, other challenges included a long haul from the closest water supply and limited resources.  Firefighters from Bucksport, Orrington, Penobscot, and Castine assisted.  It was call number 152 for the year, setting monthly records, according to the Department.  Orland is an all volunteer unit, with several firefighters leaving the scene yesterday morning to head directly to other jobs.  

Local Politics

Washington County Works to Approve Budget for Next  Fiscal Year

(Machias)  The Washington County Commissioners will meet with Budget Advisory Committee members again tomorrow to try to come to an agreement on a budget for the next fiscal year.  Committee members in an all-day session on December 3rd pared down and passed a budget that was then rejected by the Commissioners, two of whom want to further cut a Washington County Sheriff’s budget already operating at a minimum staff level, according to Sheriff Barry Curtis.  Washington is one of the state’s largest and most rural counties, with an ongoing drug problem.  Curtis posted a letter on social media that garnered overwhelming response, showing the majority of residents are against cutting the department further.  The bank, too, has said a budget must be sustainable in order for the County to get funds for next year’s Tax Anticipation Note.

Federal Judge Sides with Maine and 19 Other States Over FEMA Funding

(Maine)  A federal judge has ruled in favor of 20 states, including Maine, in a suit against the Trump Administration over FEMA funding.  Maine Public reports the suit was filed in July over the ending of the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s “Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities” program.  BRIC began in the wake of Hurricane Katrina and provided states with funding for creating infrastructure to prepare for future disasters.  The Trump Administration canceled funding in April, with FEMA calling the program ineffective, wasteful, and politicized.  The judge overturned the cuts, ruling the President lacked the authority to terminate a congressionally funded program through Executive Orders.

Economy

Woodland Pulp to Reopen Next Week

(Baileyville)  Woodland Pulp in Baileyville plans to reopen fully this week, following a temporary pause in operations.  The mill, Washington County’s largest employer, was closed for a month, but began bringing employees back to work in late November.   All 144 employees affected by the layoff – about a third of the company’s workforce – are expected to return by tomorrow.  Dana Doran, Executive Director of the Professional Logging Contractors of the Northeast, told the Maine Monitor last month the downturn in the global pulp market and recent tariff hikes are hitting Maine woodlot owners and logging contractors especially hard.

Christmas Shop in Bar Harbor Recognized as One of Most “Christmassy”

(Bar Harbor)  The Christmas Shop in Bar Harbor has been recognized as being among the nation’s most “Christmassy” stores.  MaineBiz reports the shop stood out in a survey of more than 3K shoppers conducted by financial media company MarketBeat.  Respondents were asked to name their favorites in every state for holiday vibes, and Ellie Oczkowski’s (Oz-KOW-skee’s) store was Maine’s only contender.  The Christmas Shop has been in business for 20 years and sells ornaments and unique gifts made at the store and by a handful of off-site artists.

“Help Yourself” Shelves Expand to Waldo County

(Rockport)  There are now eleven “Help Yourself Shelves” across Knox and Waldo Counties.  The shelves are stocked with nutritious shelf-stable foods and located in health-related organizations for anyone in need.  MaineHealth Pen Bay and Waldo Hospitals are the latest to add the shelves to their emergency department waiting rooms.  A spokesperson for the hospitals said the shelves make it easier for anyone to access nutrient-dense food, ready to take, in moments they need it most.  The foods are provided by AIO Food & Energy Assistance in Knox County and The Belfast Soup Kitchen and Kindness Market in Waldo County.  The Pen Bay Pilot reports more than 62K pounds of food have been distributed across the two counties through the shelves this year.

Expiring Federal Clean Energy Incentives Could Affect Heat Pump Costs

(Maine)  Federal clean energy incentives will expire on December 31st.  But the Lewiston Sun-Journal reports homeowners will still have access to Efficiency Maine rebates for installing heat pumps, rooftop solar, and other energy efficient projects. The state is part of a $450M effort to increase heat pump adoption across New England.  Maine surpassed Governor Janet Mills’s goal to install 100K heat pumps by 2025 back in 2023.  The aim now is to install 275K units by 2027.  Rising electricity costs have given some pause when considering making the change.

Education

Non-profit WinterKids Receives Governor’s Award for Business Excellence

(Westbrook)  A non-profit organization whose goal is to help kids stay fit and connected with the outdoors during Maine’s long winter months has received the 2025 Governor’s Award for Business Excellence.  It’s the first time a non-profit has been given the award. WinterKids, founded in 2000, serves approximately 16K children each year through school, family, and early childhood initiatives, including offering a full range of winter sports and school-based programs.  Three businesses also received awards – STARC Systems in Brunswick, Presque Isle’s Falcon Transportation, and Tootie’s Tempeh in Biddeford.   Governor Janet Mills said each “shows a strong commitment to their employees, their communities, and the success of our state.”

New Program Aims to Fill Shortage of Construction Workers

(Maine)  The construction industry consistently has between two and three hundred thousand openings nationwide, so filling such positions here in Maine is a critical concern.  To help meet the need, the Maine Community College System and Associated General Contractors of Maine next year plan to establish an apprenticeship program in order to prepare adult Mainers for the in-demand building trades.  The Portland Press Herald reports the course is an expansion of a free, four-week summer program launched at high schools and technical centers  in 2023.  That program went  from 104 student applications the first year to 436 this year. The expanded program for adults will be offered beginning in March, with slots for up to 20 people at each of five community colleges, including EMCC in Bangor and Washington County in Calais.

.  

Health

Adolescence Lasts into Our Thirties

(WaPo)  Hold the jokes about the men in your life. New research contends brain development is not linear and that adolescence lasts well into our 30s – for ALL of us.  A study published in the journal Nature Communications and cited in the Washington Post says our brains change at four key stages.  Up to age 9, the brain is busy, but becoming less efficient, potentially related to the massive amounts of learning taking place.  From age 9 to our early 30’s, efficiency kicks back in.  This time of development is when people are most vulnerable to developing a mental health disorder.  Adulthood, the longest phase, lasts from about age 32 to 66 and is a period of stability in terms of intelligence, behavior, and personality.  And while some may begin experiencing memory loss, they say it’s also a period of wisdom and emotional regulation. From 83 onward, there’s reduced connectivity, but the brain prioritizes important connections as others drop off.  The study analyzed around 4,000 scans from healthy people aged zero to 90.

Human Interest

Maine Ranked One of Country’s Most Generous

(Maine)  This story will likely surprise few if any here in Maine.  GoFundMe recently released its 2025 Year in Help Report, and Maine was named the 7th most generous state in the U.S.  This year, GoFundMe accounts across Maine raised nearly $15M.  Proving every bit helps, 75% of crisis donations across the country were small dollar gifts, with one in four people being repeat donors.  The top ten states in terms of generosity were California at number one, followed by Vermont, Alaska, Oregon, New York, Minnesota, Maine, Washington, Massachusetts, and Utah, which had the most active individual donor – a person who made more than 1200 donations.

Sports

Mainer Breaks Half Court Shots Record

(Standish)  A quick sports note – Fox 23 reports Mainer Ryan Martin on Friday broke a record by making 272 half-court shots in one hour.  The previous record was 250.  Ryan took a total of 828 shots from 47 feet out at the court at St. Joe’s college in Standish.  It’s his fourth world record.  He also made the most free throws and the most three pointers in an hour.  

National News

Authorities Arrest Reiners’ Son in Connection with Homicide

(Los Angeles)  Authorities have arrested 32 yo Nick Reiner, son of filmmaker Rob Reiner and his wife, photographer Michele Singer Reiner, in connection with the murder of his parents.  The couple was found slain Sunday afternoon in their Los Angeles home. The suspect was taken into custody late Sunday and booked early Monday morning.  He’s being held in the Los Angeles County Jail on $4M bond.  Nick Reiner once told news sources he was homeless in Maine, New Jersey, and Texas and spent nights on the street as he battled addiction.  Celebrities,including former President Barack Obama, Meg Ryan, Billy Crystal, Stephen King and others have expressed shock and sadness at the tragic loss.

Person of Interest in Brown University Shooting Released

(Providence)  The search for a gunman in the Brown University shooting continued for a third day yesterday.  Authorities told the Washington Post a person of interest was released early Monday morning.  Two students were killed and nine others injured, one of whom remains in critical condition. The gunman entered the engineering building on Saturday during the second day of final exam week, shooting students during an exam review session.  The University has heightened security on campus and has canceled all classes for the remainder of the semester.

Father and Son Suspected in Bondi Beach Attack

(Australia)  Authorities in Australia say a father and son are responsible for killing 15 people and wounding at least 40 others in a shooting at a Hanukkah celebration at a popular beach in Sydney on Sunday.   One of the shooters, the father, was killed in the attack; his 24 yo son was hospitalized .  He’s expected to be charged in what sources are describing as a terrorist attack aimed at the Jewish population.

© 2025 Downeast Digest.  All rights reserved.