Crime/Public Safety

MCJA to Graduate 78 Cadets

(Vassalboro)  Seventy-eight cadets will get a well-earned gift Friday, as they graduate from the Maine Criminal Justice Academy’s Basic Law Enforcement Training Program.  The intensive, 18-week residential program prepares new officers for careers in law enforcement.  Local graduates include Justine Wyman of the Ellsworth Police Department, Trevor Luna from the Bucksport PD, Anthony Holzhauser from the Waldo County Sheriff’s Office, and multiple members of the Maine State Police. The public is invited to attend the 10 a.m. ceremony in  Vassalboro on December 19th.

Fatal Crash Involves Student and School Bus

(Standish)  Another fatality involving a student and a school bus – this time in Standish.  MSAD 6 Superintendent Clay Gleason told news outlets an elementary school-aged student died yesterday morning in an incident involving a Bonny Eagle school bus.  According to WMTW, the crash happened about 7:30 a.m. when the victim was struck near Edna Libby Elementary School.  The Cumberland County Sheriff said only one student, the half-brother of the child killed, was on the bus at the time of the tragedy.  A full investigation involving the Sheriff’s Office and Maine State Police is underway.  It’s the second such tragedy in less than a month here in Maine.  12 yo Brayden Callahan died November 21st when he was struck by a school bus in Rockland.

FMO Investigates Blazes in Greenville, Palermo

(Greenville)  First responders battled more structure fires across the state this week.  On Monday around 1 a.m., the Greenville Fire Department and others were called to the Masonic Hall on Pritham Avenue, where they found heavy fire conditions believed to have originated in the basement kitchen area.  The building was deemed a total loss.

Shortly before 11:30 p.m. Monday, firefighters in Palermo were called to Leeman Arm Road, where they found a house fully engulfed.  It’s believed there may have been an explosion in the residence prior to the fire.  The home utilized propane gas for appliances and heating.  A severely burned man escaped that blaze and was found outside the house.  He was hospitalized in critical condition, but was able to alert firefighters to a second person inside the house. That person did not survive. The cause of that fire remains under investigation.  

Local Politics

Ellsworth Officials Questioned About George Floyd Monument

(Ellsworth)  Some Ellsworth residents are questioning the appropriateness of a monument to George Floyd erected in Knowlton Park in 2020, around the time of the Black Lives Matter movement.  Minneapolis police officers were convicted of Floyd’s murder, which sparked protests and other actions. The Bangor Daily News reports the matter was brought before Council Monday by one of its newest members, Patrick Shea.  Ellsworth currently has no ordinance for how memorial requests are approved, that’s according to City Manager Charlie Pearce; so, legally, they can be reviewed and approved by the City Manager without input from the Council.  Pearce said at the time the statue was erected, all proper procedures were followed.  Council Chair Patrick Lyons said councilors seemed to support having the city establish a formal council review process for future monument requests. Further discussion and a vote will likely be in the Council’s future.

Economy

Ellsworth Outside Funding Requests

(Ellsworth)  A reminder that the City of Ellsworth is beginning preparation of the municipal budget for Fiscal Year 2027, which begins July 1st, 2026.  Funding requests are being accepted from committees, commissions, outside agencies and groups, but the deadline is coming up Monday, January 5th at 6 p.m.  For a video on how to apply, guidelines, and an application, visit ellsworth maine dot gov.

Communities Look to Projects in Bath to Address Affordable Housing

(Bath)  Communities throughout Maine have had to rethink their approach to housing as rent and home prices have soared the past five years.  The Maine Monitor reports while conditions have put pressure on municipalities to ramp up construction, rising costs have made that increasingly difficult since the pandemic.  Community opposition, zoning regulations, and other challenges also loom.  Communities such as Bath are taking a novel approach, buying up empty buildings in the downtown to be renovated.  In many areas, housing authorities such as Bath Housing, too, are making progress.  But rents must be kept low.  In Jonesport, while old Coast Guard Housing has been converted to units with an attached garage and shed, the asking price of $2K a month for rent is seen as untenable for most who live in the area.

Bar Harbor’s Success Depends on Who You Talk To

(Bar Harbor)  Bar Harbor had another great season.  Then again, it was ok, but nothing spectacular.  Chamber Director Everal Eaton tells MaineBiz, it really just depends on who you talk to.  A rainy spring, the government shutdown, and the ongoing cap on disembarkation by cruise ship passengers reportedly challenged the town’s businesses; but neighboring Acadia National Park saw plenty of activity.  Eaton said most lodgings did pretty well; while other businesses, such as the popular Side Street Cafe, felt the pinch.  Side Street owner Jena Young said as the number of cruise ships went down, so did lobster roll sales, which meant fewer lobsters bought from harvesters, as well.  Business owners said tariffs, too, presented a challenge, resulting in higher merchandise costs and potentially fewer sales.  

Environment

High Wind Watch Issued for Friday

(Ellsworth)  Make sure those outside holiday decorations are secure.  The Hancock County Emergency Management Agency has issued a high wind watch, in effect from Friday morning through Friday evening.  South winds could bring gusts up to 60 miles per hour to Coastal Hancock and Washington Counties, with damaging winds potentially blowing down trees and power lines.  Municipalities affected include Ellsworth, Bar Harbor, Cherryfield, Bucksport, Orland, Machias, Castine, Eastport, and Perry.

Be Prepared for Coming Warm Up

(Gray)  While we’re all looking forward to tomorrow’s warm up, the National Weather Service in Gray cautions there are things we should do to prepare.  Rain is expected late Thursday through Friday, so they say it’s a good time to ensure drains are cleared of snow to prevent standing water.  Temps will plummet behind a strong cold front late Friday, causing flash freeze conditions overnight.  They say be prepared for black ice on roadways.  And finally, rivers will likely show enough rise to break up and move ice.  With this summer’s drought, they say river levels are low, so ice jam floods are unlikely.

MDIFW Celebrates Half Century of Black Bear Research

(Augusta)  This year marks the 50th anniversary of Maine’s black bear research program.  Since 1975, biologists with the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife have worked to better understand and conserve the state’s black bear population, now among the largest in the eastern United States.  A new documentary honoring the milestone, entitled Fifty Seasons, showcases decades of fieldwork, evolving research strategies, and the people who have shaped one of the longest consecutively running black bear studies in North America.  You can access Fifty Seasons on YouTube.

Nature Conservancy to Buy Dams

(Maine)  The Nature Conservancy plans to eliminate four dams along the Kennebec River, in order to restore natural fish passage, such as that of the endangered Atlantic Salmon.  NewsCenter Maine reports the Conservancy has worked out a deal with Brookfield, owner of most of Maine’s hydrodams, to buy the four and plans to close the deal this summer.  The international environmental group also hopes to maintain the jobs of hundreds working at Maine’s largest paper mill, Sappi-Somerset.  Because it will take time to figure out how to replace the energy produced by the dams, nothing will happen for several years, as Brookfield continues to operate the dams.  The Conservancy vows jeopardizing the local economy is not an option, but that there is a range of viable options, such as the special fish elevator used on the Sabasticook River or the bypass channel built on the Piscataquis River in Howland.  

Infrastructure

Ellsworth Road Work

(Ellsworth)  Haynes Avenue off North Bend Road in Ellsworth will be down to one lane today, as City crews replace a culvert.  The City asks that you use caution if traveling through that area.

Human Interest

Trenton VFD Steps Up to Bring Holiday Cheer

(Trenton)  Members of the Trenton Volunteer Fire Department weren’t about to let the season pass without stepping in to help.  Monday night, they were shopping the halls of WalMart, in order to deck the halls of children in need in their area with gifts galore.  Their FB page dubs them “guardians of the gateway”.  We call them Christmas angels.  Good people, doing great things here in Downeast Maine.

Jesup Hires New Director

(Bar Harbor)  Megan Brooks will join the Jesup Memorial Library in Bar Harbor as Executive Director next month.  The Mount Desert Islander reports Brooks most recently served as Dean of Library Services at Wheaton College in Massachusetts.  She’ll begin her new position on January 13th.  The public is invited to a  meet-and-greet on Tuesday, January 20th, from 11 to Noon and Saturday, January 24th from 3 to 4 p.m.

“Where in the World…” Hint for Today

Have you entered to win that $25 gift card for car washes at Harmon’s in Ellsworth?  Here’s today’s hint for “Where in the World is Sonnie?”  We’re in a town mentioned in today’s newscast regarding affordable housing.  Go to downeast digest dot news, click on the link, where you’ll find all this week’s hints, and enter your best guess!

National News

Trump Ignites Fury with Post Following Reiner Murders

(Washington, DC)  President Trump this week ignited a firestorm when, less than a day after acclaimed filmmaker Rob Reiner and his wife were found murdered in their Los Angeles home, he hinted the icon was killed because he was critical of Trump.  In part, a post on his Truth Social page read, “Rob Reiner … has passed away … reportedly due to the anger he caused others through his massive, unyielding and incurable affliction with a mind crippling disease known as TRUMP DERANGEMENT SYNDROME,” adding “He was known to have driven people CRAZY by his raging obsession of President Donald J. Trump…”  Pushback was swift, including from Republicans like Thomas Massie of Kentucky who called the rant “inappropriate and disrespectful discourse about a man who was just brutally murdered.” 

Brown University Shooter Remains at Large

(Providence, RI)  The Brown University shooter who killed two and wounded nine others Saturday remains at large.  Officials had initially taken into custody a “person of interest”, but later determined he was not involved.  A video released by authorities shows a person in dark clothes and a mask near the scene of the shooting.  Classes and exams at the University have been canceled for the remainder of the semester, and security has been tightened on campus and across Providence.  The FBI is offering a $50K reward for information leading to an arrest.

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