Crime/Public Safety

Propane Gas Leak

(Sullivan)  Tense moments New Year’s Day as multiple departments responded to a structure on Route 1 in Sullivan near Harbor View Drive.  Sources tell Downeast Digest a leaking propane gas tank caused first responders to evacuate nearby homes shortly after 10:15 yesterday morning.  A snowplow that was clearing roads in the area was diverted for fear it might kick up sparks, and traffic was rerouted from the area.  Chief Chris Holmes with the Hancock Volunteer Fire Department posted an all clear shortly after noon.

First Responders Finish the Year Strong

(Orland)  First responders are those heroes who are busy day and night, anytime you call to respond to crime, fires, traffic accidents, or illness.  The Orland Fire Department is one example, posting yesterday they wrapped up the year with a record 163 calls for service.  Those included four boat/water/ice rescues, 11 woods fires, and 13 storm related calls for downed trees or wires.  And that’s just one small town that doesn’t have its own EMS services.  The Department also lobbied for and worked to implement and manage a Sand for Seniors program, similar to Age Friendly Sullivan’s volunteer program that delivers and replenishes buckets of sand for elderly residents each winter.  Be sure and thank all our first responders for keeping everyone safe during the year.

Trenton Woman Arrested in Domestic Incident

(Trenton)  Members of the Bar Harbor Police Department assisted the Hancock County Sheriff’s Office with a domestic incident in Trenton shortly after midnight on December 29th.  As a result, JoAnn Dunton of Trenton was arrested and charged with Criminal Threatening.  She was taken to the Hancock County Jail.  The Sheriff’s Department also arrested an Ellsworth resident on New Year’s Eve following a traffic stop. They say 50 yo Shane Grindle was arrested for Unlawful Possession of Scheduled Drugs and Attaching False Plates.    

Death of One Year Old Still Being Investigated

(Milford)  It could take months before state officials determine how a one-year-old Penobscot County girl died.  Eleanora McLaughlin was found unresponsive in a house in Milford on December 28th.  WMTW reports Eleanora’s mother lives in West Virginia – she said her estranged husband was raising their 2-year-old son and 1-year-old twin daughters.  Erika McLaughlin said officials told her Eleanora was found unresponsive in bed, covered in urine.  She said the Maine Department of Health and Human Services had conducted multiple investigations regarding her children, the last one closed less than a week before Eleanora died.  

Economy

Maine Startup Challenge

(Maine)  If the new year has you thinking about an app, business, or side hustle you’d like to build, here’s an opportunity to turn that idea into a $1500 head start.  Community Action in Aroostook, Washington, and Hancock Counties invites you to submit a one-page business plan to Maine Startup Challenge.  They say build something real or just try something for fun. Work solo or with a team of 2 to 5.  Download the one page template from the QR code you’ll find through ACAP, fill in your idea, submit an optional video, and apply by May 1st.  Find more information at a c a p dash m e dot org.   

Environment

Snow Totals

(Downeast Maine)  Downeast Maine not only got a beautiful white Christmas, we also woke up to several inches of the fluffy white to begin the new year.  And it didn’t stop with the morning light.  As of 4 p.m. Thursday, snow totals ranged from 1.3 inches in Bucksport to 7 inches in Gouldsboro … and everything in between.  Lamoine posted 5.5 inches, Hancock 3.5, East Machias 2.5, and 2.1 in Eastport.  Bundle up today.  The National Weather Service says temperatures aren’t likely to get out of the teens.   

Infrastructure

Rockland Ferry Terminal Parking Garage Proposal

(Rockland)  MDOT is proposing construction of a two-story parking garage on the site of the current parking lot at the Rockland Ferry Terminal on Main Street.  The Pen Bay Pilot reports a ground level lot would consist of 210 spots, while the upper level would have 211.  The proposal is estimated to cost about $10M 500K, with an estimated completion date two years out.  According to the ferry terminal website, current parking is limited and cannot be reserved, but is on a first-come, first-served basis. The Rockland Planning Board will review the application at its January 6th meeting.

Human Interest 

Friendship Cottage Open House

(Blue Hill)  Friendship Cottage in Blue Hill is still working to serve older adults and adults facing physical, mental, or memory challenges through their adult day services.  Although it’s been a year of transitioning from Downeast Community Partners’ broad reach to Community Action in Aroostook, Washington, and Hancock Counties, community volunteers, donors, and agency leaders are working to continue the vital services offered by Friendship Cottage here in Hancock County.  An open house is planned for January 16th from 4 to 6 pm. to make the public aware of their services and demonstrate the need that remains in this region.  For more information, visit a d a p dash m e dot org.

Frenchman’s Bay Library Events

(Sullivan)  Frenchman’s Bay Library in Sullivan has been a community resource since 1948.  Mark your calendar now for the 16th Annual Soup’r Chili Luncheon, set for February 1st from Noon to 2 at the adjacent rec center.  Admission is by donation and will support the library.  Meet the librarians, Board of Trustees, and Friends of the Library volunteers while you enjoy a hearty Soup-er meal the Sunday before the Super Bowl.  And stop in and browse their collection of books you can cuddle up with on these cold winter evenings!  For days and hours, visit frenchmans bay library dot org.  

Age Friendly Sullivan Event

(Sullivan)  Solo Aging is a growing trend among people from a variety of backgrounds and circumstances.  Age Friendly Sullivan tells Downeast Digest more than one-fifth of U.S. adults over the age of 50 now live alone.  On Wednesday, January 7th, Community Connector Misty Gleason will share insights on Solo Aging at the Sullivan town office.  From 9 to 10 a.m., Misty will address the benefits and challenges faced by solo agers and offer strategies to help you and your neighbors remain healthy, happy, and vibrant.  Everyone is welcome!

2025 Good News Stories

Luke’s Lobster Program Mentors Young Fishermen and Women

(Maine)  Maine closed out the year with a lot of good deeds and good news.  MaineBiz reports one positive program making waves in Maine was the “Lift All Boats” program, designed to mentor teens with no previous connection in the art of lobstering.  The program was started by Luke’s Lobster founders Ben Conniff and Luke Holden, who say the way the current program is set up, the only way to get a commercial license is to either spend 14 years on a wait list or get a student license at a very young age – something only kids from lobstering families tend to do.  The program started with just four participants in 2022; the 2025 30-strong cohort included 20 returnees, with half this year’s group being female.  

Credit Unions Step Up During SNAP Benefits Crisis

(Maine)  While there’s no escaping the bad news that happens, a lot of good things also caught our attention in 2025.  This past October, Maine credit unions raised more than $238K to fight food insecurity – more than double the original goal, and – MaineBiz reports – during a period of heightened need.  This year’s campaign came as many Mainers faced extra hardship due to the government shutdown and its impact on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP.  Elise Baldacci, President of the Maine Credit Union League said she wasn’t surprised, as “people helping people” is at the core of the credit union mission.

Maine’s First Babies

(Maine)  Oh, baby!  What a way to usher in the New Year.  Everly Hood was the first birth of the New Year in Maine, arriving at Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor at 2:39 a.m. Thursday.  Congrats to parents Mackenzie and Austin Hood of Pittsfield.  Amir Barow arrived shortly after at 3:35 a.m. at Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston.  Congrats to his parents, Aliza Padilla and Wiirow Barow, as well.    

Obituary

Tatiana Schlossberg

(Undated)  Tatiana Schlossberg, granddaughter of John F. Kennedy and daughter of Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg passed away this week at the age of 35.  Schlossberg was a journalist who chronicled the changing climate.  Last month, she published a deeply personal essay in the New Yorker, revealing her cancer diagnosis and criticizing her cousin, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., calling him an “embarrassment”.  Schlossberg’s cancer was discovered in May 2024 while she was in the hospital giving birth to her second child.  Schlossberg was just 35 and is survived by her parents, husband and two young children.  

National News

Homeland Security Seeks to Fast Track Demolition of Historic Buildings

(WaPo) The East Wing of the White House could be just the first casualty of the Trump Administration.  The Washington Post reports the Department of Homeland Security is seeking to fast-track demolition of more than a dozen historic buildings at the St. Elizabeth’s West Campus.  Officials say the buildings present a danger and security risks, but threats of demolition have prompted opposition from the National Trust for Historic Preservation and others.  The campus is the site of the nation’s first federally operated psychiatric hospital and has been redeveloped, primarily to consolidate headquarters for the Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Coast Guard.

Fire at Swiss Alps Ski Resort Leaves Dozens Dead, Injured

(Switzerland)  Several dozen people are presumed dead and more than 100 people were injured during a fire that broke out at a ski resort in Switzerland early on New Year’s Day.  Local police said the incident happened about 1:30 a.m. at the Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana, SW Switzerland.  Swiss officials say the blaze spread quickly.  They continue to look for a cause but have ruled out an attack.  The upscale resort offers views of the Matterhorn and is popular with young people who come to the area for skiing and other winter sports.

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