Crime/Public Safety

Castine Man Arrested for Driving to Endanger

(Castine)  A Castine man was arrested early Sunday morning and charged with Driving to Endanger.  The Hancock County Sheriff’s Office reports to Downeast Digest 28 yo Joseph Spinazola was involved in a motor vehicle accident in Castine shortly before 1 a.m. yesterday morning.  He was first taken to the Maine Coast Memorial Hospital, then transferred to the Hancock County Jail without incident.

MDI High School Hoax

(MDI)  MDI High School was put on lockdown Friday morning.  Members of the Bar Harbor Mount Desert Police Department responded to the school for what they say was most likely a hoax.  According to Superintendent Mike Zboray, the school received a call just after 10 a.m. reporting a person on campus armed with an automatic weapon.  Other law enforcement agencies joined police and conducted a thorough search of the building and grounds, but found no threat.  Students and staff were dismissed around 12:30.  Investigators told the media the number that was used to call in the threat has recently been used for other hoax calls across the country.  

Gouldsboro/Winter Harbor Offer “The Sunshine Program”

(Gouldsboro)  The Gouldsboro and Winter Harbor Police Departments are the latest to institute a program designed to support the wellbeing of its elderly citizens and those who live alone.  As part of “The Sunshine Program”, a couple of mornings a week, officers will attempt a brief phone call to those who sign up for the program, in order to confirm everything is ok. If there’s no response after two attempts, someone may be dispatched to the home to check on the person.  To learn more and/or apply, visit gouldsboro town dot com.

Local Politics

Court Upholds Maine’s Three-Day Waiting Period for Gun Purchases

(Augusta)  The First Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday upheld Maine’s law requiring a three-day waiting period after a federal background check before obtaining a gun.  The court ruled the  law, enacted in 2024, was constitutional.  NewsCenter Maine reports the appeals court in Boston reversed a 2025 decision by Maine’s chief federal judge that blocked enforcement of the rule on Second Amendment grounds, describing the law as “a burden on, but not an infringement of Second Amendment rights,” and described the waiting period as a modest delay as part of an effort by the state to address a documented problem.

Economy

Groups Launch Everybody Harvests Community Garden

(Ellsworth)  We couldn’t wait to “dig into” this story!  The City of Ellsworth is “growing” better everyday, especially with this spring’s launch of the “Everybody Harvests Community Garden” in the heart of Ellsworth.  The full one-acre garden is a project of Green Ellsworth, and is on farmland rich with prime soil at Frenchman Bay Conservancy’s Whitney Forest, located adjacent to the local high school.  Volunteers last year worked prepping the soil to ensure the organically-managed garden was ready for the planting of a succession of crops to be harvested this year from May to November.  The team from the Ellsworth Public Library helped ensure the garden includes handicapped accessible beds.  Once the gardens begin to produce, any local residents will be invited to harvest vegetables, fruits and pollinator flowers for personal use.  The public is also invited to help plant, maintain, and harvest for the broader benefit of Friends in Action meals programs, food services, school garden programs, and Healthy Acadia’s gleaning program, which benefits 30 food security organizations across Hancock County.  Green Ellsworth Director Mary Blackstone tells Downeast Digest the garden will also offer educational and nutritional programming, composting workshops, recipe sharing and more.  She says the project is about building community around one of the most basic human needs: food. Anyone who would like to help the garden get off to a good start during April or May, can call 667-8878.   

Last Shingle Mill Continues in Washington County

(Whiting)  There was a time when every sawmill in Maine had a shingle machine.  Partly because cedar shingles, known for being lasting and durable, were once the only thing to top one’s roof.  An old farmhouse possibly built in the early 1800’s, boasts a barn that still has its original shingles that were put on with square nails. Today, just one facility, Grandpa’s Shingle Mill, remains deep in the woods in the Washington County town of Whiting.  The Bangor Daily News reports the mill is run by 77 yo Philip Gardner, who says the craft runs in the family. Gardiner uses only white cedar, purchased from local loggers, but says it’s sometimes hard to find.  As is equipment – the shingle machine used at his mill may be 150 years old, and Gardiner says it’s hard to locate anyone to fix the equipment when there’s an issue.  Gardiner says he’s not sure who would take over the business if and when he retires, adding it’s a tough thing to learn if you don’t grow up with it. 

Acadia Seasonal Staff Housing Won’t Open This Year

(ANP)  A new housing complex for Acadia National Park employees won’t be open this summer for seasonal staff.  The Bangor Daily News reports Harden Farm, an apartment complex in Bar Harbor, has been under construction since 2024.  The facility currently holds eight one-bedroom units and is being renovated to add 56 beds for future seasonal staff use.  The project is part of a broader push to address a workforce housing shortage on the island.  Contractors are completing interior finishes for the first 28 bedrooms and the Park has reportedly awarded two contracts for construction of the remaining 28 units.  

Environment

Surry Garden Club Creates Pollinator Pathway

(Surry)  Attention bees, butterflies, and other pollinators! You’ll want to make your way to Surry this spring.  The Surry Garden Club is in the process of creating the town’s first pollinator pathway – just the third such trail in Maine, designed specifically to attract and support insects crucial to our food supply.  The Ellsworth American reports club president Marie Merkel was inspired to create the corridor of native plants after listening to a talk about pollinators.  The club mapped out eight locations where they’ll be planting, including at The Post Office, the Brook Path behind the Old Surry Village School, Surry Elementary, and the Town Landing on Wharf Road.  Members hope to do three native plantings a year, and they encourage home gardeners to participate in planting the same, no matter where in Surry they live.  

USNWS Issues Spring Flood Outlook

(Caribou)  The US National Weather Service has issued an update to the Spring Flood Outlook, valid through April 9th.  The data includes information on snow pack, river ice, river flow status, the precipitation and temperature outlook and more for the Northern Basin, the Central Highlands, including Moosehead and Baxter Regions, and the Downeast to Bangor Basins. You can find details on the USNWS FB page.

Human Interest

Skowhegan Indian Sculpture Taken Over by Nonprofit

(Skowhegan)  A nonprofit hopes to put a new face on the 62-foot Indian statue that towers over Skowhegan – literally.  And that’s just part of the monument’s badly-needed repair.  WABI reports the Skowhegan Regional Chamber of Commerce reached an agreement with the nonprofit Watching Point, which will now work to preserve and restore the landmark. The wooden wonder has kept watch over the town for nearly 60 years; and in the process, has been damaged by storms and other natural phenomena. The statue was put up for sale last May at the low, low price of just a dollar, with the Chamber citing the high cost of upkeep as a deterrent to their continued ownership. 

Jonathan Fisher House Secures Grant for Repairs

(Blue Hill)  The Jonathan Fisher House in Blue Hill has been awarded a $247K grant to support necessary repairs on the historic home.  The structure was designed and built by Blue Hill’s first settled minister, who was also an artist, writer, inventor, scientist, surveyor and more.  Board President Hannah Cyrus said the trustees and others have spent the past five years doing extensive prep work and planning to ensure the Jonathan Fisher House can continue to serve the community for years to come, and that it’s thrilling to be on the threshold of such a vital project and know it’s really going to happen.  The Jonathan Fisher House is open seasonally for tours – follow them on social media to learn more.

April is Maine Library Month

(Maine)  April is officially Maine Library Month, celebrating the vital role libraries play in connecting, inspiring and empowering communities.  Coinciding with National Library Week, April 19-25, the month highlights lifelong learning, digital access, and civic engagement, with local libraries across Maine hosting special events, author talks and community activities.  Whether you’re a card carrying member at the Ellsworth Public Library, the Blue Hill Public Library, Frenchman Bay Library, the Jesup, the Peabody Memorial Library, or others, a library card is your invitation to museums, lectures, technology, research, fantasy, and programs for all ages.  It’s why wherever we go in our “Where in the World is Sonnie” series, we always stop by the library.  Get your card and get involved today.  

Where in the World

(Undated)  Congratulations to Jesse Ciapetta of Beals, winner of last week’s April Fool’s version of “Where in the World is Sonnie”.  We were actually all over the place – but all in Maine – and many of you made some great (and fun!) guesses!  We’ve sent Jesse a $25 gift card to Pugnuts Ice Cream and Gelato Shoppe in Surry, and Pugnuts has generously given us some more cards to give away this week.  So check out our social media pages and make your guess at the link provided by midnight Friday for your chance to win!

National News 04/06/26

Downed Airman Rescued

(NYT)  An Air Force Officer shot down in the war has been rescued.  The New York Times reports the officer, whose fighter jet was shot down in Iran, spent a day deep in Iranian territory with just a pistol for protection before US Special Ops forces extracted him in a massive operation involving hundreds of special troops, including members of Navy SEAL Team 6.  The White House said there were no US casualties in the rescue mission.  The two crew members of the downed F-15E Strike Eagle had ejected from the cockpit on Friday, with the jet’s pilot quickly rescued; but its weapons systems officer wasn’t immediately located.  A senior US military official described the mission to rescue the airman as one of the most challenging and complex, especially considering the terrain, the airman’s injuries, and Iranian forces rushing to the location. 

Artemis II 

(AP)  The Artemis II astronauts are already champions of a fresh new era of lunar exploration.  Now, the Associated Press writes, it’s time to set a new distance record.  Launched last week, the journey is humanity’s first trip to the moon since 1972, with three Americans and a Canadian taking on the mission and chasing after Apollo 13’s maximum range from Earth.  If successful, they’ll be our planet’s farthest emissaries as they swing around the moon without stopping today before hightailing it back home for a splashdown in the Pacific on Friday.  Today’s roughly six hour lunar fly-by promises views of the moon’s far side, and a total solar eclipse as the moon blocks the sun and exposes a shimmering corona.  Godspeed, crews, as you reach a critical point in your journey today – we’ll be watching excitedly.

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