Crime/Public Safety

Mill River Park in Thomaston Closed to Dogs for a Year

(Thomaston)  Town officials in Thomaston have closed Mill River Park to all dogs beginning tomorrow, May 1st, for a year.  The decision follows ongoing concerns about water quality in the St. George River.  Recent findings from the Maine Department of Marine Resources indicate elevated contamination levels, with evidence suggesting pet waste could be a contributing factor.  The closure will be reevaluated after a year of monitoring and water quality testing throughout the season.  

Versant Power Warns Against Door-to-Door Impersonators

(Bangor)  Versant Power says it has received reports of persons going door-to-door claiming to represent Versant Power while promoting solar services.  The utility says such individuals are not associated with Versant. They caution folks to protect themselves, saying never share account numbers or personal information with unsolicited visitors, review documents carefully before signing, and ask to see official identification. They add it’s important to trust your instincts if something doesn’t feel right and advise customers to call Versant’s Customer Contact Center to verify any interactions or report suspicious activity.

Local Politics

Free Speech Debate

(Undated)  How far does free speech go, or should there be limits?  Some people are up in arms over the Jimmy Kimmel-Melania Trump debate, while others point to President Trump posting on his Truth Social account after the death of Robert Mueller, “Good, I’m glad he’s dead.”  The Bangor Daily News reports a right-wing, MAGA supporting activist who goes by the moniker “Corn Pop” has won a federal court ruling that could lead cities, towns, and school boards to overturn policies banning vulgar or abusive speech at meetings.  Nicholas Blanchard of Augusta on Monday won the first round of his suit against his local school board; a suit that promises to be ongoing. Municipalities have adopted policies to tamp down on rancorous discussions.  Augusta, through its lawyers, predicted escalating disruptions and less decorum if such policies are thrown out.

Not So Much Love in Copyright Suit

(Maine)  Remember the famous LOVE sculptures that seemed to be everywhere in the 1970’s?  The artwork was attributed to the late Robert Indiana, a longtime Maine resident.  But the Portland Press Herald reports there’s not a lot of the fond emotion between a group that owns the rights to his work and Indiana’s former associate, Michael McKenzie. A jury ruled McKenzie produced fraudulent pieces and violated copyright and trademark laws, and awarded more than $102M in a case filed in New York shortly before Indiana’s death in 2018.  

Economy

Heating Oil Help

(Ellsworth)  As heating oil prices rise sharply, Community Action in Aroostook, Washington and Hancock Counties is urging anyone in need to apply for heating assistance now, if they haven’t already done so.  A new option now available is “Walk in Wednesdays” for those who simply want to drop by without an appointment.  Walk-in Wednesdays will run every week through May 27 at Customer Services Center in multiple municipalities, including in Ellsworth, from 9 to 4.  Or you can call and fill out an application with an intake specialist.  Visit  a c a p dash m e dot org to learn more.

Environment 

Friends of KWW to Make Stop at Fogtown in Ellsworth

(Ellsworth)  Friends of Katahdin Woods and Waters will be making a stop at Fogtown Brewery in Ellsworth on May 11th.  It’s one of four stops planned across the state to market the monument’s vast outdoor resources and gather public input on its future direction.  The Bangor Daily News reports the monument is one of the largest tracts of national wildlands.  The public sessions will allow communities to learn more about what the monument offers and help set priorities for the next decade.  Designated a National Monument a decade ago under then-President Barack Obama, the National Park Service says it, along with other public lands, has faced budgets slashed by the Trump Administration, even as more travelers seek the untouched wilderness, making public feedback more important than ever.

Health

Finding Our Voices Dental Awards

(Maine)  Finding Our Voices has won a Purple Ribbon Award for its “Finding Our Smiles” program – a groundbreaking project of donated dental care featuring 40 Maine dental providers across nine counties who voluntarily work to restore the smiles and lives of women survivors of domestic abuse.  According to a Press Release, the nonprofit won the distinction in the category of “Most Innovative Service”.  Maine dental clinics have provided close to $400K in life-mending treatment to 64 women survivors of domestic abuse since the program began in 2022.  The “Finding Our Smiles” program is active in Hancock, Knox, Penobscot, Waldo, and five other counties in Maine, as well as nationwide.  

Infrastructure

Machias Dike Reopens

(Machias)  The Machias Dike Bridge opened to traffic a day early yesterday.  Town Manager Sarah Craighead Dedmon was the first to drive across the new structure, followed by first responders and a long line of other drivers and vehicles.  Dedmon thanked Northeast Paving and celebrated with a quick trip to Dunkin’ – something that HAD required a lengthy detour through Machiasport and Marshfield during the 29-day closure.  

Cell Tower Work

(Blue Hill)  The cell tower on top of Blue Hill Mountain is scheduled to undergo routine work beginning next Tuesday, May 5th, and likely continuing through Friday, May 22nd.  A helicopter will carry supplies to and from the tower to the field below on the first and last days of the project.  For safety reasons, all trails up Blue Hill Mountain will be closed to the public on days when the helicopter is in the vicinity.  All other days, crews will be using the service trail, so Blue Hill Heritage Trust reports that the trail may have limited public usage or be closed entirely.  Signage will be posted at the trailheads.  

Human Interest

Jane’s Walks 

(Ellsworth)  It’s Jane’s Walk Weekend!  Jane’s Walks encourage people to share stories about their neighborhoods, discover unseen aspects of their communities and use walking as a way to connect with their neighbors.  The walks were inspired by author and activist Jane Jacobs, whose writings introduced groundbreaking ideas about how cities function, evolve, and fail.  This year, Heart of Ellsworth has organized  multiple Jane’s Walks in Ellsworth, beginning with a 9 a.m. walk at Woodlawn that explores nearly 200 years of change at The Black House Museum.  A 9:30 Jane’s Walk in Winter Harbor will begin at the Weston Family Monument in the center of Brookside Cemetery and conclude with a visit to the historic Weston House. The only walk planned in Washington County takes place Saturday at 10 in Eastport and will tour the historic Hillside Cemetery, offering insights into the area’s history and residents.  

Rotarians Donate Play-Doh

(Ellsworth)  The Rotary Club of Ellsworth is well-known for raising and donating a lot of dough for community causes.  Recently, they donated a different kind of dough to AMHC, a behavioral mental health and substance use treatment center in Ellsworth.  Rotarians donated 249 containers of Play Doh.  AMHC will use the gift as part of their support services for children who have experienced unthinkable trauma.  The behavioral health specialists say Play-Doh helps young children process and communicate the trauma they have endured.

Maine Time Capsule

(Maine)  Two hundred fifty years from now, residents of Maine will unseal the state’s semiquincentennial time capsule, sealed this month for opening two and a half centuries from now.  The Portland Press Herald reports the time capsule contains seven items highlighting 2026 life in the Pine Tree State – a woven sweetgrass sunflower representing indigenous culture, a North Atlantic right whale vertebrae, a letter written by Governor Janet Mills, a poem by Maine’s poet laureate Julia Bouwsma, postcards of areas of Maine highlighted in fiction novels, including Stephen King stories, a reproduction of a bath mat showing Maine vacation destinations, and a 2024 eclipse map.  A Bicentennial capsule sealed at the Maine State Library includes over 30 items and will be opened in 2120.  

May at Versant Power Astronomy Center

(Orono)  Classes are winding down at the University of Maine in Orono, but the sky’s the limit at the planetarium during the month of May.  Friday nights at 7, explore the solar system and learn about each planet’s spectacular features with Worlds Beyond Earth. The new family program on Sundays at 2 is H2O:  the Cosmic States of Water.  Join a sea otter and a cormorant to learn about how water here on Earth shaped our world and the solar system. The Sunday 4 p.m. music show in May features Coldplay:  Sky Full of Stars. And don’t miss the free showing of Heart of New England, sponsored by the Boston Museum of Science this Sunday at 5 p.m.  Reservations are required for that one.  Check out the full schedule of events and get tickets at astro dot u maine dot e d u.

May Day

(Undated)  Tomorrow is May Day – a celebration with dual origins – ancient, pagan-rooted spring festivals that celebrated fertility and the modern, late-19th-century labor movement.  On May 1st, 1886, hundreds of thousands of U.S. workers began a general strike demanding a 10 or 8 hour workday.  This year’s global May Day theme is “Workers Over Billionaires”, with campaigns against rising costs and corporate influence and protests demanding an end to ICE operations, a call for taxing the rich, and supporting laborers.  Events are planned in most larger cities, with protests in Maine including in Bangor at the High School at 4 p.m., Calais, Machias, Rockland, and multiple other cities.  Visit may day strong dot org to learn more and to R S V P for an event.

National News 04/30/26

UAE Indicates it Will Leave OPEC

(Dubai)  The United Arab Emirates this week said it will leave OPEC, effective May 1st, depriving the oil cartel of its third largest producer and further weakening its leverage over global oil supplies and prices.  The Associated Press reports the UAE has pushed back against OPEC for years, citing low production quotas that prevented the country from selling as much oil to the world as it wanted.  The UAE has increasingly found itself at odds with Saudi Arabia over economic issues and regional politics.  Experts say a structurally weaker OPEC will find it more and more difficult to calibrate supply and stabilize prices.

AP Summary

(AP)  Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth testified before Congress on Wednesday, the first time since the Iran War began.  Democrats were expected to ask about the exorbitant costs associated with the war and the huge drawdown of critical munitions.  In a talk in Washington Tuesday, British King Charles III appeared to some to school President Trump on Democracy and on the history between the two countries.  The King noted that executive power is subject to checks and balances, receiving a standing ovation that began with Democrats and then spread across the room.  He also gave a nod to NATO and the transatlantic alliance and made a specific reference to his five years served in the Royal Navy, another contrast to the U.S. President. Charles and Camilla headed to New York yesterday, making a stop at the 9/11 memorial and meeting with first responders and victims’ families.

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