Crime/Public Safety

Mariaville Fire

(Mariaville)  Officials say a lithium ion battery is likely to blame for a Friday night blaze that destroyed a house in Mariaville.  Authorities say firefighters arrived at the Peninsula Drive home about 6 p.m. and found it fully engulfed, with the fire spreading into nearby woods.  No one was at home at the time of the fire, which investigators determined originated in the attached garage. Fire officials have classified the blaze as accidental.  

Orland Crash

(Orland)  Motorists traveling through Orland Saturday morning were met with a harrowing crash scene, after a car went off the road and slammed into a pole, breaking it and sending flashing lights crashing to the roadway and wires blocking the intersection of the Acadia Highway and Upper Falls Road.  The Hancock County Sheriff’s Office reports the crash happened around 9 a.m. when a 68 yo Frankfort man swerved to avoid a car driven by a 29 yo woman from Boston which entered the intersection.  The man’s vehicle went into the ditch and hit the pole.  He was taken to Eastern Maine Northern Light with non-life-threatening injuries.  His car was declared a total loss.  The woman in the other car was not injured.  First responders were on the scene to direct traffic through a narrow path on the side of the road in order for them to avoid the downed wires and debris. 

Local Politics

Aging County Commissioners

(Maine)  When does being too old replace the need for experience?  The Bangor Daily News reports most County Commissioners in Maine are in their 60s and 70s, while representation among working-age adults is low.  Although Maine has the oldest population of any state, the median is roughly 45, across Maine’s counties, the average age of a Commissioner is 68.  Commissioners are typically tasked with approving county budgets, and many counties have faced budget crises in recent years.  Waldo County has the youngest Commission overall, with the recent appointment of 39 yo Breanna Pinkham Bebb.  35 yo Noel Madore, who is running for a spot in Kennebec County, says the structure of the job, which is part time and requires daytime hours for little pay, makes it difficult for anyone who isn’t retired and living on a separate income.

Economy 

Perry’s Nut House Celebrating 100 Years

(Belfast)  Coming up on one hundred years in business?!  That’s nuts – at least in the case of Perry’s Nut House in Belfast.  Opened in 1927, they’ve been roasting the ABC’s of nuttiness – almonds, Brazil nuts, cashews … and more … straight through the Depression, World War II, the pandemic and seventeen different Presidents.  Perry’s also carries candies, fudge, and unique gifts.  The next time you’re in Waldo County, go nuts.  Stop in and see why they’re a Maine favorite that’s bound to be around for at least another century.  

Maine Restaurant Reinvents Itself in Greece

(Portland)  Portland, Maine is not exactly in our local area, but we found this interesting.  Portland has become quite the city for foodies.  One popular restaurant was Paciarino – a favorite among locals and visitors for over a decade. Sources say a lease dispute led to the restaurant’s slowdown and eventual closing.  However, you can still enjoy their huge bowls of pasta and fresh sauces … if you’re willing to travel halfway around the world.  Portland Food Map reports Paciarino has opened again … on the Greek island of Crete. Perhaps it’s not such a stretch, when you consider the owners’ journey began in Milano, Italy.  If you do make it to Crete, you’ll still find a taste of home – a whoopie pie is still featured prominently on their new website.

Tourist Towns Expect Strong Season

(Bar Harbor)  Perhaps BECAUSE of a depressing economy, signs point to a strong tourist season beginning this weekend.  The Mount Desert Islander reports this year’s potential threat is the high cost of fuel, driven by the United States’ and Israel’s attack on Iran, which led to the closing of the Strait of Hormuz, a major highway for the world’s oil.  Still, it seems people feel the need for a break.  The first week of paid parking in Bar Harbor in mid May brought $30K in revenue, indicating a robust level of visitation.  And things seem healthier at Acadia National Park.  In 2025, federal cuts threatened staffing levels and park safety, though the park still ended the year with a record more than 4 million visitors.

Environment

Bees and Blueberries

(Maine)  Every year, 1.4 billion essential workers are transported to Maine to labor among the blueberry barrens.  We’re talking bees.  Wild blueberries are completely dependent on insect pollination to set the fruit, so each spring between Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, growers truck in between 70 and 80 thousand hives of commercial honeybees from southern climates like Florida, where they overwinter.  Sources say commercial fields often place between 2.5 and 10 hives per acre to manage the roughly 9 million blueberry blossoms per acre.  And while the imports handle the bulk of the work, Maine is home to more than 50 species of native bees that are also highly efficient pollinators, so growers are increasingly creating perennial wildflower plots on the borders of fields to give them alternative food sources when the short blueberry bloom ends.

Human Interest

Photographer Publishes Second Book on Reading Nooks

(Gardiner)  A Gardiner photographer has just published a second book showing Mainers in their favorite reading spots.  Entitled Maine’s Still Reading, Buddy Doyle’s book includes photos of 50 Mainers – from the famous to the more ordinary – in their favorite reading nooks.  One subject, children’s author and illustrator Chris VanDusen, tells the Portland Press Herald, “You get to see people’s special places … it makes you think about reading in different ways.”  There are people in bathtubs, on boats, in wooded retreats, alone, and with pets.  However and wherever YOU read, we hope you’ll support reading, programs, and the community it brings through our local libraries, especially with your vote for the Ellsworth Public Library’s Charter Amendment on June 9th.   

Rural Libraries Awarded ARSL Grants

(Maine)  Fifty four small, rural libraries throughout New England have been awarded 2026 Sustainable & Resilient New England Libraries Grants from the Association for Rural & Small Libraries.  The awards will be used to help fund such things as capital improvements, door and window upgrades, technology improvements, and community-driven programs.  Among Maine’s awardees – the Lincoln Memorial Library, Lubec Memorial Library, Millinocket Memorial Library, and Peabody Memorial Library in Jonesport.  Congratulations!

Weather Cancels Parades

(Maine)  With forecasts calling for 100% rain today, many Memorial Day parades and some other events have been cancelled.  Be sure to check ahead if you have activities planned.  

Cottontail Cottage Farm Sanctuary Seeks Donations

(Whitefield)  Cottontail Cottage Farm Sanctuary in Whitefield is looking for donations to help with three big spring projects.  They say the first is to fence off the big field so their hooved friends can get out and run, play, and enjoy munching on the grass.  They also hope to resume work on the big barn and ell in order to move the bunnies over to a new wing where they can stay cool in the hot summer months to come.  The sanctuary spends about $2500 every six weeks on hay to feed most of their rescues, so ongoing donations are a huge help.  You’ll find a link to donate on their social media pages.

Open Lighthouse Day

(Maine)  While it’s several months away, for those of you who like to plan ahead, September 12th is the date of this year’s Open Lighthouse Day in Maine.  For just one Saturday, Maine’s most treasured coastal lights open their doors – towers, keeper’s houses, and shops, including the famously photographed Portland Head Light.  Lace up some comfy shoes, climb the steps, meet the keepers, snap awe-inspiring ocean views.  Twenty of the iconic lighthouses will be open up and down the coast, and visits on September 12th are free.  To learn more, visit visitmaine.net.

National News 05/25/26

CBS News Radio Signs Off

(Undated)  Walter Cronkite … Dan Rather … Norah O’Donnell.  After 99 years of trusted newscasting, CBS News signed off the air Friday night at 11:30 p.m. with an Edward R. Murrow voiceover.  Parent company Paramount cited deep cost-cutting measures amid shrinking radio revenue and changes in station programming.  Paramount has faced backlash for the decision, along with its decision to end The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, despite its incredible popularity and profitability.

Trump Says Deal with Iran “Largely Negotiated”

(AP)  President Trump on Saturday said a deal with Iran on the war that includes opening of the Strait of Hormuz has been “largely negotiated”, following talks with Israel and other allies in the region.  According to the Associated Press, Trump made the announcement on social media without giving details.  There was no mention of Iran’s nuclear program and highly enriched uranium, which Tehran has said it wants to discuss at a later time.

Shots Fired at White House

(Washington, DC)  A man who opened fire Saturday near a White House security checkpoint was reportedly shot dead by officers who returned fire.  According to the U.S. Secret Service, it was the third incidence of gunfire in proximity to President Trump in the past month.  Witnesses say the suspect, identified as 21 yo Nasire Best, pulled a weapon from his bag shortly after 6 p.m. and began firing.  A bystander was also struck, but it was unclear by whom.

DOJ Removes News Releases Regarding January 6th

(AP)  The Department of Justice is acknowledging it has removed from its website news releases about criminal cases related to the attempted overthrow of the government by rioters on January 6th, 2021, calling the information about the prosecutions “partisan propaganda”.  On his first day back in office last year, Trump pardoned, commuted the prison sentences, or vowed to dismiss the cases of all 1500-plus persons charged with crimes during the Capitol assault, including those convicted of attacking officers with makeshift weapons, such as a hockey stick and a flagpole. 

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