Crime/Public Safety

Firefighters Rescue Tiny Store “Employee”

(Wells)  Firefighters in Wells were called to deal with a leaking thousand-pound propane tank Sunday at Aubuchon Hardware on Post Road.  They quickly evacuated the store and a neighboring business, Borealis Breads, but then realized an important “employee” was still in the store – the Hardware’s resident feline, Tiny.  The Bangor Daily News reports Firefighter Sean Connell bravely went back in to rescue the beloved cat, ensuring she was safe and sound.  When they learned the bakery’s dough would spoil within minutes if not moved to the walk-in cooler, they stepped in there, as well, transferring the dough and preserving the bakery’s business for Memorial Day.  Talk about a Purrr-fect crew that didn’t fail to “rise to the occasion” as always.  

Local Politics

Election Officials Face New Challenges

(USA Today)  Time was, poll workers were trained for emergencies like what to do in case of fire or flood.  These days, de-escalation procedures have been added, teaching workers what to do in case a voter becomes aggressive.  And it goes further.  Multiple election officials told USA Today they’re preparing in case the federal government interferes in the mid-term elections.  They say President Trump’s threats of federal involvement in the mid-term elections have alarmed many of the nation’s thousands of election officials.  Even though the President has no power over the administration of elections, experts say clerks across the nation should get together with trainers and even attorneys and know what to do and what not to do in case the FBI, National Guard, or others show up at the polls – an unprecedented, but some say, very real concern.

Blue Hill Approves Tax  Abatement for Blueberry Barrens

(Blue Hill)  It’s been a battle for preservation that keeps bearing fruit – in more ways than one.  When the beloved Salt Pond Blueberry Barrens in Blue Hill were threatened by possible development, citizens raised funds to buy back the property, popular for walking, its views, and elver fishermen.  Now, the Blue Hill Select Board has approved a tax abatement for the property, which recently learned it still owed property taxes for 2025.  The site is set to become property of Blue Hill Heritage Trust and will not be actively farmed but managed and burned to maintain its role as an open barrens.  

Deer Isle Voters Could Face New Building Rules in 2027

(Deer Isle)  Voters in  Deer Isle could face a new set of updates to the town’s zoning ordinances next March, just months after they refreshed them in order to comply with state laws.  Town Manager Jim Fisher told Island Ad-Vantages the changes are necessary because Maine’s statutes change regularly, including the state’s LD 2003 affordable housing law.  Experts say property owners and builders should stay prepared for localized adjustments regarding accessory dwelling units, density maximums and more as towns work to satisfy state mandates without losing local control.

Economy

Swan Song Plant-Based Farmers’ Market Debuts

(Sullivan)  Sunday proved to be a bit overcast and chilly, but it didn’t put a damper on the many visitors who attended the debut of the 100% plant-based farmers’ market at Swan Song Saltwater Farm in Sullivan.  Dozens of vendors turned out with their cruelty-free and organically grown and made products.  Organizer Kim Swan chose Sundays from 1 to 4 for the market so as not to interfere with the many other local farmers’ markets that typically offer goods on Saturdays.  Vendors and products at Swan Song include baked goods from Tunk Tasty, fresh veggies and other goods from Schoodic Gypsy, the Fancy Plants Food Truck and others.  They’ll be open every Sunday afternoon through the summer.  

Education

Blue Hill Robotics Team Earns Top Honors

(Blue Hill)  Blue Hill Consolidated School’s robotics team, Foggy Logic, earned top honors earlier this month at the Robot Track meet in Brewer.  The Weekly Packet reports the team put forth an impressive performance across seven events, earning five first-place finishes.  The team’s overall performance secured the first-place all-around trophy for the school.  Teachers and administrators praised the students’  hard work, creativity, teamwork and problem solving, which they say was consistent throughout the season and the competition.

Environment

May Blue Moon 

(Maine)  May boasts a rare “Blue Moon”, a second full moon in a single month.  Because the moon’s cycle is about 29.5 days, May featured the full Flower Moon on May 1st and will boast the Blue Moon on May 31st, which will reach peak illumination at 4:45 Eastern this Sunday for early risers.  Despite its name, the moon won’t be blue.  It WILL be a micromoon, which occurs when the moon is farthest from the earth, making it appear 12 to 14% smaller than a supermoon.  A blue moon only happens every 2 to 3 years; hence the phrase, “once in a blue moon” which applies to just about anything that doesn’t happen often.

Lamoine Osprey Nest Possibly Abused

(Lamoine)  Ospreys are a federally protected species, meaning it is illegal to kill, capture or possess an osprey or to intentionally damage, disturb, or destroy an active nest.  On Sunday afternoon, the camera on the Lamoine osprey nest on Mud Creek Road captured a plastic soda bottle flying through the air in proximity to the nest, as if thrown to hit the birds, with one clearly startled raptor swooping protectively into the air.  The video is time stamped about 12:28 Sunday afternoon.  If you know anything about the incident, please contact authorities.

Health

Local NonProfit Connects First Responders with Counseling

(Hampden)  A local nonprofit is dedicated to improving mental health resources and wellness for first responders and their families.  WABI reports “Toned Out Project” works to connect dispatchers, EMS, firefighters, and police officers with private counseling sessions and peer support training, including making sure cost is not a barrier.  Co-founders Dr. Wally Fraser and Dr. Emily Genever said there’s been an increase in requests for their services in light of the recent death of Game Warden Pilot Joshua Tibbetts and the tragedy at Robbins Lumber in Searsmont.  Any first responder who would like more information on mental health services can reach out on their website or FB page.

Human Interest

Petit Rex Parade

(Belfast)  Small but mighty – Saturday turned out to be a beautiful day for the second annual Petit Rex parade in Belfast.  Inspired by the original in New Orleans, Petit Rex parades feature tiny floats that involve both adults and kids. Parade organizer Bridget Matros told the Pen Bay Pilot she was formerly with Waterfall Arts, and loves to inspire creativity in children, as well as watch the parents’ enthusiasm.  Floats included a tiny dinosaur tractor pulling a crate full of stuffed animals, a baby buggy filled with colorfully dressed creatures, a crepe paper rainbow, and tiny boats – one being threatened by a shark, often on wheels or pulled in wagons and wheelbarrows, with Matros walking a puppet goat while decked out in a hot pink wig.  Check out Erica Thoms’ delightful photos in Monday’s Pen Bay Pilot.

Two Mainers First in Nation to Receive Scout-Related College Credit

(Greenville)  Two young women from Maine are the first in the nation to receive college credit for earning their Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest achievement in Girl Scouts.  The achievement, earned by Avis Kennedy-Stirling of Greenville and Lyndsay Little of Houlton, comes through a partnership between Girl Scouts of Maine and Central Maine Community College.  Kennedy-Stirling’s project addresses light pollution and promotes responsible outdoor lighting education, while Little’s focuses on compassion and raising awareness about animal welfare, especially in light of overcrowded shelters, ultimately identifying a lack of education as a root cause of poor animal welfare.  A college spokesperson said by connecting the Gold Award experience with college credit, the school is helping students see the direct connection between leadership, service, and academic achievement.

Where in the World Winner

(Jonesport)  Congratulations to Tasha Wooster of Jonesport, who last week correctly guessed we were in Paris, France.  We’ve mailed her a $25 gift certificate to Dunkin’ – thanks to everyone who played!  This week, we’re back in Maine at a town probably most famous for a group of inflatable yellow rubber ducks that brought “Joy” to the town’s harbor until a storm blew them out to sea a couple of years ago.  It’s also home to the World’s Oldest Shoe Store, a nearly 100 year old purveyor of nuts and other goodies, the United Farmers Market, and the Colonial Theatre.  Check out our Social Media pages and enter your guess by midnight Friday at the link posted there – this week’s prize is a $25 gift card to Pat’s Pizza.  

National News 05/26/26

Pope Makes Historic Apology

(Vatican City) Pope Leo IV Monday made an historic apology for the role the Holy See played in legitimizing slavery and failing to condemn it for centuries.   According to the Associated Press, the Pope called the Vatican’s record “a wound in Christian memory”.  While past Popes have apologized for Christians’ involvement in the trans-Atlantic slave trade, none has ever publicly acknowledged or apologized for the role the Holy See played in giving European sovereigns explicit authority to enslave what they called “infidels”.  

Calls Grow for Closing of Dilley Detention Center

(AP)  A Change.org petition to close the Dilley ICE Detention Center has gathered more than 270,000 signatures, demanding the immediate closure of the South Texas facility.  Aerial photographs of the center bring stark reminders of the German camps during the Holocaust; and public figures like Ms. Rachel have continued to draw attention to children in particular living in unsanitary conditions and being refused critical medical care.  The for-profit facility is being operated by a private prison contractor under an Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE contract and is designed to detain migrant families.  Advocacy groups highlight severe conditions inside the center, including reports of unsafe drinking water, rotten food, verbal abuse, and more than 2300 children being held with parents in an unsafe prison-like environment.

Pushback for Anti-Weaponization Fund

(Washington, DC)  Outcry against President Donald Trump’s $1.8B tax-payer funded “Anti-Weaponization Fund” continues to grow.  Trump created the fund to compensate individuals who claim they were politically targeted by the prior administration.  Critics and lawmakers have raised huge concerns the fund operates as a political slush fund, as decisions on who receives payouts are made by an executive-branch commission, and payments are final and explicitly exempt from judicial review or appeals.  The seeming corruption has even created pushback from Republican lawmakers, with federal lawsuits filed by civil rights groups, nonprofits, and police officers who defended the Capitol on January 6th.  Several experts have warned the fund could be used to prop up a second attempt to overthrow the country’s Democratic form of government.

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