Local Politics

Election Day

(Maine)  It’s Primary Election Day here in Maine.  While many have chosen to vote by mail, others still like to show up in person.  On the ballot in Maine this year, seats for the US Senate and House, the office of Governor, State Senate and House seats, and issues surrounding municipal government and local ballot measures.  An excellent resource if you want to know who’s running and what the issues are in your state and town is ballotpedia.org.  Just use the pull down menu to find Maine and the year 2026, and follow the prompts from there.  No matter your party or where you stand, we hope you’ll be sure to get to the polls and make your voice heard.

Bar Harbor Woman Chalks Up Her Actions to Free Speech

(Bar Harbor)  A Bar Harbor activist has taken her message to the streets – or rather, to the sidewalks … with chalk. The Bangor Daily News reports most of Annlinn Kruger’s sidewalk chalk messages are directed against conservative lobbyist Leonard Leo, who lives in Mount Desert and who has a history of advocating for installing conservatives on the Supreme Court.  While officials champion Kruger’s right to free speech (the town does not have an explicit ordinance against chalking), they’ve become increasingly concerned about the possible toxicity of the products she uses, with Public Works scrubbing the messages not out of political concern, but concern for the environment.  Kruger says she’s currently testing out a new chalk paint and a new message honoring the nation’s 250th.  

Politics and the Pledge

(Bucksport)  Politics have become so divisive, people are reluctant to post the American flag or even say the Pledge of Allegiance.  According to the Bangor Daily News, a proposal to add the Pledge to start Town Council meetings in Bucksport was tabled at last month’s gathering.  Councilor Teri Doty wanted to add recitation of the pledge, but decided to see what others thought first. The issue was tabled in a 3-nothing vote.  Deputy Mayor Mark Eastman, who chairs the committee, said national politics has been kept from Bucksport meetings during his nine-year council tenure and echoed the feelings of others, saying, “I just worry that this will become divisive, as unfortunate as it is.”  Issues reportedly arose in Hampden in 2014 when council there decided to add the pledge and some were scrutinized for failing to stand.  Eastman added, “Our job is roads, budgets, town business … and I’d rather keep it to that.”

Education

Hancock Grammar Middle Schooler Brings Home a First for State of Maine

(Hancock)  A middle schooler at Hancock Grammar School has brought home a first for the state of Maine.  Last week, two members of the school’s SkillsUSA team attended the National SkillsUSA Conference in Atlanta.  Fifth grader Harland Stanley and eighth grader Natalie Larson qualified for the competition after winning gold medals at the Maine SkillsUSA event in March.  Stanley showed how to make a blueberry muffin in Job Skill Demonstration, earning honors as 4th place in the nation.  Larson designed a Maine-themed pin, which earned her a bronze medal, third place in the nation, and making her the first middle school student in Maine to bring home a medal.  Larson proudly accepted her medal on the national stage, alongside the gold and silver medalists.  Congratulations to both students and to their dedicated advisor, Wanda Gatcomb.  Thanks for making Maine proud!

Economy

Orrington Man Buys Bucksport’s Former Fire Station

(Bucksport)  An Orrington man is the new owner of Bucksport’s former fire station.  The River Observer reports Chris Pepin’s bids for the building and a lot on Mechanic Street were the high bids and were approved by the town council at a recent meeting.  Both bids were above the minimums set by the Council in April.  The former fire station has been on the property for more than 100 years. Proceeds from the sale will eventually be used to help rebuild the town’s fund balance, which has been depleted over the years.  No word yet on what Pepin plans to do with the properties.

Comfort Cases Pajama Drive

(Hancock)  A new pair of pajamas can bring comfort, dignity, and a sense of normalcy to a child during one of the most difficult times of his or her life.  Our local Comfort Cases organization is hosting a pajama drive June 15th through August 15th.  Your donation helps them include brand new pajamas in Comfort Cases, backpacks filled with essentials for children entering foster care.  You can donate pajamas (new only, please) of any size, from infant to teen – with pajamas for all seasons needed, although they ask no holiday designs be included.  Drop off your donations beginning Monday at Alberta’s Salon in Ellsworth or at 766 Eastside Road in Hancock.  The nonprofit says your gift provides a sense of security, comfort and reassurance, and hope for a brighter tomorrow.

Axe Women Turn Up the Heat with Axe-Kickin’ Hot Sauces

(Fort Kent)  When it comes to being hot, it’s more than just the competition for Maine’s Axe Women.  During the pandemic, the team, many of whom worked from home, quarantined for the recommended time, then safely met up to travel to outdoor shows, staying in AirBnB’s, state park cabins, and other venues that, unlike hotels, had limited contact with others. It was during that time the women discovered something else they all had in common – a penchant for spicy foods.  Someone suggested they needed their own line of hot sauces, and Axe-Kickin’ Hot Sauces was born. The product was an instant hit!  Today, a team in Colorado works with the crew, sticking with the recipes and ingredients and fulfilling online and wholesale orders.  We highly recommend checking them out at axekickinsauce.com – where you’ll find everything from the tasty Cajun Cayenne to the flame-inducing Reaper Scorpion, Bloody Mary Mix, spices and condiments, and more.  Get ‘em while they’re hot!

Colonial Theatre in Belfast Undergoes Leadership Transition

(Belfast)  The nonprofit organization that operates the historic Colonial Theatre in Belfast is in the process of staging a leadership transition. The MidCoast Villager reports The Hawthorne Arts Collective is currently being led by Interim Director Alice Seeger. It’s hoped a planned restructuring will help the venue continue to expand its role as a regional cultural hub.  Seeger says the young nonprofit is tasked with preserving a very old but beloved Belfast institution; and while details have not yet been released, the change comes during a period of continued growth for the Colonial.  The historic venue closed for a time when the current owners retired in 2022.  But the community rallied, organizing the rescue effort that resulted in the creation of the nonprofit – a move widely viewed as one of Belfast’s most successful examples of community-led preservation.  Since then, the Colonial has evolved from being primarily a movie theatre to a hub of programming that includes independent and foreign films, live music, comedy performances, community forums, and more.  

Environment

Birdsacre Hosts Bird Watching Walk

(Ellsworth)  Whether you’re a new or experienced birdwatcher, join Birdsacre in Ellsworth for a walk to look and listen for our summer winged visitors.  Bring your binoculars and bug nets or repellent and explore Birdsacre’s wooded trails.  After the walk, enjoy the Nature Discovery Center and sanctuary grounds.  The walk is set for this Saturday, June 13th from 8 to 9:30.  The gates will be closed at that early hour, but they say just enter through the driveway located just before China Hill.

Deer Isle Awarded $80K for Groundwater Study

(Deer Isle)  The town of Deer Isle is planning to use an $80K state grant to study and map freshwater resources within its borders.  Town Manager Jim Fisher told Island Ad-Vantages the money is coming from the state’s community resilience partnership, a program started by Governor Janet Mill’s Office of Policy and Innovation.  As an island community, Deer Isle relies heavily on localized aquifers.  Data derived from the study will help local officials craft long-term policies that will guarantee a safe and sustainable drinking water supply, especially as coastal islands face the threat of saltwater being pushed into underground pools by rising sea levels – thus threatening residential wells.  Officials say the study will also help with estuary protection, reducing excess runoff and protecting marine estuaries and shellfish harvesting areas from contamination.  

Human Interest

Island Reader Seeks Submissions for 2027

(NE Harbor)  What brings you joy?  The Island Reader, published annually by Maine Seacoast Mission, wanted to know.  Edited by islanders and the crew of the Sunbeam, this year’s 20th edition contains a range of short stories, poetry, photographs, and art that embodies what it means to live on an unbridged island, with the theme of joy being this year’s prompt.  Submissions for the publication come from a dozen such Maine islands, including Matinicus, Monhegan, Swan’s Island, and Isle au Haut.  You can get a copy at seacoastmission.org.  And if you live or work on one of those islands and are ready to put pen to paper yourself, from July 1 to January 15th, 2027, The Island Reader will be accepting submissions for next year’s publication.  The theme for ‘27 is “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

Bucksport Couple Offers Generous Gift to Help Fund Library

(Bucksport)  When the Bucksport Town Council decided not to include the local library’s request for $20K in the FY 2027 budget – part of stringent budget cuts – the library faced a bleak chapter in its ongoing story of serving the community.  The library began a critical fundraising campaign, and a local couple has stepped up to offer $10K in matching funds in order to secure a happy ending.  Katelyn and Isaac Bray called the library “the beating heart of our town … a place to gather, learn, and connect with others in the community.”  They also say the library helps teach kids to be curious and engaged in learning and is not partisan or political, available to all as a community resource.  The River Observer reports the challenge is ongoing until August 1st, the date of the library’s summer reading wrap-up.

Registration Underway for Milbridge Days Codfish Races

(Milbridge)  Where else can you suit up in your finest foul weather gear, showcase your Sou’wester, hug a slimy dead fish, and run through water in your hip boots?  Nowhere else but the annual codfish races during Milbridge Days.  Registration for this year’s July 25th event is now underway, and the first ten teams to register by the end of this month will get free tee shirts.  Teams only need four people, and all ages are welcome, with adult and junior team categories.  Check out Milbridge Days on FB to learn how to submit your registration.

National News 06/09/26

Kennedy Center Removes Trump’s Name from Website

(WP)  The Kennedy Center on Monday removed President Donald Trump’s name from its website and YouTube page, although Trump’s name remained on the front of the building as of yesterday.  The change comes more than a week after a federal judge ruled the center’s Board of Trustees illegally renamed the venue, ordering restoration of its title – The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.  The Washington Post reports removing Trump’s name from the Center’s website is the most concrete public reversal so far in the president’s attempt to take control.  The addition of Trump’s name drew swift condemnation from arts figures and members of the Kennedy family, who decried it as defiling a living memorial to the assassinated President.  In his ruling, the judge said, “Congress gave the Kennedy Center its name, and only Congress can change it.”

Scott’s Giving Pledge Inspired by Book

(Fortune)  Months after her 2019 divorce from Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, MacKenzie Scott signed The Giving Pledge and started on her path to give away her $36B net worth.  The pledge, she tells Fortune Magazine, was inspired by a passage from a book she read in college.  Scott said when reading Annie Dillard’s The Writing Life, she starred and underlined the passage where Dillard advised writers not to hoard their best material for some later chapter.  She added “The impulse to save something good for a better place later is the signal to spend it now … otherwise you open your safe and find ashes.” In the past six years, Scott has donated more than $26B across more than 2,700 gifts.

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