Crime/Public Safety

Hancock VFD Moves into New Station

(Hancock)  It was moving day Wednesday for the Hancock Volunteer Fire Department as they officially moved into their long-awaited and much needed new station near Hancock Grammar School.  They say it was bittersweet but exciting as they cleaned out the old station and moved equipment and apparatus across the street the past few weeks and then mid-week raised a pair of new flags.  The crew says they look forward to hosting an Open House yet this summer after they take care of a few more housekeeping details.

Holden Chief Eddie Benjamin Honored with Community Policing Award 

(Holden)  Chief Eddie Benjamin of the Holden Police Department is the real deal, a community-focused officer who strives to carry on the late Chief Chris Greeley’s “25 Days of Kindness” program.  This week, Benjamin and the Holden Police Department were honored with the 1st Place Community Policing Award.  Holden PD was selected as the top agency in New England among departments serving communities with under 15K residents.  

Bike Rodeos Teach Kids Safety

(Undated)  Bike rodeos take place all over the country, designed to teach kids how to navigate roads safely on a bike.  They provide a safe place for kids to practice their biking skills by learning the rules of the road.  Last month, over 50 kids turned out for the popular bike rodeo at Deer Isle-Stonington Elementary.  Island Ad-Vantages reports the school parking lot was transformed into an interactive bike course, complete with a traffic circle.  Anne Douglas said she started the rodeo about 13 years ago.  She said while bikes are one of the best ways to get around, the island is a horrible place to ride.  One of the first things she cautions kids?  Don’t ride on Route 15.  Instead, she says the best places to ride are Dunham Point Road and parts of the Reach Road.

Economy

Home Sales Slump in May

(Maine)  Home sales eased in Maine in May, even as the state saw a rise in the number of properties going on the market.  The Bangor Daily News reports buyers closed on deals on 1,206 homes last month, down 2.8% from May 2025.  The median sales price for a home in Maine remained unchanged at $425K, according to the Maine Association of Realtors.  Nationally, home sales rose a modest 3.3% in May, while in the Northeast as a whole, home sales dropped 8% compared to the same month a year ago.

Heart of Ellsworth Seeks Project Coordinator for Downtown Building Project

(Ellsworth)  Heart of Ellsworth is seeking proposals from qualified individuals or consultants for a part-time, project-based coordinator to support the Downtown Building Inventory & Development Readiness Project.  The project involves completing a comprehensive inventory and analysis of some 200 downtown commercial buildings.  Heart of Ellsworth Director Cara Romano said the project is about understanding what exists downtown today in order to create a better plan for what’s possible tomorrow.  The work is expected to begin July 1st and continue through December, requiring about 12 hours a week.  Contact Heart of Ellsworth for more information.

Education

George Stevens Academy to Break Ground on Entrance Gateway

(Blue Hill)  George Stevens Academy in Blue Hill is slated to break ground on its Gateway to Campus Renewal Project by July 1, with completion expected in 2027.  The Penobscot Bay Press reports the academy recently entered the final phase of fundraising for the $2.1M project, which includes several prominent interior and exterior features – a new entrance house that replaces the former “back alley” student corridor, a weather canopy to shelter arriving students, and a unified walkway connecting most campus buildings.  Administrators say the project is being funded by money raised privately over the years and is a necessary improvement for the school, its staff and students.

Environment

Rat Poison Banned

(Maine)  Rat infestations are no small matter – but neither, says the state, are powerful poisons that threaten not JUST rodents, but wildlife and the environment, as well.  The Portland Press Herald reports Maine has now banned homeowners from buying a group of powerful rat poisons, in a move to prevent accidental harm to wildlife, pets, and children.  The poisons don’t kill mice and rats instantly, allowing weakened pests to wander and die elsewhere.  When a predator eats them, that secondary exposure can kill them, as well.  Advocates say it’s a step in the right direction, but doesn’t go far enough.  The 2025 law that triggered the retail ban called for restricting outdoor use of all rodenticides in residential settings.  They say expanding the ban would better fulfill the law’s intent.

Maine DEP Denies Certification for Ellsworth Dams

(Ellsworth)  The Maine Department of Environmental Protection has officially denied water quality certification for the Ellsworth Hydroelectric Project on the Union River.  The permit is a critical requirement for federal relicensing.  The project encompasses the Graham Lake and Ellsworth dams owned by Black Bear Hydro Powers, a subsidiary of Brookfield.  MDEP concluded the dams’ current operating policies fail to meet environmental standards. Environmental groups and state agencies have repeatedly documented mass fish kill events where migrating fish have been injured or killed by the dam’s turbines. The licensing dispute has been going on since 2020, with some lakefront residents concerned dam removal would drastically lower water levels and adversely impact property values around Leonard Lake.

ANP Sees Slowest Off Season Since Pandemic

(ANP)  Acadia National Park saw its slowest offseason since the Covid 19 pandemic this year.  The Bangor Daily News reports the number of visits this winter and spring numbered about 200K between November 2025 and April of this year.  The drop comes as a surprise, since Acadia set an all time annual record of more than 4 million visits in 2025.  Officials say the low numbers are likely a reflection of the season’s harsh winter, an extended government shutdown, and federal funding changes.

Health

Jackson Lab Receives Grant for Parkinson’s Research

(Bar Harbor)  Bar Harbor-based Jackson Lab has been awarded a $1.8M grant from the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research to support the lab’s research efforts.  The Portland Press Herald reports the lab is partnering with the New York Stem Cell Foundation to study mutations in a gene considered a risk factor for Parkinson’s.  According to the foundation’s website, Fox, known for his roles in the 80’s TV series “Family Ties” and in  “Back to the Future” Movies, was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 1991 at the age of 29 and launched his foundation in the year 2000.   

Human Interest

Rescue Cat Named for Late Philanthropist

(Maine)  Finally, a story that’s near and dear to our hearts.  No one loved, supported, and genuinely cared for others like Natalie Knox, a former owner of several local radio stations.  Few people realize Natalie was up at 3 a.m. every morning, seven days a week, to care for cats at a local animal clinic – that was before coming in to work for a full day and often supporting nonprofits at evening meetings.  Recently, Downeast Feral Cat Connections and others rescued a little cat named Roadrunner, who had been hit by a car and was hiding under a house. Roadrunner was badly broken and faced possible euthanasia.  But a local woman stepped up, paid for Roadrunner’s surgery and care and has now given her a wonderful forever home.  She renamed the little fighter Natalie Grace, after the woman who spent so much of her life doing the same before she passed away following a lengthy battle with cancer.  Happy life, little one, and thanks to the tireless rescues and everyone who is carrying on Nat’s shining example – we’re sure she’s smiling from heaven.

History Lecture at Woodlawn

(Ellsworth)  The catastrophic Ellsworth fire of 1933 forever changed the city’s architecture, transforming Main Street from a sprawling corridor of vulnerable, ornate wood-frame Victorian structures into a fortress of brick, defined by fire-resistent masonry.  Today, the enduring brick facades, recently placed on the National Register of Historic Places, stand as a testament to a city that became a Phoenix rising from the ashes to become a place of thriving retail shops, eateries, and culture.  On June 15th, Ellsworth Historical Society President Bill Fogle will discuss the fire and share historical photos at the Woodlawn Monthly History Lecture.  The 5 p.m. lecture is free, but donations are welcome, and an RSVP is required at woodlawnellsworth.org., where you can also get a Zoom link if you can’t attend in person.

School Replaces Medals Lost in Home Fire

(Ellsworth)  Cavan Jester enjoyed an incredible high school swimming career …  but during this, his senior year, the Ellsworth athlete lost all his medals and his championship jacket in a house fire.  Jester told WABI the medals meant more than anything, as he earned them through 13 years of hard work and dedication.  So he emailed Athletic Director Josh Frost, asking if there was any way the items could be replaced.  Frost contacted the MPA and Dinn Brothers Trophy, and they got to work.  Jester’s 15 medals arrived just in time to surprise him on class night. Dinn brothers scored another win by replacing the three medals earned thus far by Jester’s younger sister, Rylan, an EHS sophomore.  

Valdine Atwood Recognized

(Machias)  Valdine Atwood was recognized at last night’s monthly Washington County Commissioner’s Meeting in Machias.  Atwood, a local historian, genealogist, and community leader, is widely celebrated as the County’s “history keeper”.  Sources tell Downeast Digest she’s spent decades preserving Downeast history and helping community members trace their ancestral roots.  In addition, Atwood founded the Washington County Courthouse Heritage Center Museum and Genealogy Research Room.  For 38 years, she managed and chaired the historic Revolutionary War-era Burnham Tavern Museum, where plans for the war were carefully crafted in secret.  Atwood has personally overseen the safeguarding of more than 600 historic newspaper volumes archived at the County Courthouse, where the room will be named in her honor.  Valdine received a plaque detailing the honor and thanking her for her years of dedicated service.

National News

Trump Threatens to Hit Iran

(AP)  President Donald Trump yesterday declared the U.S. would “hit Iran VERY HARD” Thursday night, threatening in a post on social media to “assume total control” of Iran’s oil and gas industries, including key Kharg Island, in the not too distant future.  The Associated Press reports the U.S. and Iran traded strikes for a second day on Thursday, pushing the Middle East closer to the resumption of a full-scale war.

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