Crime/Public Safety/Drugs

Early Morning Crash Leaves One Dead in Ellsworth

(Ellsworth)  An Orrington man is dead and another man was seriously injured in an early morning crash in Ellsworth Thursday.  Authorities say about 1:30 a.m., 19-year-old Landon Rockwell was on Main Street near the intersection of the Surry and Bucksport Roads when he lost control and slammed into two houses on the opposite side of the road. Rockwell was thrown from the car.  He was taken by ambulance to a local hospital, then flown to Bangor.  A passenger in Rockwell’s car, 23-year-old Paul Meservey of Orrington, was killed.  No one was living in the first house hit; a person in the second house complained of pain and was taken to Maine Coast Memorial.  Authorities are continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding the crash.  

Brooks Woman Arrested on Drug Charges

(Brooks)  A woman from the Waldo County town of Brooks was arrested Wednesday, following a months-long investigation by MDEA and the Waldo County Sheriff’s office.  Authorities say 41-year-old Aimee Brown was stopped in Burnham after agents identified her as a person involved in undercover purchases of cocaine.  No drugs were found in her vehicle at the time, but they say Brown indicated she was secreting drugs on her person.  Brown was taken to the Waldo County Correctional Facility, where she voluntarily turned over the drugs.  Authorities say they anticipate making more arrests in the case.

October is Pedestrian Safety Month

(Maine)  At some point in the day, we’re all pedestrians – whether walking to work or school, running errands, exercising, or shopping.  The Maine Department of Public Safety says drivers and pedestrians alike are responsible for keeping Maine’s roadways safe.  With October being Pedestrian Safety Month, authorities urge drivers to slow down, stay alert, and watch carefully for pedestrians, who are also urged to remain alert, watch for vehicles, and take steps to make themselves as visible as possible with lights and reflective clothing … especially during the evenings and overnight.  Be sure to walk facing traffic, and encourage children to walk with a buddy. In 2025, Maine recorded 244 pedestrian-involved crashes, 22 of which involved fatalities.   

Local Politics

Sullivan Voters to Weigh in on Decade Old Action

(Sullivan)  Voters in Sullivan this year are being asked to weigh in on a decision that was made almost a decade ago.  A group of citizens is questioning whether the intent of action taken at a June 2017 meeting was meant to confirm adoption of a change to a Town Manager form of government.  The town has since been under three separate Town Managers, beginning with Robert Eaton, who retired at the end of his initial three-year contract.  A yes vote will ratify previous actions taken by town officials; a no vote could mean big changes.  Townsfolk with questions about the question can call the town office and/or attend a public hearing set for Tuesday, October 20th.

Former President Endorses Troy Jackson

(Augusta)  Senate Candidate Troy Jackson picked up a pretty big endorsement Thursday.  Former President Barack Obama officially endorsed the Democrat running against five-term incumbent Republican Susan Collins.  The endorsement was delivered in a 50-second video published on YouTube, with Obama praising Jackson’s working-class background and legislative achievements, including fighting to raise wages, lowering the cost of prescription drugs, and enacting universal free school lunch for Maine students.  The race remains tight, with the latest polls showing each candidate with 50% and Republicans touting Collins’s experience and influence that has brought a good deal of federal money and jobs to the state.

Hancock County Sheriff’s Race

(Ellsworth)  The race for Hancock County Sheriff has more intrigue than a James Patterson novel, including a candidate that switched parties, the other endorsed by members of his opposing party.  Democrat Dakota Dupuis is running against Republican Corey Bagley.  Voters IN the know know not to depend just on endorsements, political posturing, or hearsay, but to do their own research.  The Blue Hill Peninsula publication, The Rising Tide, has a great interview with both candidates at risingtide.media.  Both candidates answer questions on their FB pages.  And when it comes to Ellsworth City Council, we can’t thank Heart of Ellsworth and others enough for planning Tuesday’s Meet the Candidates night, set for 6:30 at the Grand, or you can livestream that on the City’s YouTube Channel.  Also, a chance to meet the candidates for school board and library trustees at the library October 21st at 5 p.m.  Research, do your homework, and make informed decisions.

Ranked Choice Voting in Maine

(Augusta)  Maine is one of just two states (Alaska the other) that conducts some statewide elections using ranked choice voting.  The Maine Monitor reports the process is used only in federal races during the general election; so Maine is left with a type of hybrid voting.  For the November 3rd election, ranked choice voting will be used in the two federal races that have at least three candidates, including declared write-in candidates. Those are the race for Senate and the race for Maine’s second congressional district, where Republican former Governor Paul LePage is running against Democratic State Auditor Matt Dunlap and one independent.  According to maine.gov, if you only want to vote for one candidate, the ballot instructs you to mark only the first choice oval for your candidate.  If you have questions, visit maine.gov and search for ranked choice voting, frequently asked questions.

Economy

Photo Project Shines Light on Hidden Homeless 

(USM)  A photo project in collaboration with the University of Southern Maine and others is shining a light on the hidden homeless in rural Maine.  The Conway Daily Sun reports the Photovoice Project is a community research initiative that puts cameras in the hands of rural Maine residents who have experienced housing insecurity, with a goal of making hidden homelessness visible to the public.  Using a method where participants document their first-hand experiences through photos, discussion, and advocacy messages, photovoice exposes the often-unnoticed realities of housing instability and rural homelessness masked by the state’s scenic exterior.  Participants call for open access to restrooms and showers, increased affordable housing and emergency shelters, and inclusion in making policy decisions that affect them personally.  Learn more at the link you’ll find on our FB page.  storymaps.arcgis.com.

Mainers Feel the Pinch at the Grocery Store

(Maine)  People have a lot on their plates these days, or maybe not so much when it comes to food.  According to The Maine Monitor, grocery prices in the northeast have grown about 28% in the last six years.  But the average weekly wage in Maine, at least, has stayed consistently lower than the national average and has continued to lag behind, and nearly half of Maine’s residents struggle to pay for basic needs.  That means shoppers are avoiding certain foods, traveling further to buy in bulk, and buying fewer items overall.  The Monitor found national grocery corporations, meanwhile, are maintaining stable or growing profit margins. Some 22K households in Maine that used to qualify for help no longer do so after cuts in President Donald Trump’s so-called “Big Beautiful Bill”, increasing the strain on food pantries and other community-based outreach.

Environment

Students Hike All 26 Mountains on MDI

(MDI)  A group of MDI middle schoolers and one elementary kiddo set out this summer to complete a challenge put to them by physical education teacher Justin Norwood.  The Mount Desert Islander reports the fifth grader, two seventh, and two eighth graders spent the summer hiking all 26 mountains on MDI!  As part of the MDES phys ed program, Norwood takes classes into Acadia National Park once the weather warms in the spring.  He says that’s where the idea of the challenge came to him…though he wasn’t really sure anyone would take him up on it. They sure did.  Throughout the summer, the students’ sent Norwood pics of themselves hiking Beehive, Flying, Sargent, and Cadillac Mountains – which they say were among their favorites.  Norwood himself has completed the challenge twice, so he knows the commitment involved. The students not only earned bragging rights, but custom sweatshirts ordered by Norwood.  We’ve shared a photo and their names on our FB page, thanks to the Mount Desert Islander.

Human Interest

New Dog Registration Database in Effect October 15th.

(Undated)  You still have some time to complete those annual dog registrations, but if you visit your municipal town office to register your pup anytime soon, clerks are asking for your patience.  A new statewide dog registration database will take effect next Thursday, October 15th; and they say at least initially, registration will take longer than in previous years.  To help speed things along, make sure you bring along a copy of each dog’s up-to-date rabies certificate.  In Maine, all dogs must be licensed upon reaching 6 months of age or within ten days of adoption or moving to a new town.  Licenses expire annually on December 31st.

Library Passport Challenge

(Maine)  As you travel around the state this weekend admiring the colorful leaves, don’t forget your library passport!  Gather signatures or stamps from any library in each of Maine’s 16 counties and you’ll be entered into a prize drawing and celebrated as a Maine Library Passport Challenge winner!  Complete your journey by December 31st.  Visit the Maine Library Association – or better yet, your local library, to learn more.  

Monday Holiday

(Maine)  Whether you still call it Columbus Day or Indigenous People’s Day, don’t forget many federal and state offices will be closed Monday.  Maine is one of several states that officially recognizes the second Monday in October as Indigenous People’s Day, honoring the history, culture, resilience, and contributions of the Wabanaki Nations – the Maliseet, Micmac, Penobscot, and Passamaquoddy peoples, who’ve inhabited the region for thousands of years.  The Abbe Museum in Bar Harbor has a lot planned for the day, beginning at 10 a.m., and Monday’s entrance fee to the Abbe is “pay what you wish”.  

Big Jim Returning to Prospect Harbor

(Searsport)  Big Jim, the 40-foot-tall refurbished cutout of first a sardine purveyor, then a lobster fisherman, spent the summer wowing visitors to Searsport and the Penobscot Marine Museum.  But it’s time for Jim to return home to Prospect Harbor.  With that in mind, the Mount Desert Islander reports, Jim got a big sendoff last week at the museum, with a celebration that included crafts, food, and live music, as part of the museum’s “Sardinefest”.  Before the statue can once again take its place where it stood for decades at what was then the Stinson Sardine Cannery, he needed to be taken apart, then reassembled and will be welded back together upon reinstallation at what is now Bold Coast Seafood, where they plan a welcome back party yet this month. Follow Big Jim’s continuing journey at gouldsborohistory.org.

National News 10/09/26

Headlines

(AP)  In today’s national news headlines, the Associated Press reports an attorney for CNN, MS Now, and Politico on Thursday asked a federal judge’s help in preventing a White House ban on journalists until the case is resolved.  

• The Trump administration is suspending tech giant Microsoft from a program used to apply for green cards by workers who come to the U.S. to live and work under H-1B visas, alleging fraud.
• And Hurricane Isaias is expected to make landfall late today as a dangerous hurricane, driving life-threatening storm surge, damaging winds, and flooding rain to parts of the Gulf Coast.

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