By Will Tuell Sergeant Josh Beal of Marshfield and University of Maine at Machias professor Dr. Gerard “Gerry” Zegers came away from the annual Maine Warden Service awards ceremony on April 26 with two of the organization’s highest honors. Beal, who was tapped to lead Downeast game wardens in 2021, picked up 2023 Supervisor of the Year, while Zegers brought home the 2023 MWSA Merit Award for his work using cutting-edge DNA technology to solve several high-profile crimes the Warden Service has been investigating.  Machias Click here to log in https://machiasnews.com/user or Login with F ..read more

By Will Tuell The Machias Bay Area Chamber of Commerce honored two local women -- Lisa Griffin and Joanie Morin -- during its 2024 annual dinner meeting on April 22 at Helen’s Restaurant in Machias. Machias Click here to log in https://machiasnews.com/user or Login with Facebook or Subscribe now: https://www.machiasnews.com/subcatalog ..read more

By Nancy Beal Following an eventful special town meeting on April 19 in Beals, where an old hand in town affairs was returned to the select board and joined two new members (please see Machias Valley News Observer, April 24, 2024), the three met for the first time on April 23, spending three hours covering old ground and new. Machias Click here to log in https://machiasnews.com/user or Login with Facebook or Subscribe now: https://www.machiasnews.com/subcatalog ..read more

By Phil Stuart With the start of the Major League Baseball season, it might be appropriate to recognize four major league baseball players who came from Washington County.  The Downeast area has produced some outstanding baseball talent over the years, but only four actually put on a major league uniform.  All of them came from within a 20-mile radius in Washington County. Machias Click here to log in https://machiasnews.com/user or Login with Facebook or Subscribe now: https://www.machiasnews.com/subcatalog ..read more

by Jonathan Reisman I worked in my garden last week. A string of sunny sort of warm early spring days dried it out enough to get it tilled and to get peas and greens planted by Earth Day. My twenty-plus-year tiller started right up and ably prepared the soil, but loudly announced, just as I finished, that a trip to the tiller doctor would be required before further loam was lifted.  Editorial Opinion ..read more

Washington Academy Head of School Judson McBrine proudly announced senior Dakoda Davis as the recipient of the 2024 Maine Principal's Award. The award, sponsored by the Maine Principals' Association (MPA), recognizes a high school senior's academic achievement and citizenship. Dakoda is the son of Adam and Sharon Davis of East Machias.  Machias Click here to log in https://machiasnews.com/user or Login with Facebook or Subscribe now: https://www.machiasnews.com/subcatalog ..read more

On April 6, 30 homeschool leaders from across the state came together at Maple Hill Farm in Hallowell for the 1st Annual Leader Summit of the Maine Home Education Alliance (MHEA).  Machias Click here to log in https://machiasnews.com/user or Login with Facebook or Subscribe now: https://www.machiasnews.com/subcatalog ..read more

For the Month of May 2024, the StoryWalk® at Porter Memorial Library in Machias will feature the children’s book "The Vegetables We Eat" by Gail Gibbons.  Celebrate the arrival of the spring planting season with this engaging exploration of various vegetables, from planting to harvesting and consumption. Through vibrant watercolor illustrations and clear explanations, Gibbons takes young readers on a journey through the world of vegetables - how they grow, how they get to stores, how many kinds there are, and more. Machias Click here to log in https://machiasnews.com/user or Login with ..read more

By Nancy Beal Beals’ annual town meeting took place in late March and lasted nearly six hours (see Machias Valley News Observer, April 3, 2024). Three weeks later (April 19), voters from the island town of around 500 souls were back in session, picking two selectmen to replace the two who had suddenly resigned the previous week. Between 40 and 50 people crowded into the meeting room of the town office, many standing in the back or the adjacent kitchen, and spent less than an hour replacing them. Machias Click here to log in https://machiasnews.com/user or Login with Facebook or Subscribe no ..read more

By Will Tuell A novelist from Washington State who has family ties to the greater Machias area will be visiting the area in early May to promote his latest work, a historical novel spanning several generations of “Dooling” or Dowling family history and an entire continent. Mike Neir, author of Trees in the Mist, said that researching his family history led him to Machias, where he discovered, and incorporated, his ancestors’ participation in the Battle of the Margaretta into the historical romance.  Machias Click here to log in https://machiasnews.com/user or Login with Facebook or Sub ..read more