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HELPING DELIVER PALLETS OF FOOD to the Labor of Love Food Pantry in
Eastport on January 8 are food pantry volunteer George “Buster” Townsend
and Don Arsenault of the Good Shepherd Food Bank. (Edward French photo)
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To read all the news in The Quoddy Tides, subscribe now or pick up the newspaper at your local newsstand.
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A LARGE CROWD awaits the Sardine Drop at the Tides Institute & Museum of
Art building in Bank Square, Eastport, on New Year’s Eve. See article
about the Sardine and Maple Leaf drops in this issue.(Don Dunbar photo)
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Front Page Stories |
| Bills set focus on rural patrol and DA district |
| by Edward French |
Washington County legislators are revisiting some issues that they previously have been thwarted in getting enacted by the legislature, including increasing rural law enforcement coverage and having a separate district attorney for the county. Other proposed bills being submitted in this session of the legislature would expand the number of commercial licenses and quotas for Passamaquoddy tribal fishermen; would help local police departments that are struggling to find officers by making it easier for retired federal agents to be hired; would allow towns to require a payment in lieu of taxes by conservation organizations; and would permit businesses to add a surcharge onto credit card transactions. The deadline for legislators to submit bills for this session was January 10.
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| Aid organizations seeing increased need |
| Price of food drives demand
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| by Lura Jackson |
The residents of Washington and Charlotte counties are feeling multiple expense pressures with the rising cost of groceries and utilities driving new clients to food pantries and assistance lines. Among the most affected are younger people, including young families, resulting in dramatic increases in the number of clients served in some cases.
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Fuel funds stressed by requests |
| by Lura Jackson |
Demand for heating fuel is high in Washington County as households contend with rising costs for their essentials. Applications for the Low Income Heating Assistance Program (LIHEAP) are up more than 25%, while the average benefit is decreasing. Maine's LIHEAP fund received $37.5 million from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for the 2025 season, slightly down from last year.
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| Local shellfish licensing process stirs questions
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| by J.D. Rule |
Ninety plus miles of shorefront presents a tempting target for clamdiggers, including those who do not belong there. This is particularly so for those from towns lacking such a lucrative asset. How to define locals versus out of towners has, over the years, been a frequent and often hot topic during shellfish management discussions in area towns. Current practice allows a 10 1 ratio for a town's issuing of shellfish licenses for residents and non-residents, with a lottery held if more out of towners apply than the ratio allows, thus providing a strong incentive to non-residents to stretch the facts. |
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| Owner to rebuild fire-damaged Bluebird Motel
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| by Edward French |
The Maine Fire Marshal's Office has classified the fire that burned a portion of the 40-unit Bluebird Motel in Machias on the night of December 24 as being of undetermined origin because of the extent of the destruction. The owner of the motel, John Simard of Mechanic Falls, is planning to rebuild the front building that was significantly damaged. That building, which houses 20 units, will first need to be demolished, with six units totalled and the remaining suffering smoke damage and not having access to any electricity since the Christmas Eve blaze. |
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