LITTLE MERMAIDS
LITTLE MERMAIDS march in the parade with cardboard fish they made during
the Eastport Mermaid Festival on August 2. See this issue for more
coverage of the festival. (Don Dunbar photo)
August 08, 2025
Front Page Stories
Eastport Port Authority and CBP wrangle over office space lease
The Eastport Port Authority is one of many ports around the country that is being caught up in an effort by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to offload its costs and responsibilities onto local ports while threatening closure of its offices for noncompliance.
Land-use ordinance nixed by Lubec voters
During a four-hour town meeting on August 6 that drew 233 voters, Lubec residents decisively turned down a proposed land use ordinance while narrowly adopting a local aquaculture ordinance.
White sharks resurfacing; Volunteers step forward for bay's first white shark week
With great white sharks being increasingly in the news along the East Coast, the Quoddy region is contributing to the uptick with the first Passamaquoddy White Shark Week, a volunteer survey of the waters to observe large sharks in the area.
White sharks resurfacing; Eastport family involved in making of iconic Jaws movie
Filled with thrills and spills, Jaws opened 50 years ago in cinemas, changing the world's view of sharks and instilling a fear in people of going swimming in the ocean.
Planning continues for new health center
Plans for a new health center in Eastport are still moving forward, although they have been delayed, in part because of funding issues caused by federal Medicaid cuts.
CBC comedy series films show on Grand Manan
Grand Manan will be in the spotlight on a future episode of the CBC comedy series "Still Standing," whose team wrapped up a week of filming on the island with a live show recorded on Tuesday evening, July 29, at the arena.
ONE OF THE 25-FOOT MECHANICAL SHARKS
ONE OF THE 25-FOOT MECHANICAL SHARKS used in the film Jaws is shown on a sea sled that was towed by Skip Harris of Eastport during the filming of
the iconic movie. (Photo courtesy of Skip Harris)
LOCAL WEATHER
Local News
2025
Tribe's solar project raises questions about net energy billing
The Maine Public Utilities Commission (PUC) is conducting an investigation into whether a rooftop solar project by the Passamaquoddy Tribe at Indian Township qualifies for the state's net energy billing program. The PUC held an initial case conference on the matter on March 11...
2025
St. Stephen apartment building boarded up; 30 people evicted
Life might settle down for residents and business owners on lower Marks Street, St. Stephen, these days, but about 30 former neighbours now need new places to live. Police showed up at 18 Marks St. on Friday morning, March 7, with a judge's order...
2025
Local legislators, residents urge support for rural patrol funding
Washington County legislators and residents offered strong support for increasing rural patrol services in the county during a recent legislative hearing, pointing to the drug crisis, the county's having the second highest violent crime rate in the state in 2020 and elderly people now being...
2025
Concerns assessed about cruise ships’ possible discharges
With approximately 55,000 cruise ship passengers expected in Eastport in 2025 -- up from 7,000 the previous year -- concerns are being raised related to discharges from the ships and how they may impact the sensitive marine ecosystems of Passamaquoddy and Cobscook bays.
2025
Lubec school board weighs budget cuts
The prospect of further tax increases dominated the February 10 meeting of the Lubec school board, despite a limited turnout. Snowed out of the customary first Thursday meeting date, the rescheduled date attracted a crowd of eight participants plus four members of the board.
2025
EMNH adjusting to nursing home reimbursement rate changes
Eastport Memorial Nursing Home (EMNH), one of only three nursing homes in Washington County, is contending with statewide changes to how nursing homes are reimbursed. The challenging new reimbursement rate will require cost saving measures for the facility, which employs between 55 and 60 people.
2025
Two Addison fishermen perish on way home
A search for two Addison fishermen off the coast of Trescott and Cutler was suspended the evening of Sunday, January 19, after rescue crews combed over 950 square miles of ocean and coastline.
Education
2025
Robbinston school board passes budget, retains school choice
At its July 10 meeting the Robbinston School Committee unanimously approved a budget that maintains school choice, is $131,002 higher than the previous school year and calls for a 62% hike in the amount raised by local taxation.
2025
Robbinston weighs cost of school choice
The June 13 meeting of the Robbinston School Committee saw a review of two prospective budgets, only one of which maintains school choice for Robbinston students.
2025
Local family sets up foundation for youth
Youth in Washington County will have the opportunity to engage in more outdoor activities with the establishment of the Jeffrey A. Stanhope Foundation in memory of the late Perry resident.
2025
Collaboration brings musicians to local schools
“Where words fail, music speaks," wrote Hans Christian Andersen of music's ability to facilitate communication – and yet there are key places where music literacy is lacking, including in Washington County elementary schools.
2025
Staff cuts feared as Lubec board eyes budget with 16% local share hike
Emotions surfaced during the budget workshop hosted on March 6 by the Lubec school board, during which the budget proposal calling for a nearly 16% hike in the local share was discussed.
2025
AOS budget voted down by area residents
The proposed AOS 77 budget for 2025-26, which is nearly 14% higher than the current budget, with a 7.1% hike in the amount raised through local taxation, failed to garner public support during a budget vote on Wednesday, February 26, at the Pembroke Elementary School.
2025
Lubec school board weighs maintenance costs
The high cost of recovering from years of postponed repairs and upkeep dominated the marathon meeting of the Lubec school board held on January 13.
Politics & Government
2025
Eastport Port Authority and CBP wrangle over office space lease
The Eastport Port Authority is one of many ports around the country that is being caught up in an effort by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to offload its costs and responsibilities onto local ports while threatening closure of its offices for noncompliance.
2025
Land-use ordinance nixed by Lubec voters
During a four-hour town meeting on August 6 that drew 233 voters, Lubec residents decisively turned down a proposed land use ordinance while narrowly adopting a local aquaculture ordinance.
2025
Planning continues for new health center
Plans for a new health center in Eastport are still moving forward, although they have been delayed, in part because of funding issues caused by federal Medicaid cuts.
2025
Eastport board told about property violation concerns
The Eastport Zoning Board of Appeals heard concerns from a resident regarding alleged property violations on Carlow Island and how the city's code enforcement officers (CEOs) have handled the situation at an informational meeting on July 21 at city hall.
2025
Village begins harbour cleanup in wake of contractor’s removal
The Village of Grand Manan has begun cleaning up piles of debris at North Head harbour, as work on the dredging project has stopped again and the contractor, Greenfield Construction, has been removed from the project.
2025
Roosevelt park to operate with fewer staff, citing loss of funds
Roosevelt Campobello International Park (RCIP) is facing a critical funding shortage as a result of an unresolved delay in part of the annual payment from the U.S. National Park Service (NPS).
2025
Discussion about salmon farm plans in Lubec becomes heated
In a marathon meeting held June 4, the Lubec Select Board coupled a series of three public hearings on ordinances and the comprehensive plan with a board meeting that was dominated by a discussion about two controversial fish farm proposals in the town.
Business & Development
2025
Eastport airport community day celebrates new terminal
The inaugural Eastport Airport Community Day was celebrated by crowds who watched skydiving demonstrations, listened to music and speeches, and viewed a Black Hawk helicopter, vintage aircraft and classic cars, all under clear skies and amid a buoyant atmosphere.
2025
Maine businesses worry about crackdown on migrant workers
Tractors stand at the ready along rolling wild blueberry barrens Downeast, where fields of naked stems offer no hint of the glorious techno‑color display to come.
2025
Lobster industry braces for potential impacts of trade war
The Maine and New Brunswick lobster industries are facing potential financial losses as a result of an escalating global trade war and declining consumer confidence.
2025
Businesses in Calais feeling effect of tariffs
The imposition of new tariffs on both sides of the border, paired with strained relations between the U.S. and Canada, are causing a slowdown for Calais businesses, some of which have seen their international sales decline by more than half.
2025
Trade war hits cross-border shopping, especially for island
The recent imposition of new tariffs, first by the U.S. and then by Canada, is driving up expenses for residents around Passamaquoddy Bay -- particularly on Campobello Island, where residents are in a unique geographical situation that separates them from the rest of New Brunswick.
2025
Economic impacts of tariffs feared along the border
Business and community leaders on both sides of the St. Croix River hope that cooler heads prevail over talk of tariffs. Earlier this month U.S.
2024
Cruise ships plan to bring 55,000 visitors to Eastport next year
More and larger cruise ships, with passenger numbers that are more than three times the city's population, are scheduled to arrive in Eastport next year.
Crime & Public Safety
2025
Ceremony for lost fishermen promotes fishing safety
A ceremony July 21 at Lubec's Lost Fishermen's Memorial drew elected representatives, members of the Maine Marine Patrol, families of lost fishermen and community members to observe Maine Commercial Fishing Remembrance Day...
2025
St. Stephen's homeless continue struggling despite open shelter
Robert McFarlane sat on a picnic bench on the grass in front of St. Stephen's University (SSU), adapting tools to work on his bicycle. He has stayed at the Lighthouse Lodge shelter for homeless people, just across Main Street from the university, since late winter.
2025
Eastport board told about property violation concerns
The Eastport Zoning Board of Appeals heard concerns from a resident regarding alleged property violations on Carlow Island and how the city's code enforcement officers (CEOs) have handled the situation at an informational meeting on July 21 at city hall.
2025
Lawful asylum seeker in Calais detained for two months by ICE
A Venezuelan asylum seeker who was lawfully working on a drywall job in Robbinston ended up being detained by U.S. Border Patrol agents and spending over two months in immigration detention after a "concerned citizen" of Calais twice called the Border Patrol about a van with "illegal aliens" ...
2025
Coast Guard proposal to remove buoys opposed by local mariners
The U.S. Coast Guard's proposal to discontinue 154 navigational buoys in Maine, with 12 in the Quoddy area, including all of the buoys in the Lubec Channel, is being opposed by some local mariners, who say they are a critical aid for piloting in waters with strong currents and plenty of fog.
2025
Arrest made in 1984 killing of Calais teenager
The tragic death of 18‑year‑old Linda Maxwell of Calais, found deceased on the shore of the St. Croix River in Robbinston in 1984, has led to the arrest of a prime suspect in the murder since it occurred over 40 years ago.
2025
Fire that destroys Lubec home preceded by violent knife attack
The March 16 fire that leveled the residence at 69 Pleasant Street in Lubec was preceded the same night by a violent knife attack inside that residence.
Image Archive
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BUDDING ENTREPRENEURS Anika and Letti Hibbard of Eastport negotiate the sale of an apple with Griffin Coes. The sisters had set up a stand in front of their High Street house on the spring-like afternoon of Tuesday, April 5, and were selling one apple for 25 cents, two apples for 50 cents or three apples for a dollar. (Edward French photo) 
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SHARING A WARM SPRINGTIME MOMENT are friends Jake Fredette, 6, and Little Topsy and her filly Sparrow, ponies owned by Jamieson's grandparents, Brenda and Richard Ferrar of Eastwind Farm in Perry. (Chessie Johnson photo) 
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Rainy days and Mondays always get me down. This passenger on an Eastport school bus, on a rainy Monday, looks like he's had a long day. The spell of wind and rain is expected to last through this coming weekend. (Edward French photo) 
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WELCOME TO EASTPORT, where the Grand Independence Day Parade is ended with the return of the fisherman statue. 
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EXCITED, Isaiah J. Mitchell and Frances Mitchell of Eastport, Logan King of Maui, Hawaii, Alex Mitchell of Fort Kent, Leah King of Maui, Jade St. Pierre of Madawaska and Lucas King of Maui react to a fire truck's siren during the Eastport parade. Photos by Edward French and Don Dunbar. 
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A PATRIOTIC CONTESTANT, Caroline O'Donnell of Winchester, Mass., waits for a decision in the Little Miss 4th of July contest. 
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ARTIST - PAINTING - BOAT IN FOG. Bonnie Foster of Voorheesville, N.Y., is among the students taking a course taught by artist Jim Salem of Eastport. It is one of the offerings of the Eastport Arts Center's SummerArts program. (Edward French photo) 
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SAILING ON A SUMMER'S DAY, the Sylvina W. Beal of Eastport approaches East Quoddy Head Lighthouse on Campobello. Passengers aboard the sailboat have seen lots of whales and other marine life in the past few weeks. (Edward French photo) 
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ADDRESSING A CROWD OF OVER 1,000 PEOPLE in the W.C. O'Neil Arena in St. Andrews is LNG opponent Art MacKay. (Gary Guisinger photo) 
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AS IN A COMMUNITY BARN-RAISING, nearly 100 people from throughout Washington County joined in the inaugural production, Noye's Fludde, at the Eastport Arts Center's new theater space on Labor Day weekend. Here, the Gossips in the Benjamin Britten opera are trying to convince Mrs. Noye not to board the ark as Noye and his animal friends prepare to depart. (Edward French photo) 
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POSING ON THE NARROW LEDGES at Gulliver's Hole in West Quoddy Head State Park, two September tourists are among many who are willing to risk a dangerous tumble to enjoy a stunning photo-op. (Chessie Johnson photo) 
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OVER HILL, OVER DALE during the Eastport Invitational cross country meet on September 28 are Shead's Justin Cyr and Calais High School's Zachary Carle. (Edward French photo) 
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GHOSTS AND OTHER STRANGE CREATURES can be seen in Downeast yards during the weeks leading up to Halloween. (Edward French photo) School space crunch forces towns to act GHOSTS AND OTHER STRANGE CREATURES can be seen in Downeast yards during the weeks leading up to Halloween. (Edward French photo) 
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CALLING ATTENTION to their struggle, (left to right) Hilda Lewis, Madonna Soctomah and Gracie Davis drum and sing during a smudging and prayer ceremony at Split Rock at Pleasant Point, the proposed site for a liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal. The Passamaquoddy women and their supporters held a press conference there one day after filing an LNG-related lawsuit against the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Secretary of the Interior. (Edward French photo) 
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A REBIRTH OF DAIRY FARMING in Washington County includes Tide Mill Farm in Edmunds, where Aaron Bell's three-year-old daughter Paige, representing the ninth generation living on the farm, pets Moonshine, who is due to calve soon, as another Jersey, Peck, chews her cud. (Edward French photo) 
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IT IS BETTER TO LIGHT ONE CANDLE... Placing his candle on the altar in the International Day of Action to Stop Global Warming service in Eastport is Davis Pike Grady. Held on December 3 at the Central Congregational Church, the observance included a talk by Mark Dittrick, conservation chair, Atlantic Chapter, Sierra Club of Canada. (Edward French photo) 
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BALSAM AND LIGHTS decorate the exterior of St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Eastport this Christmas season. (Edward French photo) Season of goodwill shines in communities BALSAM AND LIGHTS decorate the exterior of St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Eastport this Christmas season. (Edward French photo) 
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CASTING THEIR VOTES during the Downeast LNG referendum in Robbinston are Edward and Alice Ingersoll as town attorney John Churchill and ballot clerk Kathy Mekelburg look on. Over 300 residents dropped by the fire station on January 10 to vote, and the vast majority were in favor of having an LNG facility constructed in their town. (Edward French photo) 
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MAKING A SPLASH at the start of the Polar Bear Dip on Friday, February 3, are some of the participants who helped raise $15,000 this year for the Ronald McDonald House in Bangor. The amount since the Washington County Community College Student Senate inaugurated the event six years ago now totals over $100,000. (Don Dunbar photo) 
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THE WEATHER OUTSIDE IS FRIGHTFUL, and these two cats, Daisy and Meatball, don't seem to mind watching the snow fall from inside their warm Eastport home. (Edward French photo) THE WEATHER OUTSIDE IS FRIGHTFUL, and these two cats, Daisy and Meatball, don't seem to mind watching the snow fall from inside their warm Eastport home. (Edward French photo) 
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NO, YOU GO FETCH! That thought seems to be expressed on the faces of two springer spaniels, Charlie and Digby, who were playing on the shore of the inner basin of the Eastport breakwater with owner Jason Kissell. (Edward French photo) 
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OUTSTANDING IN HER FIELD. The new kid on the block is a spring lamb, born on the Overman farm in South Lubec. (Chessie Johnson photo) 
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AGROUND near Split Rock, Pleasant Point, is Scott MacNichol's vessel, Miss Amy, on April 24. Angus McPhail's boat, Julie Ann, assisted in keeping the vessel upright as it began to float off the ledge with the incoming tide. The Miss Amy had towed a barge from one side of the causeway to the other for Maine Test Borings Inc. of Brewer, which is conducting work for Quoddy Bay LNG, and hit the ledge as it headed back out into the bay. The boat was not damaged from the grounding. (Edward French photo) 
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TAKING PART IN A MOCK ACCIDENT, Captain Teddy Morse of the East Machias Fire Department and Vanessa Reed remove a Washington Academy student from a fatal automobile re-enactment. Wakeup Call, a program aimed toward teen drivers, is a realistic portrayal of a deadly accident. See articles about mock accidents at Shead and WA on pages 13 and 25. (Chessie Johnson photo) 
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BLOWING AWAY dandelion seed, on a spring afternoon with rain and sunshine, is six-year-old Mary Bartlett of Eastport. (Edward French photo) 
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ESCORTED BY A FLOTILLA of welcoming kayakers as she approaches land in Eastport is adventurer Renata Chlumska of Sweden (far left). Chlumska is aiming to be the first person to circumnavigate the lower 48 states of the U.S., by kayak and bicycle, having begun in Seattle, Wash. She received a warm reception in Eastport. (Edward French photo) 
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RAISING THE ROOF? No, members of ASSIST-JC from All Souls Congregational Church in Bangor are constructing one of the walls for the new Labor of Love Food Pantry in Eastport. (Edward French photo) Elvis, fireworks, Navy ship, parade mark Eastport 4th Perry board’s authority to hire law firm raises legal question 
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LOWERING THE COLORS at the end of the day on July 4 are members of the USS Porter crew (above). "Look, ma, no hands!" CMC Musso of the Porter seems to be saying in the codfish relay (below). Using hands but not their feet, competitors in the sack race in Lubec (below) dive for the finish line. (Photos by Edward French, Don Dunbar and Chessie Johnson) 
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LOWERING THE COLORS at the end of the day on July 4 are members of the USS Porter crew (above). "Look, ma, no hands!" CMC Musso of the Porter seems to be saying in the codfish relay (below). Using hands but not their feet, competitors in the sack race in Lubec (below) dive for the finish line. (Photos by Edward French, Don Dunbar and Chessie Johnson) 
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LOWERING THE COLORS at the end of the day on July 4 are members of the USS Porter crew (above). "Look, ma, no hands!" CMC Musso of the Porter seems to be saying in the codfish relay (below). Using hands but not their feet, competitors in the sack race in Lubec (below) dive for the finish line. (Photos by Edward French, Don Dunbar and Chessie Johnson) 