Calais-area fall baseball wrapped up its regular season of play on Sunday, splitting with the tough Reapers team from Bangor.  Calais dropped the first game 12-4, and then held off a Reapers charged to earn an 8-7 win.  Play-offs are set to begin this weekend. 

U.S. Senator Susan Collins, the Chairman of the Transportation Appropriations Subcommittee, delivered the keynote address at a groundbreaking ceremony at Eastport Municipal Airport on October 13.  Senator Collins secured a $5,806,900 grant for runway and lighting improvements, as well as for wastewater infrastructure.

Jayna Smith

[email protected]

Political signs are a common sight with any election, but this year, with our Presidential election, such signs seem to be planted everywhere.

According to Calais Police Department’s Sgt. Matt Vinson, it is a crime to unlawfully remove or deface any political sign.  “There are lots of stipulations regarding the placement of temporary signs, and just because you may not agree with what it displays, you can’t simply remove it,” he said.

Jayna Smith

[email protected]

There is a fun group of ladies who meets quite regularly, all sharing the hobby of scrapbooking.  Coming up at the end of the month, the group is inviting others to join in on the fun for an annual Croptoberfest.

Jayna Smith

[email protected]

The coronavirus pandemic brought some uncertainties for this year’s Classic Hits Turkey-a-Thon, specifically whether it would prevent people from coming out to make donations or whether donations would be as great as in prior years.  When the day ended on Friday, however, the 16th annual Turkey-a-Thon proved to be a huge success.

Jayna Smith

[email protected]

With October comes lots of spooky things, like monsters, witches, and of course, vampires and bats--or the mammals known as vampire bats.  But bats are much more than an image of Halloween, and they are celebrated this month during Bat Appreciation Month, with the last week of the month designated as Bat Week.  

Coach Ryan Furtek

On Sept. 25th, the Calais High School Cross Country team boarded the bus to Naraguagus for one of the first high school sporting events in Washington County during “COVID times.”  Everyone seemed to take all the new social distancing and mask-wearing guidelines to heart and were eager to be in competition again.  

Jonathan Reisman

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.”- Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities

 “Surprise, Surprise, Surprise”- Gomer Pyle (Jim Nabors)

Canada Implements Changes to Allow for Reunifications

Jayna Smith

[email protected]

Senators Collins and King of Maine and Senators Hassan and Shaheen of New Hampshire last week called on the Trump administration to ease travel restrictions on the Canadian border.  

Kaileigh Deacon 

The uncertainty of what the upcoming holiday season holds has many wondering what will and won’t be allowed to happen due to safety concerns. At last Thursday’s city council meeting, City Manager Mike Ellis told the council that he had been receiving a number of calls from citizens wondering what would be permitted on Halloween. Adding it to the agenda took action first thing. 

Submitted by Nicholas Pease

Kaileigh Deacon

If there’s one thing Washington County communities can be counted on to do, it’s to have each other’s back. This is the case for a Baileyville family who had the unimaginable happen when a horse accident left a 12-year-old-girl in the hospital. 

Jonathan Reisman

In a shameless act of cultural appropriation, this week’s column title takes the Black Lives Matter/Antifa/ mostly peaceful protesters/Biden voters mantra “No Justice, No Peace” and applies it to the current contretemps roiling the nation, the likely replacement of the notorious Ruth Bader Ginsburg (RBG) with the notoriously “dogmatic” (at least according to California Senior Senator Diane Feinstein) Catholic mother of seven, Amy Coney Barrett (ACB).  

Jayna Smith

[email protected]

The Lioness Club of Calais was chartered in 1985, and since that time, the club has continuously been a vital part of the community.  Its members of around 25 ladies work to enhance the area and assist community members in need. Through many different fundraisers, the club is able to donate nearly $10,000 annually to local individuals.

Natalie Boomer 

[email protected]

Michael Boies has decided to retire from his position as the Baileyville Parks and Recreation Director after over three decades. 

“I’ve had this job for a little over 35 years. Almost 36. A long time. I’m on my third generation of participants in my programs,” said Boies. “I was a parks and recreation director up in the Milo/ Brownville area so I came in with some background and things like that back in ‘85.”

Jayna Smith

[email protected]

Thick, black smoke could easily be seen from Milltown, Maine on Saturday, Sept. 12 from a fire in Milltown, New Brunswick.  The smoke was from a structure fire across the St. Croix River that resulted in crews from St. Stephen, Oak Bay, and Calais Fire Departments having to respond.  The call was received around 10:30 a.m. AST.  

Jayna Smith

[email protected]

Many in the area may have noticed a difference in the look to the sky last week, specifically on Tuesday, as smoke from the California and Oregon wildfires blew across the country, leaving a haze up above.  

Jayna Smith

[email protected]

After some much-needed upgrades to Pikewoods Rest Area on Route 1 in Calais, a fantastic view of Whitlocks Mill Lighthouse and the St. Croix River can be seen.  

Whitlocks Mill Lighthouse is the northernmost lighthouse in Maine and was the last lighthouse to be built in the state.  According to lighthousefriends.com, the lighthouse was constructed to serve traffic bound to and from the port at Calais.  

Jayna Smith

[email protected]

Jayna Smith

[email protected] 

Last Tuesday night, Sept. 15, the Baileyville School Board voted against allowing fall sports at Woodland High School.  This came to a shock to many, especially to the students, who had already begun practicing for the season.  

An Essay 

By Michael Anton

Democrats are laying the groundwork for revolution right in front of our eyes.