Crime/Public Safety/Drugs
Firefighters from Four Counties Battle Blaze in Unity
(Unity) Firefighters from four counties Saturday morning battled freezing temperatures to put out a house fire at a home that also housed the Unity Flower Shop. The Bangor Daily News reports the fire on Depot Street was called in shortly before 7 a.m. and had spread to the attic before first responders arrived. The homeowners escaped safely, but the building is said to be a total loss. Some 16 departments responded to the blaze. Firefighters say cardboard on top of a gas stove may be responsible.
(Unity) Valentine’s Day is the year’s busiest for florists as they send out lots of love with those arrangements; but the day after this year was the most heart-BREAKING for the Unity Flower Shop. The Bangor Daily News reports firefighters from four counties responded to a fire at the shop on Depot Street shortly before 7 a.m. Saturday morning. The occupants, whose home doubled as the shop, escaped unharmed, but the building is said to be a total loss. Firefighters say cardboard on top of a gas stove may have caused the blaze.
Penobscot County Sheriff Warns of Dangerous Scam
(Hermon) The Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office has made an arrest in an attempted scam involving an elderly woman in Hermon. According to a Department FB post, on February 3rd, the Sheriff’s Office received a fraud report involving scammers making multiple calls to the woman, claiming her financial accounts had been compromised and that she needed to withdraw her funds. Calls reportedly became more aggressive until the woman complied. The alleged scammer or an associate then traveled from Boston to collect the money, but the suspect was greeted at the home by sheriff’s deputies and was arrested. Authorities remind people to never share personal information or make payments over the phone and never offer to pay in person. They say contact local law enforcement when in doubt.
(Hermon) The Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office is once again warning citizens to never share personal information or make payments over the phone and never offer to pay in person. According to a FB post by the Department, an elderly woman in Hermon was contacted earlier this month by a caller who insisted her financial accounts had been compromised. They say, as in this case, such calls often start out friendly and then become more aggressive. The victim reportedly finally felt she had to comply, and the caller said he was sending someone to pick up the money. The suspect, however, was greeted at her home by Sheriff’s deputies who promptly arrested him. Authorities urge the public to contact local law enforcement if ever in doubt.
Gouldsboro Man Arrested After Reportedly Fleeing the Scene of an Accident
(Gouldsboro) A Gouldsboro man was arrested last week after he reportedly fled the scene of an accident. The Hancock County Sheriff’s Department reports 33 yo Daniel Whynott is suspected of crashing his pickup truck into a guardrail at the intersection of Route 1 and Pond Road, and the vehicle ended up in a ditch. The suspect then allegedly fled the scene on foot. An investigation led deputies to Whynott, who was summoned for failing to make an oral or written accident report, leaving the scene, and failure to notify of property damage.
(Gouldsboro) A Gouldsboro man was arrested last week, after the Hancock County Sheriff’s Department reports he fled the scene of an accident. Authorities say 33 yo Daniel Whynott is suspected of crashing his RAM pickup into a guardrail at the intersection of Route 1 and Pond Road on February 10th. The vehicle ultimately ended up in a ditch, and the driver fled the scene on foot. An investigation led deputies to Whynott, who was summoned for failing to make an oral or written accident report, leaving the scene, and failure to notify of property damage.
Local Politics
Ellsworth City Planner Leaving for New Post
(Ellsworth) Ellsworth City Planner Matt Williams is leaving for a job as a consultant for SW Harbor-based The Musson Group. Williams told the Ellsworth American he and his team had made major accomplishments in his role with the City the past two and a half years, including finishing the new 10-year comp plan, the housing study, and more. Williams also acted as Interim City Manager during the month of March in 2024. Williams said his new role will offer more flexibility and variety as he works with clients in the Hancock area and beyond. February 20th will be Williams’s last day with the City.
(Ellsworth) The City of Ellsworth is on the hunt for a new City Planner. Matt Williams has filled the position since July 2022, and told The Ellsworth American he’s proud of his team’s accomplishments, including finishing the new 10-year comp plan and the housing study. Williams plans to join SW Harbor-based The Musson Group as a planning consultant. He says the new role will offer added flexibility and variety as he works with clients in the Hancock area and beyond. Williams’s last day with the city will be this Thursday, February 20th.
Collins’s 2026 Senate Race Faces Challenge by Former SpaceX Engineer
(Maine) The race for Senator Susan Collins’s Senate seat in 2026 is already being challenged. The Portland Press Herald reports Phillip Rench, a 37 yo former engineer for Elon Musk’s SpaceX, has filed paperwork to run as an Independent. Rench is originally from southern Maine and owns Ossipee Hill Farm and Observatory. Collins has dared to go against President Trump in voting against Pete Hegseth’s nomination for Defense Secretary, but has supported his nominations for other controversial cabinet picks, such as Tulsi Gabbard for Director of National Intelligence and Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.’s nod to lead the Department of Health and Human Services.
FOA, Pingree Meet with Legislators on Behalf of Staffing at ANP
(Washington, DC) Leadership from Friends of Acadia and Schoodic Institute last week met with legislators in the nation’s capital to advocate for sufficient park staffing, including a lift of the hiring freeze affecting full time staff and more than 150 seasonal positions within the Acadia National Park. Members of Maine’s delegation expressed their commitment to Acadia, with Representative Chellie Pingree following up with a letter urging Interior Secretary Doug Burgum to resume all seasonal hiring immediately. FOA also spoke with lawmakers about the continuing need for affordable housing for park workers and the importance of renewing the bipartisan Great American Outdoors Act, which addresses crippling maintenance backlog issues.
Senator King Cites “Unconscionable” Shortfall in Drug Crackdown
(Washington, DC) Senator Angus King is fired up – delivering impassioned speeches against what he said were questionable nominations by the President to fill Cabinet positions – Tulsi Gabbard and Robert Kennedy, Jr. among them. The Independent Senator last week spoke before the Armed Services Committee, raising urgent questions about the lack of opioid and fentanyl crackdown at the US Southern Border. He also raised questions about threats from Russia and China in the Arctic region, calling a lack of U.S. ships there a misallocation of resources. U.S icebreakers in the region number just one that the U.S. Coast Guard is working to replace, while the Russians have between 20 and 40 icebreakers in the region. King argued icebreakers are the essential infrastructure of the Arctic region and said calling the U.S.’s presence there “inadequate” was an understatement.
“Not My President” Protests Planned Nationwide, Including in Ellsworth
(Ellsworth) Nationwide protests are scheduled today in all 50 states and all territories at Noon local time. The President’s Day protests are being called, “Not My President” protests and are being staged in opposition to Trump’s actions in the four weeks since his inauguration. Protests are planned for the Statehouse in Augusta and at City Hall in Ellsworth.
(Ellsworth) Nationwide protests are scheduled at Noon local time today in all 50 states and all US territories. The President’s Day protests dubbed, “Not My President” protests, are being staged in opposition to Trump’s actions in the four weeks since his inauguration. Protests are planned at the Statehouse in Augusta and at City Hall in Ellsworth.
Economy
Can-Am Sled Dog Race Back on Track in 2025
(Fort Kent) After being canceled due to unseasonably warm weather last year, the Can-Am Crown Sled Dog Race is back on track in 2025. A social media post notes registrations for the March 1st event close this Friday, February 21st, at 4 p.m. The events include 30, 100, and 250 mile races, with the 250-mile quest being a qualifier for the Iditarod and Yukon Quest. Mushers and spectators head to Fort Kent from around the world for the Can-Am – a game changer for the region’s economy as well.
(Fort Kent) The cold and snow are being welcomed by residents of Fort Kent and by mushers from around the world, who come to northern Maine for the annual Can-Am Crown Sled Dog Race. Unseasonably warm weather brought more mud than snow to the 30, 100, and 250 mile race routes in 2024, forcing organizers to cancel the event – a game changer for the region’s economy, as well. A post on the event’s social media site notes registrations for this year’s March 1st through 4th event close this Friday at 4 p.m. The 250 mile competition is a qualifier for the Idatarod and Yukon Quest Alaska.
Environment
Maine Selected for Initiative Connecting Youth Volunteers to Climate Careers
(Augusta) The National Governors’ Association has selected Maine to participate in a new initiative designed to help connect youth volunteers to in-demand climate careers. The Service-to-Career Pathways Policy Academy provides states with funding and technical assistance to advance paths from volunteer service to employment opportunities. Maine will leverage $50K in grant funding to establish pre-apprenticeship paths through a partnership with the Maine Department of Labor and others. You can learn more at n g a dot org.
Human Interest/Entertainment
Google Calendar Drops Diversity Holidays
(Undated) February is Black History Month, but Google Calendar has dropped Black History Month, Pride Month, Indigenous People’s Month, and Hispanic Heritage, and Google Maps has renamed the Gulf of Mexico, now known as Gulf of America for users in the United States. A company spokesperson told the NY Daily News it was no longer “scalable or sustainable” for the Calendar team to continue to manually add “a broader set of cultural moments in a wide number of countries around the world”, though the platform has done so for more than a decade. Users can still manually add the observances. Google works with time and date dot com to show public holidays and observances. The website says it employs 40 people and has more than 7600 holidays in its database.
(Undated) What’s in a name? Apparently a lot, according to some who say politicians and publishers are rewriting history. Google Maps has renamed the Gulf of Mexico. It’s now known as Gulf of America for users in the U.S., and that’s showing up in newly published textbooks, as well. In addition, Google Calendar has dropped Black History Month, Pride Month, Indigenous People’s Month, and Hispanic Heritage. A company spokesperson told the NY Daily News it was no longer “scalable or sustainable” for the Calendar team to continue to manually add “a broader set of cultural moments in a wide number of countries around the world”, though the platform has done so for more than a decade. Google works with Norway-based time and date dot com to show public holidays and observances. The website says it employs 40 people and has more than 7600 holidays in its database.
Sports
The Old Town boys beat number 2 seeded Ellsworth on Friday 47-34 in the Class B North quarterfinal at the Cross Insurance Center.
Ellsworth High School player Lily Bean sank a winning free-throw Saturday as the Ellsworth girls beat MDI 42-41. The Eagles take on No. 1 seeded Caribou Wednesday afternoon at the Cross Isurance Center.
The MDI boys trailed Winslow 21-15 at the half, but came back to win the Class B North quarterfinal 46-38 Saturday night. The MDI Trojans now advance to Wednesday’s semifinal where they’ll face #1 seeded Caribou.
Ellsworth High School diver Kobe Swett set a new school record, beating his own school record by 81 points Friday and finishing second in the state diving championships.