WINTER HARBOR — Police Chief Danny Mitchell received a call Jan. 12 from a woman who alleged that her father would not give her federal stimulus check to her because she owed the family money. Mitchell discussed the legal requirements of federal documents with the family. Fear of theft Mitchell received a call on Jan. …
ELLSWORTH — “Terrible.” That is how Hancock County Commissioner and President of the Ellsworth Snowmobile Club Bill Clark describes the current snowmobile season. The bust of a season thus far has been marked by minimal snow accumulation and barely frozen ground. According to a Facebook post by the National Weather Service in Caribou, “For the …
Customers of Versant Power may see a $4 increase on their bill starting next fall. The company is proposing that the new rate, an increase of 25.4 percent, be divided over two years to help mitigate the financial burden on its customers, citing “the challenges faced by our customers and the communities we serve during the COVID-19 pandemic.”
“If we’re going to do solar, we ought to do the roof,” said Alternative Organizational Structure 91 (AOS 91) Superintendent Marc Gousse. “The key question is what do the citizens want to do with the roof?” Gousse noted that if the town did not want to fix the roof, solar technology could still be implemented at the school. At Mount Desert Island High School, solar technology was added for, “$0 down,” he said. “And we’re reaping the benefits of that already.”
The project is “participating in a state incentive program” and will provide power to small- and medium-sized businesses in Versant Power’s district, Bailey said. Per the project’s agreement with Versant, “We know we will be able to interconnect the system without causing any major upgrades to the grid,” he explained.
The Board of Selectmen Monday unanimously denied another abatement request at its regularly scheduled meeting. Henry Whitmore Jr. and Debra Whitmore requested that their property located along Route 1 be granted a property tax abatement, arguing that the property was unequally assessed, and that the assessment should reflect the market value.
Selectman Roger Wakefield explained the property’s assessed value is $264,000, but the couple purchased the property for $164,000. “[The Whitmores want] us to change the valuation based on the sale price. Doesn’t work that way,” Wakefield said.
Customers of the Sorrento town office who use the office’s walk-up window, which was set up due to the coronavirus pandemic, have been greeted by a new face since Jan. 4, after Birch Harbor resident Kathi Moore began her position as town clerk, a combination of clerk, treasurer and “jack of all trades.” (Sorrento does not have a town manager.)
“Our primary goal has really been maintaining communication and relationships with our students so that they know if they need to step out for a little while, it’s fine to come back in. They can either be an in-person learner or a remote learner and our classes are fluid so that they can switch back and forth without losing any content,” said Adult Education Director Ander Thebaud.
HANCOCK — Clean-up efforts at the site of the former tannery in Hancock, located on Route 1 near Tideway Market, continue with the near completion of the site’s asbestos remediation. The efforts have continued despite some initial difficulty accessing grant funding for the project. The money “was locked up for a period of time,” due to a …
ELLSWORTH — The violent events of Jan. 6, when a mob of Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol, scaling walls, breaking windows and looting, have been widely condemned by local political leaders. “I was scared, I was shocked, it was just very upsetting,” said state Sen. Kimberley Rosen (R-Hancock County) of the attack on the …
The town of Steuben’s Board of Selectmen unanimously passed a resolution Dec. 30 demanding state government nullify Governor Janet Mills’ Dec. 11 executive order on face coverings. The resolution, the Americans with Disabilities Act Preservation Resolution, was drafted by state Rep. William “Billy Bob” Faulkingham (R-Winter Harbor) in response to the Governor’s Dec. 11 order,
Faulkingham said there are a range of reasons some people are unable to wear masks, including having developmental disabilities, who he said have been “banned from society.” He also discussed veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and “survivors of rape, men and women both,” for whom having their mouth and face covered “brings back trauma.”
WINTER HARBOR — Police Chief Danny Mitchell assisted the Schoodic Ambulance Service on Dec. 21 at a Newman Street residence. The patient described symptoms of weakness, fever and tiredness. Precautions were taken for possible COVID-19 exposure. 911 call Mitchell was called to a Main Street location on Dec. 18 for a 911 cell phone call. …
