Career Lab
Cohort 2
Career Lab in Action
Fidium Fiber confirms broadband in Machiasport, quietly hitting the streets to ‘cover the whole town’ with fiber-optic access
By Melissa S. Razdrih
Local residents could soon have the option to contract with Fidium Fiber for faster internet service. The company’s quiet surveying activity in town left the Machiasport Planning Board searching for answers about the project during its meeting Thursday. It all started with a rumor. At last week’s Planning Board meeting, Chair Robert Arseneau said he had heard rumblings that Fidium is “laying down fiber” for broadband in Machiasport. The information came from Planning Board member Michael Hinerman, who confirmed to Monitor Local that he spoke directly with a Fidium surveyor. Hinerman, who was not at the meeting, said he learned that “cable work was to be done.” Beyond that, he said he was not clear on what exactly Fidium is planning. Read more
Machiasport Planning Board drafting short‑term rental ordinance as officials weigh town’s future as a ‘vacationland’
By Melissa S. Razdrih
The Machiasport Planning Board is drafting an ordinance that would require owners of short‑term rentals to register their properties. The board discussed the measure Thursday as the town looks for ways to keep more of its housing stock in local hands. “We are probably going to become a vacationland,” Planning Board Chair Robert Arseneau said at the monthly meeting. He called driving tourism “the best thing we can do,” while acknowledging the need for regulation. Ryan Maker, chair of the Machiasport Board of Selectmen, attended the meeting to represent the board’s interest in understanding the impact of short‑term rentals on the town. Read more
Bill to provide $45 million in farm funding fails House vote
By Melissa S. Razdrih
Farm owners and land stewards in Washington County will have to wait to see whether a $45 million funding package is coming their way after state legislators declined Tuesday to authorize the bond. Proposed in January by Rep. Bill Pluecker, I-Warren, the bill — L.D. 2094 — was drafted to fund agricultural and forestry initiatives statewide through a bond. Among its proposals is $4 million to help farmers install irrigation systems to protect crops from drought conditions. The $45 million bond would “build resilient businesses that help support food access when our supply chains are threatened,” Pluecker, who represents House District 44, told Monitor Local. Read more
Council gets overview of Town Hall cost overruns and delays
By Maggie Raymond
Inadequate fire alarm systems, elevated lead levels and structural deficiencies plague the progress of Town Hall renovation, town officials were told Tuesday during a public review of construction delays and cost overruns. Principals from the project’s design and construction firms, Oak Point Associates and Charters Brothers Construction, answered questions from the Town Council during the review March 31. Also in attendance was a spokesman for Dovetail Consulting, appointed by the council in January to be the Town’s owner representative for the renovation project. Although the workshop initially was convened to address a contractor’s request for an additional $143,000 for HVAC modifications, council Vice Chair Mallory Cook at the session’s start requested a broader overview of cost overruns and schedule delays. Read more
Water rates rise more than 16% over two years for upgrades, demand
By Maggie Raymond
Residents on public water will see an 8% increase in their water rates effective July 1, and another 8% in January 2028, according to an announcement from the South Berwick Water District. Higher operating expenses, more frequent extreme weather events, and aging facilities are all responsible for the hike, the district said. The last increase in rates in 2025 was the first in two decades, according to the district’s website. For 96% of customers, the impact in the first year is estimated to be $5.20 per quarter, or $20.80 per year, explained Water District Superintendent Ryan Lynch, and the second increase will be $5.62 per quarter, or $22.47 per year. Read more
March councilor coffee chat draws small attendance
By Maggie Raymond
A handful of residents attended the third “Coffee with Councilors” Saturday, this one hosted by Town Council members Sam Flinkstrom and Paul Schumacher, both serving their first term on the council. The morning conversation March 28, which lasted an hour, turned to pedestrian safety, the town budget, and new costs projected for the renovation of Town Hall. “Could there be a policy or law that property owners have to clear snow from their own sidewalks?” asked Shirley Jackson of Young Street. “The snow piles this winter were as tall as I am.” “The short answer is no,” replied Schumacher. “That would solve one problem and create new ones.” Read more
A fine over a kid on a lobster boat has fishing families speaking out
By Jessica Hardy
How young is too young to work on a lobster boat? The issue is lighting up the Peninsula after Minority House Leader Billy Bob Faulkingham was charged with violating labor laws by hiring a 14-year-old to work on his lobster boat in 2024. He is facing thousands of dollars in fines for inadequate record keeping while he employed a minor in a "hazardous occupation.” Read more
Stonington votes down sheriff’s office contract and Opera House request
By Jessica Hardy
Voters at Stonington’s town meeting rejected a proposal to continue a contract with the Hancock County Sheriff's Office, ending the town’s law enforcement agreement after concerns over cost and deputy coverage. The contract drew the longest discussion of the meeting, with residents and select board members debating response time, availability and cost of maintaining the town's policing contract. At the annual gathering of voters held March 2, residents of Stonington voted on 57 articles, including the municipal budget, third-party requests, and town position elections. Lawrence “Skip” Greenlaw moderated the meeting. “Please remember that we can all disagree more, but we can’t be disagreeable,” Greenlaw said as the meeting commenced. Read more
Meet Cohort Two
Jessica Brockington
Jessica Brockington is a New York City journalist who landed in Maine as a COVID refugee. She fell in love with the quiet rural communities of Downeast Coastal Maine and stayed. She has a Masters in Social Journalism from the Newmark J-School. Early in her career she published a local newspaper in an underserved area of NYC.
Jessica “Jessi” McVay Hardy
Jessica “Jessi” McVay Hardy grew up in Sedgwick and has always had a passion for writing. She recently completed her MFA in English-Creative Writing and is working on two crime/thriller novels. Hardy has worked as a teacher and at local restaurants on the Blue Hill Peninsula while raising her family. She resides with her husband, daughters, and critters in Sedgwick. When she isn’t at a computer writing, Hardy can be found outside in her gardens or cheering for the Celtics or Patriots.
Maggie Raymond
Maggie Raymond recently retired after a career advocating for the commercial fishing industry, fishing families, and coastal communities. Throughout her tenure, she played a role in shaping fisheries management policies and regulations that strike a balance between conservation goals and the practical needs of maritime safety and economic stability.
Melissa S. Razdrih
Melissa S. Razdrih resides in Downeast, Maine, where she settled in 2021 with her family. Her background includes local reporting for FloridaPolitics, COVID coverage for The Center of Illinois Politics, and news writing for publications like The Quoddy Tides and Tampa Bay Business & Wealth. She is an educator and content marketer with more than two decades of experience in copywriting, account management and marketing, with focus on community services and the arts. Currently, Melissa is a community fellow with The Maine Monitor through a program by Journalism New England.