VillageSoup - Republican Journal

09/20/2019

BAHS students joined the Global Climate Strike this morning. The corners of Main and High streets in Belfast are currently packed with protesters as well.

07/11/2019

Belfast manager sets record straight on tents for homeless - By Stephanie Grinnell

Belfast manager sets record straight on tents for homeless - By Stephanie Grinnell

Belfast — City Manager Joe Slocum released a statement today he calls “the truth about how the City of Belfast addresses the issue of homelessness.”

06/05/2019

Depot opens to collect excess mothers' milk - By Carolyn Zachary

“It’s all about saving babies’ lives,” Cynthia Cohen said during the WCGH milk depot grand opening May 29. “Every ounce a mom donates can feed multiple babies in a neonatal ICU.”

Belfast — Waldo County General Hospital and Pen Bay Medical Center are putting a contemporary spin on the ages-old practice of wet-nursing. In partnership with Mothers’ Milk Bank Northeast, the two hospitals have opened milk depots where nursing mothers can donate their excess milk to benefit fr...

05/10/2019

Fire demolishes Penobscot McCrum offices - By Carolyn Zachary

The administrative offices of Penobscot McCrum LLC in Belfast were destroyed by fire Thursday evening, despite the efforts of firefighters from Belfast, Morrill and Searsport. The office building sits on a hillside above the McCrum potato processing plant, which fronts on Belfast Harbor.

Belfast — A fire, discovered by a late afternoon cleaning crew, by 9 tonight had destroyed the office building of Penobscot McCrum LLC at 28 Pierce St.

04/01/2019

Peace group visits old enemy, finds ongoing 'story of war' - By Ethan Andrews

Starting in the 1980s and continuing today, you can buy a T-shirt with the face of Iran’s former leader, the Grand Ayatollah Khomeini, and the words "Ayatollah Assahola." Even in more sophisticated circles, Iran is still essentially a blank spot on the map. If not "Here be monsters," then at least "Terra incognita."

Belfast — For decades, the Islamic Republic of Iran — a country about twice the size of Texas, or 18 Maines — has held an outsized place in the American imagination, almost exclusively as an enemy. Starting in the 1980s and continuing today, you can buy a T-shirt with the face of Iran’s form...

03/27/2019

Developer pulls plug on Peirce School apartments, new buyer in the mix - By Ethan Andrews

The story of the old schoolhouse took another sharp turn March 23 when an ad seeking roommates for the building appeared on Facebook Marketplace. The post, by Christopher Williams, included photos of the interior and a long description of his plans for the building that began, "I'm buying this badass old elementary school, the Pierce School, and looking for awesome folks to love (sic) with."

Belfast — A plan to convert the former Peirce Elementary School to apartments is off, but the developers behind it say they aren't done just yet. In the meantime, a Belfast man has come forward claiming he is buying the building to start a shared living space.

03/17/2019

Thorndike flips board of selectmen, takes control of fire department - By Ethan Andrews

After the vote, Ward walked out of the meeting. In the muddy parking lot of the town office, he said, "I got cows to feed."

Thorndike — A standing-room-only crowd of more than 100 voting residents cleaned house on March 16, replacing all three selectmen and starting a municipal fire department in an effort to rein in the town's embattled independent fire company.

03/07/2019

Best of Best - Belfast - Waldo - Republican Journal

It's that time of year again!!!
https://waldo.villagesoup.com/center/bob

02/22/2019

Ugly produce seems to have limited appeal, so some retailers pull it

Ugly produce seems to have limited appeal, so some retailers pull it

Hannaford in Maine is among the supermarkets that have stopped carrying the imperfect fruits and vegetables.

02/21/2019

Thorndike fire crews resign - By Fran Gonzalez

Firefighters walked out of a meeting with Thorndike Selectman last night.

Thorndike — A majority of Thorndike Fire Department stormed out of a Select Board meeting on Wednesday night, effectively shutting down department operations and resigning.

02/18/2019

Maine paid for 40 rooms at Trump hotel for LePage, staff

Maine paid for 40 rooms at Trump hotel for LePage, staff

Newly released receipts reveal nearly a dozen trips to the president's luxury hotel, part of $170,000 in out-of-state travel by the former Maine governor in recent years.

02/15/2019

Route 3 closed following deadly crash - Waldo VillageSoup

Police believe slippery roads caused a head-on crash Friday afternoon near the Belfast Curling Club that killed the passenger in one vehicle and injured both drivers.

02/15/2019

Stopped traffic both lanes on Route 3. Crash by the Belfast Curling Club. Police not allowing access. No additional information known at the moment.

02/14/2019

Who's afraid of Sean Floyd? - By Ethan Andrews

The weekend after the blood-smeared figure with the gun and inverted cross appeared, Waldo County Sheriff's Office got three calls from people who felt threatened by it. Chief Deputy Jason Trundy said police looked at the display but didn't feel that it warranted action.

"Sometimes it's a balancing act when someone's behavior is disturbing but it doesn't fit cleanly within the confines of a law violation," Trundy said.

Swanville — One evening about two weeks ago, Sean Floyd stood by a stretch of Swan Lake Avenue just south of the village center where, in prior weeks, he had erected a forest of signs in protest of his firing from the town's grocery store and his subsequent treatment by law enforcement.

02/11/2019

Journal website has new look - Waldo VillageSoup

Check out the new look of The Journal's website!

A recent update to The Republican Journal website at waldo.villagesoup.com features larger text fonts and photos as well as a streamlined homepage.

02/01/2019

Accident knocks out power to 3,000; warming shelters open - Waldo VillageSoup

Accident knocks out power to 3,000; warming shelters open - Waldo VillageSoup

Waldo County Emergency Management Agency has opened several warming shelters for those impacted by a widespread power outage.

01/07/2019

Shortage of bus drivers closes Swanville elementary school - By Ethan Andrews

Superintendent says district now has back-up plan so it won't happen again.

Swanville — District officials are saying a decision to close Kermit Nickerson Elementary School on Monday for lack of school bus drivers was a fluke that won't happen again.

01/03/2019

The Year in Review 2018 - Waldo VillageSoup

Alllll the salmon, a barn collapse, business changes, education developments, murder, ferry rate drama, weather events, gunfire, local politics. Read the 2018 year in review for all this and more.

12/12/2018

Nordic pipe permits paused as state reviews tidal zone crossing - By Ethan Andrews

“While common wisdom holds that the intertidal strip is public, an ordinance dating to the 1640s Massachusetts Bay Colony cedes everything down to the low-tide mark to private landowners. There are exceptions, for ‘fishing, fowling and navigation,’ and beachcombers often get a pass, though Maine's Supreme Judicial Court ruled against them in a pair of cases in Wells in the 1980s.“

Belfast — New bends in the major water pipes for a proposed land-based salmon farm may have put a kink in the permitting process for Nordic Aquafarms, thanks to an obscure state law that governs ownership of the intertidal zone.

12/05/2018

Lone survivor of deadly 2016 crash cleared of manslaughter charges - By Ethan Andrews

“The important part from our vantage point is that (the charges) weren't dismissed as part of any plea," McLean said. "It was never part of a plea to dismiss those. It's a part of honestly following the evidence where it leads us."

Belfast — A Winterport man was cleared of manslaughter and drunk driving charges stemming from a fatal crash in 2016 after experts concluded he probably wasn't the driver.

12/05/2018

Mayor, council reconcile one week after dramatic confrontation - By Ethan Andrews

Tensions between Mayor Samantha Paradis and City Councilors have been building since Thanksgiving weekend when Paradis wrote an op-ed in The Republican Journal stating that she had experienced sexism, ageism and bigotry in her capacity as mayor.

Belfast — The city's elected officials on Tuesday night buried their hatchets, reversing contentious votes from a week earlier and pulling a switch on an overflow crowd at City Hall that came loaded for bear.

11/30/2018

Belfast's broke-neck Christmas tree arrives in one piece - By Ethan Andrews

“With most of its weight still dangling from the crane, it flipped like a bicyclist hitting an open car door and face-planted in the field with a crunch.“

Belfast — In a snowy field on Poors Mill Road late Thursday morning, a small crew, including Dan Miller of Belmont Boat Works and City Councilor Mike Hurley, surveyed the city's Christmas tree, which had just broken in two.

11/28/2018

Mayor barred from representing council after op-ed alleges discrimination - By Ethan Andrews

Mayor barred from representing council after op-ed alleges discrimination - By Ethan Andrews

Belfast — Citing a lack of trust and abuse of power, the City Council on Tuesday voted unanimously to bar Mayor Samantha Paradis from publicly representing the council. In a second split vote, councilors withdrew from Maine Mayors' Coalition, in which Paradis represented the city.

11/12/2018

Comic book genius Stan Lee dies at 95

Those cameos, though. Legend.

Lee, who created such iconic comic book characters as Spider-Man, Iron Man, Thor and Black Panther, reportedly died early Monday morning in Los Angeles.

11/08/2018

Looking for election results? - Waldo VillageSoup

Looking for election results? - Waldo VillageSoup

As well, find local House of Representatives races for districts 94, 96, 97, 98, 99 and 131, and Senate District 11. Waldo County race results for county commissioner, county treasurer and sheriff also are available.

11/07/2018

Looking for election results from Waldo County? We've got 'em.

11/07/2018

OK, election fans. We can't keep our eyes open any longer. Stories have been updated as best we can for now.

11/07/2018

How long is too long to wait for election results? We're still here.

11/07/2018

Mortier, Harkness, Dean win city council race - Waldo VillageSoup

Belfast City Council incumbents retain seats; Dean chosen for open seat, according to unofficial results. Updated numbers here: https://waldo.villagesoup.com/p/belfast-city-council-results/1787205

Three Belfast City Council seats were up for grabs this year. In Ward 1, third-term Councilor Mary Mortier has defeated write-in challenger Ellie Daniels. In Ward 2, second-term Councilor Neal Harkness defeated Joanne Moesswilde. In Ward 5, Paul Dean defeated write-in challenger Jim Merkel for an op...

11/07/2018

Belfast City Council results - Waldo VillageSoup

Some Belfast results are in for city council, more to come. Story here: https://waldo.villagesoup.com/p/belfast-city-council-results/1787205

Three Belfast City Council seats are up for grabs this year. In Ward 1, third-term Councilor Mary Mortier is competing against write-in challenger Ellie Daniels. In Ward 2, second-term Councilor Neal Harkness is running against Joanne Moesswilde. In Ward 5, Paul Dean is running against write-in chal...

11/07/2018

First town to submit election results: Brooks!

11/07/2018

Standing by, waiting for those election results to come rolling in! Keep checking with waldo.villagesoup.com throughout the evening for results as they become available.

11/01/2018

Election - Belfast - Waldo - Republican Journal

Voting in Waldo County? We’ve been burning the midnight oil making video interviews with candidates, writing overviews, analysis, breakdowns of ballot questions and more.
Dig in!

10/26/2018

Is the salmon farm discharge pipe shrinking? - By Ethan Andrews

A pair of intake pipes, each two feet in diameter, would stretch a little over a mile into the bay, while a single 3-foot-diameter pipe would return the salmon farms' wastewater to a location about 2,600 feet from the shore.

Belfast — On paper, a wastewater pipe from Nordic Aquafarms' proposed land-based salmon farm has been shrinking since it was first described this spring. That trend appeared to continue with a recent permit application, but a technical consultant for the project says the length is actually holding...

10/03/2018

Village Soup

Village Soup

LIVE: Maine senate candidate debate at the Crosby Center in Belfast.