Mattawamkeag to get cell phone for park

MATTAWAMKEAG – The town-owned Mattawamkeag Wilderness Park and Campground welcomes visitors to town from Memorial Day through the summer months and into fall. Unfortunately, the campground’s landline phone hasn’t been fully operational in recent months, it was noted at Monday’s brief selectmen’s meeting at the municipal building. Assistant Town Clerk Marianne Carr noted that the town is looking at purchasing a prepaid cell phone for the park, since there is cell service there. The phone will ensure that those making camping reservations will be able to do so, Carr noted after the meeting.

Local man wanted on several warrants arrested

LINCOLN – A Lincoln man wanted on six outstanding warrants was arrested last week, according to Lincoln Police Detective Stewart Jacobs. Beau Gagnon, 32, was wanted on six total warrants – two from 2020, one from 2022 and three from 2023 – when police were dispatched to an Ayer Street home at 3:22 p.m., Jacobs noted from a police report. According to the report, Gagnon attempted to jump out a back window of the building, but was met by Officer MacDonald there, Jacobs relayed on Tuesday.

Medway men indicted on several  charges by grand jury

BANGOR –  Two Medway men wer indicted on drug, gun and firearm charges by a Penobscot County grand jury last week, according to a list released by the office on Dec. 27. Matthew Vandine, 45, of Medway was indicted on three counts of aggravated trafficking in scheduled drugs, two counts of unlawful possession of scheduled drugs, one count of possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, one count of possession of burglary tools and one count of criminal forfeiture, according to the list. Christopher Mitchell, 35, of Medway was indicted on three counts of aggravated trafficking in scheduled drugs, two counts of unlawful  possession of scheduled drugs, three counts of criminal forfeiture, two counts of violating conditions of release, one count of theft by unauthorized taking and one count of possession of burglary tools.

Kingman family searches for missing dog

KINGMAN - A family is asking people in the area to keep an eye out for their missing dog, which ran away from their family’s hobby farm in Kingman on Dec. 1. Jackie Worster has asked that anyone who has seen Riggs, a white Portuguese Podengo with a pink nose and ears, to call her or Lincoln-based dog expert Kelly Nason, and not to chase the animal. Worster and Nason said they have received reports that Riggs was seen in Wytopitlock two weeks after his disappearance (Dec. 14/15) and possibly as recently as Tuesday, Dec. 26 in Sherman.

Maine ranked No. 10 in annual health report

The United Health Foundation released its annual America’s Health Rankings report, with Maine ranking No. 10 in the nation  for 2023. The annual report boasts itself as the longest-running state-by-state analysis of the country’s health, providing data to influence policy, community and leadership decisions. This year’s report listed several factors as having positive and negative impacts on the Pine Tree State’s ranking, highlighting strengths such as high school completion, a low homicide rate and, curiously, a low incidence rate of chlamydia.

Fire damages Medway house, garage

MEDWAY—Nobody was injured in a fire on the morning of New Year’s Eve that heavily damaged a single-family house and garage in Medway. The Medway Fire Department responded shortly before 4:45 a.m. Sunday to a reported second alarm structure fire at 342 Pattagumpus Road in Medway, according to information provided by Medway Fire Chief Aaron Lee. Upon arriving on scene, crews found a well involved fire in a one and a half story residential dwelling as well as a fully involved fire in a two-bay, two-story garage on the property.

Millinocket council gives initial support for airport runway reconstruction plan

MILLINOCKET—A majority of the Millinocket Town Council gave initial support to a reconstruction plan for the main runway at the Millinocket Municipal Airport that calls for a larger runway than will be paid for through federal aviation funding with the municipality covering the difference in cost. Millinocket Town Manager Peter Jamieson and Airport Manager Jeff Campbell addressed the council during its meeting last week to discuss the upcoming runway reconstruction project at the Medway Road airfield. Councilors learned the Federal Aviation Administration sought to reduce the size of the airport’s main runway to 60 feet by 3,200 feet from its current length of 4,700 feet though the town struck an agreement with the FAA, which will cover the cost of the smaller runway while Millinocket can build whatever size it desires by paying the difference in cost.

McAdam appointed interim East fire chief

EAST MILLINOCKET - With the impending departure of Fire Chief Rob McGraw the East Millinocket Board of Selectmen appointed Deputy Chief Kevin McAdam as Interim Fire Chief for the next six months. McGraw’s last day is Dec. 31 and the board had not officially acted on his recommendation to appoint McAdam as fire chief. It finally did so and will look to him to fill the chief’s shoes until the board acts to hire a permanent chief.

Convicted felon accused of possessing firearm, threatening individuals

MILLINOCKET—A 48-year old man was arrested last week on multiple charges after he allegedly possessed a firearm as a convicted felon and made threats against multiple individuals, including a town official. Trent McRitchie of Millinocket and Ohio was taken into custody and transported to the Penobscot County Jail on charges of possession of a firearm by a felon, violation of a protection order and two counts of criminal threatening, according to information provided by the East Millinocket Police Department.  

East welcomes Gibbs as administrator; Ingersoll, Hawksley get new jobs

EAST MILLINOCKET - East Millinocket Selectmen welcomed new Town Administrator Denise Gibbs to her first board meeting Dec. 26 - her first official day on the job. Gibbs, who is from East Millinocket but moved away most recently living in Arizona, was hired to replace Interim Town Administrator Rob McGraw who resigned the position with his last day Dec. 31. Gibbs is joining the town office staff during a time of updating and instituting new technology to make the office more efficient and user friendly for residents and staff alike. Selectmen have recently approved the purchase of new software and technology, specifically Trio software,  that will require extensive training.

Millinocket aims to use savings from ambulance purchase for cold water rescue gear

MILLINOCKET—A recent cold water rescue call at an area lake highlighted a need for new cold water rescue gear for the Millinocket Fire Department, and the town aims to use savings from the purchase of a new ambulance to cover the expenditure. Millinocket Town Manager Peter Jamieson explained the issue came to light when the fire department and ambulance service responded to a call just off Route 11 west of Millinocket for a cold water rescue. He said the department’s boat, which had been packed away for the season, is not suitable for winter rescues as it is not designed for ice and winter water conditions. The department’s cold water rescue suits are very old and outdated with dry rot and having been patched making them not suitable for use.

Man indicted on multiple charges from alleged threat against woman, assault on officer

MILLINOCKET/BANGOR—A 32-year old Millinocket man was indicted on several charges in connection with an incident last fall when he allegedly threatened to kill a woman and assaulted a police officer who subsequently tried to arrest him. John Carll was indicted last week by the Penobscot County grand jury on charges of assault on an officer, domestic violence assault, domestic violence criminal threatening with a dangerous weapon and refusing to submit to arrest, according to information provided by the Penobscot County District Attorney’s Office.

Medway still looking for fire utility vehicle; audit hits another snag

MEDWAY - The town of Medway is still looking for a utility vehicle for the fire department. The board of selectmen learned during its board meeting that it was outbid on a truck it was watching on a New York auction site. The board had previously agreed to bid up to $30,000 on the low mileage highly equipped utility truck but the online bids had surpassed that with about an hour left to go in the auction.

Alleged club wielding boat thief with drugs in shoe indicted on host of offenses

MEDWAY/BANGOR—A Medway man who was arrested three months ago after he allegedly stole a boat and had drugs in his shoe after police found him wielding a homemade club has been indicted on several charges related to the incident. Christopher Mitchell, 35, was the subject of a four-count indictment returned last week by the Penobscot County grand jury on charges of aggravated trafficking in scheduled drugs, unlawful trafficking of scheduled drugs, theft and violation of condition of release, according to information provided by the Penobscot County District Attorney’s Office.

EMPD sees call volume continue to climb

KATAHDIN REGION—The most recent month for which statistics have been complied saw the East Millinocket Police Department respond to an average of 32.5 calls per day during September, when there were nearly 1,000 calls for service. Of the 979 service calls in September, nearly 57 percent of them originated in Millinocket, according to the monthly statistics released by the department. There were 557 calls in Millinocket, 243 in East Millinocket, 166 in Medway and 13 in other coverage areas during the month, when officers also arrested or summonsed 51 individuals, conducted 267 motor vehicle stops and handled 1,116 observed offenses.

Bates Street reconstruction project on horizon

MILLINOCKET—An upcoming two-year project will result in the reconstruction of Bates Street in Millinocket from its intersection with Katahdin Avenue to the town line. Millinocket Town Manager Peter Jamieson addressed the state of the road, which is part of the route that connects the community to Baxter State Park and the surrounding lakes, after Bates Street was closed for a period of time last month due to flooding at the railroad overpass caused by heavy rain during a storm. Jamieson said there was chatter on social media about the closure noting that Millinocket was very fortunate wth storm-related damage compared to other communities in the state.

East library receives $50,000 King Foundation Grant

EAST MILLINOCKET - East Millinocket Board of Selectmen Chairman Mike Michaud reported to other board members that the town had received a Stephen and Tabitha King Foundation grant of $50,000 for the library. Michaud said former Interim Administrative Assistant Rebecca Phillips applied for the grant and was notified by letter on Nov. 30 that the grant had been awarded. He said Phillips brought the check into the town office recently.