Megan Waceken
Multimedia Journalist
I grew up in Millinocket, ME. I came to Presque Isle for my education at UMPI and felt at home in this town. I have a passion for writing, and that passion led me to where I am now!
Here is an update on the construction of the new Land Port of Entry in Madawaska.
Christmas started early for folks in the Caribou area. Activities for the kids were going on throughout most of the day, from making a letter to Santa to seeing him and his reindeer, Caribou was the place to be to kick off the holiday.
After Thanksgiving leftovers, Many folks in Caribou burned off the extra turkey by running a 5k turkey trot on Saturday. The 5K Turkey Trot Race is back in Caribou for the first time this year since COVID-19.
For three years now the organization, Canines for Disabled Children, has had an event in Massachusetts that allows folks a chance to rappel down a building after making a donation of 1000 dollars to their cause. The event is called Over the Edge and the building that is used is 110 feet tall. Last Saturday, a County woman, Jackie Lowman traveled to Massachusetts to do exactly that.
It’s the weekend of shopping for many folks, as Black Friday is upon us. Local businesses are having sales and extending hours to encourage more folks to shop locally. Many businesses are getting into the spirit of the season by offering Black Friday deals.
Another business put the giving in Thanksgiving today by providing free meals. Big Rick’s in Madawaska helped folks experience that joy by sending out about 300 Thanksgiving meals to people in the community.
Many folks in the Northern Aroostook area received a warm homecooked Thanksgiving meal today. The organization All Things Become New delivered meals for the fourth year. It’s all part of giving back to the community.
The winter season also means changing road conditions. This can mean an increase in accidents and close calls driving. Officers around the county tell us what we need to know to stay safe.
Winter may not officially be here yet, but snow is. Plows are out taking care of the snow we’ve received so far today. We spoke to police chiefs and officers in the county to find out what vehicle owners should keep in mind as we prepare for more snow to fly.
It was a busy Saturday in Caribou. The Caribou Parks and Recreation Department hosted its 6th Annual Christmas Market. There were about 40 vendors at the event.
Folks in the St. John Valley area are getting out to bid on baskets this week for the Festival of Baskets. The event is hosted by the St. John Valley Chamber of Commerce. 31 individual baskets lined the tables for folks to bid on and win each one of them.
Entrepreneurs from around the county are being offered an opportunity. The Top Gun program has made its way to northern Maine to help Entrepreneurs and small businesses start up, scale up, and get to the next level. For the first time in a decade, the Top Gun program has made its way to Aroostook County. Top Gun is a business academy for Maine residents who want to learn how to advance their business and, in turn, bring more jobs to Maine.
ACAP’s Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) helps homeowners and renters pay for heating costs during our long winters. We spoke to the energy and housing coordinator, Josh Mcatee, to learn about how they plan to help folks stay warm this winter even with less funds to do so. Across the state, the Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) has about 10 million dollars less this year to help folks heat their homes this winter.
On Veterans Day folks gather at the Veteran Cemetery in Caribou to honor all Veterans with their own ceremony. Every year, on the 11 day of the 11 month the Veterans Cemetery in Caribou fills with folks and Veterans to honor those who have served and Veterans who have passed away.
Many Folks around the County came together to honor those who have served. Fort Kent had their own Flag Raising Ceremony to honor veterans.
In this year’s referendum election, question four --the right to repair-- won in a landslide with 84 percent of folks voting yes. This means folks can get their vehicle repaired where they choose.
In Honor of our Veterans, some County folks are wearing camo. Earlier this morning, the Country Village Estates in Madawaska Celebrated their Vets with a Make Camo Your Cause to Honor U.S Vets event.
The Maine Career Center took a job fair on the road. Over 20 employers were at the job fair at the Caribou VFW yesterday handing out applications and talking about their job openings.
Question 4 looks at the Right to Repair. This question is about whether motor vehicle manufacturers should be required to make vehicle systems available to owners and third-party independent shops for repairs.
Halloween might have been last Tuesday, but hundreds of youngsters in the Houlton area were dressed up and trick or treating on Saturday.
On Friday, 44-year-old Lucas Landry from Smyrna started a fire in the Bangor Walmart.
As the weather starts to get colder and Christmas is under two months away folks are doing more things inside. Monticello Fish and Game Club offered people a warm place to shop for different decorations, homemade trinkets, and baked goods over the weekend
On a summer day, the Martin siblings were enjoying their time out of school by riding around their property. Eight-year-old Kenneth Martin had his dirt bike. And seven-year-old Bella Martin was on her little battery-operated power wheel when she lost sight of her brother. And went to look for him. He was face down in a pond when she found him. Her next quick decisions saved his life.
It’s not just adults and children getting into the Halloween spirit. Even Horses got a chance to dress up over the weekend at Little Bit of Horse Heaven in Caribou.
Halloween came early for many kids over the weekend. Kids dressed up in costume to go to the Presque Isle High School Gym where there were games, arts and crafts, prizes, and also -- what most kids look forward to on Halloween-- candy
Folks are feeling heavy emotions because of the past couple of days. Some may be feeling unsure about leaving their homes to go out into the community. The Presque Isle Fish and Game Club President, Bob True, wants to remind folks to stay safe, whether that means practicing gun safety or staying vigilant about what is going on around them.
Homelessness is an issue all around the world. Those who have given up the most to fight for our freedom often find themselves experiencing homelessness. One University of Maine Fort Kent sophomore is working towards building a home for female veterans in Hancock, Maine.
We all know what budgeting is like. Today, high school students from around the county learned how to budget their finances for their futures. Loring Job Corps hosted the Aroostook Chapters Credit Unions Financial Fitness Fair.
A rainy weekend brought folks indoors to the Caribou Wellness & Rec Center. That is where The Center for the Advancement of Rural Living (CARL) had its 2nd annual Fall Spectacular. 25 tables were set up for the Fall Spectacular for folks to look at.
It was a busy weekend in Caribou. Folks came from all over to browse the 135 vendor tables at the Caribou Arts and Crafts Fair held at the high school.
Throughout the county, high schoolers are planning their future. The second annual Countywide College, Career, and Military Fair is visiting schools and taking the time to help these young folks make informed decisions.
Folks at home with young families may have heard from your child about what you need to do during a fire. This was because of some fire departments around the county talking to youngsters during Fire Safety Week
Many folks out in about dressed in pink over the weekend. This was in support of people battling cancer. The community gathered at Riverfront Park to take part in the Bridge to Hope 18th annual Cancer Awareness Walk.
As the colder season is rolling in, organizations in the community are partnering together to make sure folks at home have what they need to avoid slips and falls on the ice. The Aroostook Agency on Aging, Presque Isle Rotary Club, and Presque Isle Public Works are creating an age-friendly community this winter through their program Safe Steps: Sand and Salt for Seniors.
Snowmobiling is a big pastime for many during the winter. Folks may not know the amount of work that goes into maintaining the trails -- even before the first snowfall -- so folks will be able to get out on the sleds. We visited New Sweden where trail groomers have recently avoided possibly losing 16 miles worth of sled trails.
It’s that time of year again, October 1st marked the first day that folks can start putting their winter tires on. But just because you can right now, should you? This article will share what professional mechanics say.
The war in Israel is affecting millions of lives. The pain of war is physical and emotional to many people all over the world including American citizens.
It was a fun weekend of games and challenges for many who attended Oktoberfest. Oktoberfest was held at Legacy Ranch in Mars Hill. It’s the third time the Central Aroostook Chamber of Commerce has hosted their annual Oktoberfest
Folks gathered at Bigrock Mountain for festivities and to help support the Ending Hunger Campaign. Maine Credit Union hosted their first-ever festival to end hunger over the weekend.
A two-vehicle crash happened at the intersection of Parson St. and State Road on October 7th.
It was a day to enjoy nature and learn about outdoor activities for Limestone Community School Students. This is the third year of the school’s outdoor education program. The goal is to get kids out of the classroom away from devices and expose them to activities outdoors.
The possible Government shutdown threatens to slow down and stop many services. This would make it hard for many people on a day-to-day basis. Organizations around the county are preparing in case the shutdown happens. With the possibility of a government shutdown looming, organizations in the County, such as ACAP and Catholic Charities are working to ensure County folks who rely on these services won’t see an interruption.
UMFK had its first Narcan training course in collaboration with AMHC, UMFK’s Behavioral Science program, and UMPI’s Social Work program.
NMCC and Northern Maine Growth Initiatives have a mission to help the county’s population grow by welcoming in new Mainers.
