Editor’s Note: The following is the first of two articles highlighting some of the Crown of Maine’s top news stories from 2023. This article compiled by Chris Bouchard highlights events from January through June. The second installment will appear soon.
January
Officials at the University of Maine at Fort Kent worked together with state legislators and Fort Kent attorney Toby Jandreau to bring a rural practice law clinic to the town of Fort Kent. The clinic is modeled after the Cumberland Legal Aid Clinic at the University of Maine School of Law in Portland.
Construction of a $97 million bridge connecting Madawaska and Canada over an international border reached a significant milestone when workers completed its steel framework. The new bridge replaces a century-old bridge that was posted at five tons in 2017.
Jeremy Desjardins of Wallagrass was one of three people named 2022 Maine Logger of the year. Desjardins is a third-generation logger who has been in the profession for about 25 years.
February
The St. John Valley saw record-breaking cold temperatures as the wind chill in Frenchville hit minus 61 degrees, breaking the town’s 2004 record of minus 54.3 degrees.
Firefighters from three St. John Valley departments contained a raging structure fire on South Perley Brook Road in Fort Kent. No people or animals were injured in the fire. The building housed paving equipment.
The Greater Fort Kent Chamber of Commerce named retired lawmaker John Martin as its 2022 Citizen of the Year during a Feb. 9 banquet. Martin is known for having been the longest serving legislator in Maine history.
March
A fire severely damaged the Bald Eagle gas station and convenience store in Eagle Lake. The store was referred to as the center of the community. It was once owned by former legislator John Martin and a business partner.
A 74-year-old Fort Kent man who was charged with killing his neighbor’s dog in 2022 faced a criminal trial after failing to secure a plea deal. The dog, a 3-year-old blue nose pitbull, was discovered lying dead in his owner’s yard with a bullet hole in his chest.
Unionized employees at Twin Rivers Paper Company in Madawaska held a rally in downtown Madawaska on March 9. The workers, who are part of United Steelworkers 1247, rallied against forced overtime. Workers also expressed concerns about a 20% increase in their health insurance premiums.
April
Northern Maine Ice Busters, a group based in St. Agatha, reclaimed the world record for largest ice carousel. The carousel, which was a large disc carved out of ice over Long Lake, weighed more than 165,000 tons and measured 1,776 feet in diameter. Their attempts were almost thwarted by a snowstorm, which forced volunteers to use chainsaws and start over the next morning.
Retired Madawaska Police Chief Ross DuBois and his wife Karen DuBois, Van Buren Superintendent, opened a restaurant together in Madawaska. The restaurant will feature family recipes that have been passed down for generations. DuBois’ Restaurant served steak tips, seafood, cheesecake, and Acadian sugar pie.
Jeff Spencer of Eagle Lake was awarded the title “Maine Game Warden of the Year.” He served the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife for 25 years as a helicopter pilot. Spencer’s career started in the North Maine Woods in the Estcourt Station district. He was later promoted to sergeant, and then he became a game warden pilot.
May
Over 200 students graduated from the University of Maine at Fort Kent. It was the school’s 141st commencement. Speakers at the ceremony included Kelly Martin, a Fort Kent resident and University of Maine System Trustee. Abstract artist Don Voisine also received an honorary doctoral degree from the school during the graduation ceremony.
Staff at the Northern Maine Medical Center in Fort Kent were critical of the facility’s announcement that it would close its obstetrics unit. The hospital closed the facility due to a decline in maternity patients and a lack of adequate staff. This closure means that expecting mothers need to travel over an hour south, either to Cary Medical Center in Caribou or Northern Light A.R. Gould in Presque Isle to give birth.
June
Gwen Nancy Deschaine, a Madawaska woman, discovered that she was a descendant of the Mi’kmaq tribe. She learned that her grandmother, who had the surname Cyr, was actually descended from the tribe. Deschaine and her late brother Clifford Deschaine, founded the Matuwe’s Porc-Epic Porcupine Group, which aims to maintain Mi’kmaq heritage and traditions.
13 senior students graduated from the Van Buren District Secondary School. Valedictorian Elyssa Violette said she felt proud for each of her classmates. And she added that the ceremony was bittersweet, as it would be difficult not to share every day with her class.
“La Frontiere,” a French film, premiered internationally during the 23d annual Ploye Festival in Fort Kent. The film, created by a French film institute, features interviews with St. John Valley residents. In addition to premiering this film, the Ploye Festival also featured the world’s largest buckwheat pancake.
