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Greetings from Downeast where the Washington County coffers isn’t the only dry well. A moose unintentionally stumbled upon an empty well in Pembroke this week. You can read his rescue story below.

Empty wells are having serious consequences for humans too. One of our East Machias neighbors reached out earlier this week with a desperate plea for water after their well dried up amid the ongoing drought. It was an unfortunate way for the homeowner to learn they had a dug well, rather than a drilled well, which can better withstand sustained periods of dry weather. But even drilled wells like ours are being pushed to their limits. Our sprinklers were retired several weeks ago — much to the sadness of my wilted, thirsty flowers.

Wells are likely to remain under duress. Although the heat is winding down as summer turns the corner to fall, rain is still in short supply, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. That’s not only bad news for our neighbor, but also for farmers, especially newer farmers who don’t have back-up systems to ride out the drought. Businesses that depend on fall tourism might be affected too. The dry summer is dimming Maine’s usually brilliant fall foliage.

Meanwhile, the Washington County budget advisory council met this week, trying to figure out how to refill the empty county fiscal well. Another public session of the BAC will be held next Wednesday from 9 to 11 am in the county probate courtroom.

Washington County’s former treasurer inappropriately moved money, officials say

While there is no indication that taxpayer money was misused, the transfers helped obscure years of cash flow problems.

Read this story by Daniel O'Connor of The Maine Monitor & Bangor Daily News

RELATED COVERAGE: 

What happens if Washington County runs out of money?

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The names of a father and son scalloping duo from Addison have been added to a memorial honoring Down East fishermen who have died at sea after initial questions about whether they would be. | Bangor Daily News

Sheriff Scott Kane and District Attorney Bob Granger have voiced objections to Hancock County legislators’ selection of State Rep. Nina Milliken (D-Blue Hill) to the county’s Budget Advisory Committee in light of Milliken’s pending criminal charge for an alleged polling place violation. | Ellsworth American

Extreme drought grips parts of Maine as lengthy dry spell worsens. | Portland Press Herald

Maine's largest public drinking water supplies are contaminated with hexavalent chromium, arsenic or nitrate, or all three chemicals combined, according to a new national report by the Environmental Working Group. | Maine Public

Dredging work is expected to begin on a Superfund site in Brooksville next week, one of just two major projects that remain to be completed after years of cleanup on a section of the former Callahan metal mine. | Bangor Daily News

Surry residents learned that it would be cheaper to acquire the Toddy Pond dam due to the likelihood of losing waterfront property value from the tax rolls should the dam be abandoned. | Ellsworth American

A trooper repeatedly punched a handcuffed man in the face. The Maine State Police promoted him. | The Maine Monitor and Bangor Daily News

Disability Rights Maine and other groups are asking a federal court to reject proposed changes to a settlement agreement over the state's handling of behavioral health treatment for children with disabilities. | Maine Public

The former Stinson Seafood sardine cannery was purchased last week by three Maine seafood industry veterans, who have begun lobstering operations there.  | Ellsworth American

The Maine State Police reviewed nearly three dozen complaints about troopers who used physical force in the past decade. Not once did the agency determine the force was excessive. | The Maine Monitor and Bangor Daily News

The local schoolteacher who’s been a longtime tenant at Castine’s town-owned historic lighthouse will continue to live there along with her husband after the Castine Select Board this week approved a two-year lease. | Bangor Daily News

A Hancock County jury found a Hancock man who had worked for the late U.S. Senate candidate Max Linn guilty of one count of theft by deception. | Mount Desert Islander

The Tremont Select Board this week appeared to pursue the construction of a new public safety building at the same location as the town office. | Bar Harbor Story

The Arbor Commission hosted a public forum to present initial findings on a management plan for Branch Lake Public Forest. | Ellsworth American

A bull moose was rescued Wednesday after falling into a hidden, old well on private property in Pembroke. | Bangor Daily News

Have feedback, a correction or know of something we should look into? Send it to our newsroom. If you have feedback or a tip that you want to send to Joyce Kryszak directly, email her at: joyce@themainemonitor.org. 

The Maine Monitor is a publication of the Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting, an independent and nonpartisan nonprofit news organization that produces investigative journalism. We believe news is a public good and keep our news free to access. We have no paywall and do not charge for our newsletters. If you value the reporting we do for Maine, please consider making a donation! We cannot do this reporting without your support.

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