Chris Bouchard

Waterville

Reporter at The County

Reporter for @KJ_Online

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Articles

UMFK hosts 143rd commencement

2 days ago | thecounty.me | Chris Bouchard

FORT KENT, Maine — The University of Maine at Fort Kent graduated 198 students and conferred 208 degrees during its 143rd commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 10. The ceremony, held at the UMFK Sports Center, also marked the first graduating class for its new master of science in nursing program.
Trump budget cuts target national design program that helped rural Maine towns

4 days ago | thecounty.me | Chris Bouchard

VAN BUREN, Maine — Budget cuts proposed by the Trump administration would cancel funding for a program that has created national connections and funding opportunities for rural towns in Maine and throughout the country. The 30-year-old Citizens’ Institute on Rural Design program is funded by the National Endowment for the Arts, which Trump has targeted for elimination in his budget proposal.
10th annual Community Wide Yard Sale to cover much of St. John Valley

5 days ago | thecounty.me | Chris Bouchard

MADAWASKA, Maine — More than half a dozen northern Aroostook communities will be involved in the upcoming Community Wide Yard Sale later this month, hosted by the St. John Valley Chamber of Commerce & Tourism. The yard sale, set for the weekend of May 24 and 25, will cover the chamber’s entire coverage area, which includes Cyr Plantation, Grand Isle, Frenchville, Madawaska, Sinclair, St. Agatha, St. David and Van Buren.
Valley town and paper mill clash over tax bill

1 week ago | thecounty.me | Chris Bouchard

MADAWASKA, Maine — Madawaska and its biggest employer, Twin Rivers Paper Co., are clashing after town officials denied a request to lower the assessed value of the mill’s real estate by $25.3 million to reduce its overall tax bill. The Select Board made the decision last week, during a heated hour-and-a-half discussion with company officials.
Following Van Buren's lead, other towns eye college collabs

1 week ago | thecounty.me | Chris Bouchard

VAN BUREN, Maine – When Scott Schmidt, a professor at Drexel, Georgetown and Clemson universities, was looking up rural design on Google, he never could have guessed that it would lead to several successful collaborations between his students and the town of Van Buren. Now, Schmidt is starting to work with other Aroostook communities.
National TV show will highlight case of missing Aroostook girl

1 week ago | thecounty.me | Chris Bouchard

NEW SWEDEN, Maine — The search for Stefanie Damron, a 14-year-old New Sweden girl who went missing last year, was renewed on Friday and will also be featured on the Fox TV show “America’s Most Wanted: Missing Persons” on Monday, May 5 at 8 p.m.The show will include a short featurette on Damron, as part of a segment called “MP Alerts” which highlights cases seen as more recent and urgent, according to Daniel Martin, executive producer and showrunner.
UMFK symposium highlights history and changes along northern border

1 week ago | thecounty.me | Chris Bouchard

FORT KENT, Maine — Speakers at an April 30 scholars’ symposium discussed the history of the United States and Canada border, how changes such as the Sept. 11 attacks and the COVID-19 pandemic affected international travel, and how border laws are enforced. The University of Maine at Fort Kent has hosted symposia since 2010. These day-long events celebrate and showcase the scholarly work of the University’s students. These events focus on issues relevant to the local community.
Fort Kent charter amendments to go to voters

1 week ago | thecounty.me | Chris Bouchard

FORT KENT, Maine — Three changes to the town charter will go to voters as a referendum question during the June 10 election. After a brief public hearing on Monday, the Town Council moved toward putting the items on the ballot. The amendments include a change to section one of the charter, which would move the annual town meeting to the third Tuesday of March each year. There are two changes to section five of the charter.
Over 1,000 came to Madawaska for largest trade show north of Bangor

2 weeks ago | thecounty.me | Chris Bouchard

MADAWASKA, Maine — Just half an hour after Madawaska’s Top O’ Maine Trade Show opened on Saturday morning, the multi-purpose center’s parking lot was filled up, with cars parking down the street. This marks the 36th year that the show, which is the largest of its kind north of Bangor, was held. And while the show featured several local businesses, it also drew vendors from as far out as North Carolina.
A major Presque Isle road project is expected to start this year

2 weeks ago | thecounty.me | Chris Bouchard

PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — More than 40 Aroostook County communities are included in the Maine Department of Transportation’s newly released work plan for the next three years, with several projects based in the St. John Valley and the two most expensive in the central Aroostook towns of Presque Isle and Caribou.