Four Candidates Vie for Two Ellsworth Council Seats<\/b><\/p>\n
Four residents are competing for two open seats on the Ellsworth City Council, with incumbent Nancy Smith, former councilor Casey Hanson, and newcomers Robert Grant Sr. and Tiffany Dilda Gaspar on the November ballot.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The race follows a contentious failed recall effort led by Gaspar targeting five councilors, including Smith, after the council censured Councilor Steven O’Halloran.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Smith calls the recall a distraction built on disinformation, while Gaspar defends it as accountability for spending residents felt was ignored.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Grant says he refused to sign the recall and chose to run instead, while Hanson calls it a waste of taxpayer money and staff time, according to the Bangor Daily News.<\/span><\/p>\n The candidates also split sharply on short-term rentals, with Hanson and Smith backing registration and inspection and Gaspar and Grant opposing new regulation.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Bangor Daily News<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n Teen Driver Safety Week Oct. 18-24<\/b><\/p>\n The Maine Bureau of Highway Safety is urging parents and other adults to talk with teens about safe driving during National Teen Driver Safety Week, October 18th through 24th.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Officials stress reviewing Maine’s graduated licensing rules and consistently modeling safe behavior behind the wheel.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The Pen Bay Pilot reports traffic crashes remain the leading cause of death for 15- to 18-year-olds nationally, with an average of 12 teen driver deaths a year in Maine over the past five years \u2014 a rate that has doubled recently.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n More information is available at NHTSA.gov\/TeenDriverSafety and Maine’s young-driver safety pages.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n PenBay Pilot<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n Everest Recovery Center Opens in Ellsworth<\/b><\/p>\n Everest Recovery Center opened October 7 at 190 Bangor Road in Ellsworth, offering outpatient treatment for opioid use disorders in Hancock County.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The clinic provides medication-assisted treatment, assessments, counseling, relapse prevention, support groups and addiction education close to home.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The Ellsworth American reports company officials note more than 8 percent of Downeast Maine residents are estimated to live with a substance use disorder, and that local access reduces travel barriers that often delay care.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n CEO Heather Camara says residents deserve high-quality treatment where they live, work and raise families. The Ellsworth site is Everest’s fourth location in Maine and fifth overall.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0The Ellsworth American<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n Everybody Harvests Community Garden Still Producing<\/b><\/p>\n The Everybody Harvests Community Garden in Ellsworth is still offering free, fresh organic produce through the end of October, including cabbage, broccoli and potatoes.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Located at Frenchman Bay Conservancy’s Whitney Forest, the garden launched this spring through Green Ellsworth after test plantings in 2025.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Organizers say more than 100 residents have visited, with several hundred pounds shared directly plus additional deliveries to Healthy Acadia, schools and Friends in Action according to the Ellsworth American.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Public harvests run Saturdays 10 a.m. to noon, with surplus going to Healthy Acadia’s Downeast Gleaning Initiative for food pantries. Volunteers plan expanded crops, raised beds for accessibility, and education on soil health and home growing next year.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The Ellsworth American<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n MDI Hospital Harding Memorial Golf Tournament<\/b><\/p>\n MDI Health hosted its 33rd Annual David R. Harding Memorial Golf Tournament, presented by Bar Harbor Bank & Trust, on October 1 at Kebo Valley Golf Club in Bar Harbor.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The event honors longtime Bar Harbor Bankshares chairman David Harding and his legacy of community support.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Since 2021, Mount Desert Island Hospital has managed the tournament as primary beneficiary, following earlier years supporting MRI funding and other local causes.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Proceeds benefit hospital programs and past recipients have included food pantries, youth programs, search and rescue and housing groups. Registration and sponsorship details were offered through hospital contacts Robyn Clark and Claire Sasner.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n