Jessica Lowell

Kennebec Journal

Jessica Lowell covers business and economic development and general news in the Gardiner area. After short but intense aspirations to be an opera singer (age 4) and a deep-sea diver (age 6) her most enduring passion has been telling stories. A University of Maine graduate, she worked for newspapers in New Hampshire, upstate New York and Wyoming, where she has won awards for investigative and explanatory journalism. She’s a fellow of the Knight Center for Specialized Journalism and the Institute for Journalism and Natural Resources. After several years out of journalism, she returned to Maine and to writing, where she spends her free time enjoying both trees and the ocean, two commodities that Wyoming lacks.

Latest

Published
May 23, 2019

Gardiner high school students take a peek at the future

Thanks to returning graduates, current Gardiner Area High School students were able to get a realistic view of what college — and life after college — might be like for them.
Published
May 21, 2019

Kennebec County budget increasing by 2.73 percent

The additional proposed spending would pay for an additional deputy and a domestic violence investigator as well as routine increases in costs like health insurance.
Published
May 21, 2019

Gardiner officials endorse cuts to spending plan

After debate, city elected officials came to a compromise that would cut the expected property tax rate by 45 cents.
Published
May 21, 2019

Richmond property tax rate expected to stay flat with proposed budget

Town Manager Adam Garland said the town’s spending plan reflects negotiated increases in salaries, an increase in the cost of ambulance service, and other adjustments across town departments.
Published
May 20, 2019

Gardiner officials to mull economic development efforts, budget

Following the departure of the city’s recently hired economic development director, Gardiner elected officials are expected to consider what they will do next.
Published
May 17, 2019

Fire destroys car on interstate ramp in Augusta

No one was injured when a car burst into flames Friday morning.
Published
May 16, 2019

Gardiner-area school district budget hearing draws little interest

At Thursday’s public hearing, Superintendent Patricia Hopkins delivered the district’s budget presentation to an audience that consisted largely of board members and administrators.
Published
May 12, 2019

Innovation offers options for affordable housing in Augusta

Given the assignment to design affordable housing, a group of University of Maine Augusta architecture students bring imagination to a type of housing that’s in demand across the state.
Published
May 10, 2019

Gardiner councilors struggle to find cuts in proposed city spending plan

Facing the prospect of a 5.8% increase in the property tax rate, Gardiner city councilors have asked to see proposals that reflect spending cuts for the upcoming budget year.
Published
May 9, 2019

Richmond man charged with terrorizing, sexual exploitation of minor

Jeffrey Tilton, 55, was charged after an investigation into an underage drinking party, which led to information that he allegedly sought to take inappropriate photos of a juvenile female.