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
December 28, 2022

Gardiner police chief retires after 32 years with department

Chief James Toman, 52, began with the Gardiner Police Department as a part-time officer in 1990, and worked his way to the top position in 2003.
Published
December 27, 2022

Gardiner hires new economic development director

Melissa Lindley, who has served as Gardiner Main Street’s executive director since 2019, begins her new job with the city of Gardiner on Jan. 23.
Published
December 22, 2022

With heavy rain and snowmelt, Kennebec River expected to flood

The storm expected Friday is predicted to bring heavy rain, powerful wind gusts and plummeting temperatures, ushering in an icy Christmas weekend for central Maine and the potential for widespread power outages.
Published
December 21, 2022

Kennebec County secures new office space in Augusta for sheriff’s department

Kennebec County commissioners have bought 73 Winthrop St., the former home of the Maine Primary Care Association, to house the administrative offices of the Kennebec County Sheriff’s Office.
Published
December 20, 2022

Maine group acted in ‘bad faith’ by withholding public records about former Kennebec County jail inmate, justice says

A Superior Court justice ordered the Maine County Commissioners Association self-funded risk management pool to pay attorneys’ fees and release the wrongfully withheld documents detailing a settlement with a former Kennebec County jail inmate who alleged that officers used excessive force and racial slurs against him.
Published
December 19, 2022

Police identify victim in Hallowell shooting

Hallowell police have identified the victim in Sunday’s early morning shooting as Joshua Arbour, 42, as officers continue their search for the suspect wanted in connection with the shooting.
Published
December 18, 2022

Gardiner gathers to mourn Chase Fossett

Memorial for Fossett, the 2020 Gardiner Area High School graduate, draws hundreds of supporters and heartfelt words.
Published
December 18, 2022

Man shot, injured early Sunday in Hallowell, police say

A 30-year-old man was shot during an altercation with an acquaintance at about 3 a.m. on Second Street, after which the suspect fled, according to police.
Published
December 17, 2022

Central Maine shakes off the first big storm of the season

Central Maine Power crews were expected to continue work restoring power to customers across central and southern Maine Saturday and Sunday as a slow-moving nor’easter lumbers out of northern New England, dumping nearly 2 feet of snow in some interior regions.
Published
December 17, 2022

Temple Beth El congregation returns to in-person Hanukkah celebrations with Sunday’s party

This year marks the return to an in-person event for Temple Beth El with games, songs and food, after two years of pandemic-driven adaptations for the annual celebration.