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
June 22, 2022

Gardiner officials adopt $7.34 million spending plan

Slate of budget-related actions receives unanimous approval from City Council, and while the city’s share of the property tax rate is expected to remain unchanged, the spending plan is to fund paving projects and additional staffing for Fire Department.
Published
June 16, 2022

Farmingdale voters endorse $2.35 million spending plan

This year, town officials plan to pave an additional 2 miles of road to catch up on deferred road work, following voter approval at Thursday’s annual Town Meeting.
Published
June 16, 2022

Gardiner debuts new downtown community event after 2 years without one during pandemic

The all-day ‘Growing Gardiner’ event kicks off Saturday morning, as organizers work to showcase the historic city and what it has to offer residents and visitors alike.
Published
June 15, 2022

Rep. Charlotte Warren wins Democratic nomination for seat on Kennebec County Commissioners

Warren, who because of term limits cannot seek reelection as the state representative for Hallowell, Manchester and West Gardiner, is to face Joseph Pietroski Jr., the Republican nominee from Winthrop, in November for the open seat representing 14 communities in southern and western Kennebec County.
Published
June 12, 2022

Farmingdale residents to consider $2.35M spending plan at Town Meeting

Officials seek residents’ approval Thursday to spend about $650,000 more this year in part to catch up on deferred road maintenance and to fund the snow plow contract, as the town shifts to using more salt rather than a sand-salt mix to keep roads clear in the winter.
Published
June 7, 2022

Kennebec County awards more than $20 million in federal pandemic relief funds

Kennebec County commissioners on Tuesday endorsed a list of 39 projects to be supported by Kennebec County’s $23.7 million share of American Rescue Plan Act funds that will support child care, housing and health programs as well as sewer, water and construction projects, among others.
Published
June 5, 2022

Early science interest sets path for Hall-Dale High School graduate

Samuel Thibeault is poised to trade getting up early for school for getting up earlier to go to work, now that a vocational training program has him on a path toward becoming an electrician.
Published
June 5, 2022

Winthrop High School graduate sees need for balance as he prepares for what is next

New graduate Xavier Hodge, who is excited and nervous for the rest of his life, says his high school years taught him about balance, life and death and what he wants to do with his life.
Published
June 4, 2022

Richmond High School sends off 30 graduates

Richmond High School students, educated during the COVID-19 pandemic, bid farewell to their school and friends as Alyssa Letendre, the class valedictorian, urges them to pursue an end to gun violence
Published
June 4, 2022

Kents Hill graduates urged to see how far they have come

At Kents Hill School’s commencement Saturday, 49 students from around central Maine and around the world prepared to move on from their school in Readfield to take their next steps in the world.