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
April 6, 2022

Gardiner names city manager following yearlong search

Andrew R. Carlton, now the superintendent in the Wales-area school district, is expected to begin new job June 6.
Published
April 4, 2022

Kennebec Valley Health Club changes hands, to remain fitness center in Farmingdale

After 45 years, Sharon Roy has sold the Kennebec Valley Health Club to Scott Coutts.
Published
April 3, 2022

Johnson Hall in Gardiner prepares for start of renovations at historic opera house

With the building at 280 Water St. closed for about the next 18 months, Johnson Hall’s Waterfront Concert Series is to be held this summer and in 2022-23 at other venues in Gardiner.
Published
April 1, 2022

West Gardiner budget features firetruck request, increased fuel spending

West Gardiner voters will consider approving plans for a new firetruck, a building for the town historical society and a donation to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Kennebec Valley’s new facility at the upcoming Town Meeting.
Published
April 1, 2022

Historic headstone discovered in courthouse basement headed home to Rome

The discovery of a headstone in a disused part of the Kennebec County Courthouse sparked a search by Dan Brunelle, the county’s facilities manager, to return it to its rightful place.
Published
March 29, 2022

Gardiner residents meet top candidate for city manager position

Andrew Carlton, who is currently superintendent in Regional School Unit 4 based in Wales, told residents at a forum that he sees overlap between school and municipal administration in managing budgets and people.
Published
March 25, 2022

Gardiner officials seek evaluation of aging city facilities

The city has issued a request for proposals for a consultant to evaluate the condition of City Hall, the Police and Fire departments and the Public Works garage and help plan for the city’s future needs.
Published
March 24, 2022

Gardiner to hold public meeting with city manager candidate on Monday

Andrew R. Carlton, currently the superintendent for Regional School Unit 4, will take part in a community gathering Monday to meet and talk with city residents.
Published
March 23, 2022

Massachusetts men arrested in Augusta on drug, gun charges, police say

Officers from the Augusta Police Department, the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency and the Kennebec County Sheriff’s Office executed a search warrant at the Comfort Inn on Civic Center Drive.
Published
March 23, 2022

Gardiner big-screen premiere set for documentary on alewives

“Keystone: Voices for the Little Fish,” showcases the role alewives play in the ecosystem, and is part of an informational evening put on by the organization dedicated to restoring sea-run fish passage on Cobbosseecontee Stream.