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
July 9, 2020

Augusta, Waterville treated differently under updated mask orders

The two cities are less than 20 miles apart and have similar overnight populations, but only Augusta was identified in the executive order on enforcing mask wearing. The answer might be in the numbers.
Published
July 9, 2020

Pittston Board of Selectmen race draws familiar faces

Greg Lumbert, a former selectman, and Fred Kimball, who ran a year ago, are vying Tuesday for the open select board seat.
Published
July 7, 2020

Pittston to weigh budget, ordinances at Town Meeting

The annual budget vote, delayed 16 weeks by the global coronavirus pandemic, will take place in the pulling ring at the Pittston Fairgrounds Saturday.
Published
July 7, 2020

Pittston voters approve budget in shortened Town Meeting

On a motion from a resident, Pittston voters agreed to group the bulk of the warrant articles into one motion and dispense with debate on the town’s proposed budget.
Published
July 5, 2020

Four candidates running for 2 seats in Richmond

Voting is scheduled for Tuesday, July 14, in the conference room at the Town Office, in conjunction with the statewide primary and the referendum on the Regional School Unit 2 budget.
Published
June 30, 2020

Canceled Fourth of July fireworks bring economic hardship in central Maine

Professional pyrotechnics display companies across the nation, including Central Maine Pyrotechnics, are on track to lose the bulk of their revenue this year because of canceled fireworks productions.
Published
June 29, 2020

Gardiner-area Boys & Girls Clubs secures educational support grant

The funds will allow the club to provide educational support to students in the Gardiner-area school district as well as in Chelsea and Windsor over the next four years.
Published
June 28, 2020

West Gardiner budget proposal reflects concern for economy

Selectmen in West Gardiner are presenting voters with a proposed budget scaled back from the plan presented earlier this year, before widespread shutdowns of businesses and government operations due to the coronavirus pandemic declared in mid-March.
Published
June 27, 2020

Central Maine food trucks ready for a different kind of summer

With no festivals or fairs to fill out their summer calendars, food truck operators are finding new ways to reach customers.
Published
June 26, 2020

Richmond school withdrawal committee eyes 2022 exit date

The committee is still waiting for information on the district’s debts to complete its draft of the exit agreement and create a first-year operations budget for a Richmond standalone district.