Kennebec Journal and Morning Sentinel

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 13, 2021

Kennebec County taps fund balance to reduce property tax

The county’s budget committee now considering the best use of $23 million in federal relief funds Kennebec County expects to receive.
Published
May 12, 2021

Community goal-setting conversations start in Gardiner

The United Way of Kennebec Valley is hosting a series of community conversations around the region to establish its 10-year community goals for the nonprofit agency that supports social service agencies in the area.
Published
May 12, 2021

Boys & Girls Clubs of Kennebec Valley breaks ground on new Gardiner facility

Construction of the $10 million facility is expected to take about 17 months. In the meantime, club officials say they are confident they can raise the remaining $650,000.
Published
May 9, 2021

Summer entertainment season returns to central Maine

With the loosening of public health restrictions across Maine, many communities plan to reignite traditional events while others say they will wait another year before welcoming people to their festivals.
Published
May 6, 2021

Gardiner Food Co-op charts path through pandemic

With the help of an anonymous gift and federal stimulus money, the community-owned cooperative seeks to rebuild toward long-term sustainability.
Published
May 5, 2021

University of Maine at Augusta celebrates two graduations virtually

The global pandemic canceled the University of Maine at Augusta’s commencement a year ago, but on Saturday both the 2020 and 2021 commencements celebrated the accomplishments of the graduates through a streamed event.
Published
May 5, 2021

Fire at Whitefield restaurant determined to be accidental

State fire marshal’s office has determined the electrical fire that broke out at Aunt Gin’s early Saturday was accidental.
Published
May 4, 2021

Kennebec County eyes how its offices will reopen to the public

In the short term, both the Kennebec County District Attorney’s Office and the Probate Court are working out how members of the public will access their offices in the historic Kennebec County courthouse.
Published
May 3, 2021

Future of Whitefield’s Aunt Gin’s restaurant is up in the air

Co-owner Wyatt Shorey said the Augusta Road restaurant, which opened in 2015, is closed for now — but maybe for good — after a fire early Saturday damaged the bar and dining areas.
Published
April 30, 2021

Gardiner’s Wellness Connection to open adult-use cannabis shop Saturday

This is the second of Wellness Connection’s four locations to make the switch, following the launch of the adult-use cannabis market in October, from medical marijuana to adult-use or recreational marijuana.