Tag: Jessica Johnson

NEWSLETTER | Amateur hour is over

~ Randy Seaver ~ Leave a comment

It’s been another busy week at the Biddeford Gazette, capped off by last weekend’s annual spring conference of the New England Newspaper & Press Association (NENPA).

NENPA is a professional organization supporting the work of more than 450 media outlets throughout New England, including daily and weekly print publications; radio and television stations and digital media outlets like the Gazette.

A NEW DAY FOR THE GAZETTE (Contributed photo by Barbara Pelletier of Biddeford)

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I have attended this annual conference many times in the past, but always while working for someone else or representing a different publication.

This year was much different. This was the first year I attended the conference as the co-owner of a non-profit media outlet dedicated to covering just one community.

I was warmly embraced and welcomed by many of my colleagues, and I learned a ton of stuff. It was a watershed moment of my professional career, and I will do my best to pass on the lessons I learned to benefit the Gazette’s readers, subscribers and supporters.

The Biddeford Gazette started more than a year ago as a snarky blog, fueled by frustration about what is happening in Biddeford.

Amateur hour is now over

You’ll be seeing some big and not so big changes in the days and weeks ahead.

No matter what, we are dedicated to the Biddeford Community. We serve you. That is our responsibility, and we must and will take that responsibility seriously.

I’ll be discussing what I learned this weekend on my blog | Lessons in Mediocrity | Outlaw Journalist

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UPCOMING STORIES

CITY BUDGET | We will continue our ongoing coverage of the city’s annual budget process. The council is facing a daunting task. While a proposed increase of more than 12 percent seems frightening, it’s important to note that it is only a preliminary number subject to lots of debate and adjustment. We urge you to get involved. Go to meetings. Call your councilors.

MEMORY LANE | We had a blast last week meeting with Chuck Cote, the youngest child of legendary football coach and player Bob Cote. Today, Chuck is working to preserve and archive tons of the city’s political and sports memorabilia including an extensive collection of historical records from the former St. Louis High School in Biddeford.

RUNNING ON EMPTY | Gazette readers will be able to learn more this week about Biddeford’s Jessica Johnson, a deeply passionate community volunteer who will once again be running in the Boston Marathon to raise money for the Dana-Farber Cancer Research Institute.

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DID YOU MISS IT?

TIGER PRIDE SHINES IN SANFORD | The Biddeford Gazette was proud to offer our exclusive coverage of the thrilling, end-of-season UNIFIED basketball game between the Biddeford Tigers and Sanford Spartans last week.

You can find pictures, game highlights and even video clips here | Biddeford Tigers bring home another win

CITY CLERK PATTERSON caught many people off guard last week, announcing her upcoming resignation, April 10.

UNE PRESIDENT Dr. James Herbert ended his silence and publicly expressed his frustration regarding the controversy that now surrounds the university’s proposed research pier.

CITY HIRES CONSULTANT | The Biddeford City Council unanimously voted last week to approve hiring a temporary municipal consultant to help the city address several big issues that have been plaguing the community for several years, including overdue financial audits and the city’s comprehensive plan.

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Relief effort continues for fire victims

~ Randy Seaver ~ 1 Comment

According to organizers, the relief effort to help families that were displaced by last week’s fire on Brackett Street has received wide and ‘overwhelming support” from the community.

Jessica Johnson, a downtown business owner and former city council candidate, has been coordinating the effort to help provide essential items and clothing for people who “lost everything” during Wednesday’s fire.

“On the one hand, it’s heartbreaking to hear the stories of total loss, on the other hand, it is so heartwarming to see the response,” Johnson said. “This is an awesome community, and people from all over are pitching in and doing whatever they can to help.”

On Monday evening, Johnson coordinated a drop-off event at the Academy of Dance on Elm Street in Biddeford. There, volunteers spent several hours sorting through piles of donated clothing and small household furnishings.

Mayor Marty Grohman joined volunteers for a photo during the distribution event that took place at the Academy of Dance (Contributed photo)

“It was so amazing that Amanda and Nate Braley were willing to let us use their business space to get things organized,” Johnson said.

According to Johnson, four roommates and a family of six were living in the house that was destroyed by the fire at 10 Brackett Street.

But Johnson said a mother and her infant who were living next door were also displaced because of water, smoke and fire damage to their apartment at 12 Brackett Street.

Johnson said representatives of the American Red Cross were on the scene almost immediately and helped the family with emergency funding via donated debit cards.

Johnson says she has set up a GoFund Me account to help raise money for the displaced families. A link to that account can be found on the Biddeford Maine Facebook group, where she is an administrator.

During a brief interview Monday morning, Fire Chief Lawrence Best said he was proud of his department and impressed by the coordinated response of out-of-town firefighters who responded to the call.

“These are always tough situations.” Best said. “Our crews and those who responded from other departments did an extraordinary job and demonstrated sheer professionalism and commitment.”

According to Best, the apartment building next door suffered damage from wind-driven fire. No occupants from either building next door were injured, he said.

Two Firefighters were transported to the hospital due to heat exhaustion and were later released.

Eleven fire companies from surrounding communities responded to the scene. Four other communities, including Portland, South Portland, Waterboro and Hollis responded to Biddeford to cover other emergencies in the city.

Crews spent hours battling the blaze at !o Brackett Street (Seaver photo)

The State Fire Marshall’s Office is investigating the fire and no cause has yet been determined.

Johnson said any leftover funds from the relief effort’s fundraising campaign will be donated to the non-profit Pillars of Pride organization, an extension of the Biddeford Education Foundation,, which is a 501(c)(3) organization.

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Randy Seaver is the editor and founder of the Biddeford Gazette. He may be contacted by email: randy@randyseaver.com

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FEATURE: McArthur Library partners to help fight cancer with special event

~ Randy Seaver ~ Leave a comment

By JEFF CABRAL

Special to the Gazette

This is a story where community crosses all kinds of lines and partnerships are formed to benefit the greater good; a story that could only take place in New England, which often feels like a small town itself.

Biddeford resident Jessica Johnson has been continuing her mother Dorothy’s legacy and honoring her wishes since 2002. When Dorothy Garnett passed away from cancer, she told Jessica to “go out and do something good in the world.”

Jessica took those words to heart, and since that time, she has been an active force in the community, volunteering and helping in a multitude of ways, from assisting with organizing Biddeford’s marching band, to making color guard flags. During the pandemic, Jessica took up running as a new passion, trained hard, and ran two marathons in 2022. She has since run the Boston Marathon to raise money for both the Museum of Science, and most recently, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

This year, Jessica will run in the Boston Marathon again for Dana-Farber, where she will continue to be part of the New England Honda Dealers team.

In another arena of sports, Dale Arnold is best known for his on-air presence and expertise as a Bruins broadcaster and NESN host. Jessica has known Dale since meeting him last year at a local fundraising event she coordinated.

Arnold’s voice is very familiar to hockey fans throughout New England.  What some may not realize is that Dale has also authored three books, the latest of which is titled Tough Guys. Dale has done celebrity book signings for several of his titles in the past at a book store in Massachusetts, and his latest signing will be in Biddeford at McArthur Library (270 Main Street).

The event will be held on Saturday, February 15 at 1 pm, and will benefit Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Pre-registration is required for the event. Attendance is free, but donations are encouraged and suggested at $20 per attendee.

To reserve your spot at the book signing and to donate to Jessica’s important cause, visit the signing’s Eventbrite link. You can make donations through Eventbrite or on site at the event.

When Jessica approached Dale to see if he would be willing to collaborate on this event to raise funds for Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, he welcomed the opportunity. Jessica’s hope was to have the event hosted by McArthur Library, a library she grew up visiting. McArthur’s Adult Services Supervisor Nicole Clark and Library Director Jeff Cabral were excited to be approached to host this very special program.

Johnson said that Arnold will be selling and autographing Tough Guys, which highlights the gritty world of professional hockey, a game that has long held a place for two willing combatants. Off the ice, the men who step into these brutish roles are often the kindest, gentlest and most popular players on a team, not to mention some of the best storytellers to ever lace up skates. 

Arnold’s book honors the experiences of these NHL enforcers throughout history, profiling fighters across eras, sharing their journeys, struggles, and moments of glory.

Donations support the mission of an organization devoted to a fight at another level altogether. Since its founding in 1947, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, Massachusetts has been committed to providing adults and children with cancer with the best treatment available today while developing tomorrow’s cures through cutting-edge research.

Johnson says she is still driven by her mother’s words all these years later. “This means so much to me,” Johnson said of her prep work to qualify.

Jeff Cabral is the executive director of the McArthur Library in Biddeford. He can be contacted at jcabral@mcarthurlibrary.org

If you would like to contribute an op-ed or column regarding local interests, please send an email to biddefordgazette@gmail.com

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