Those sinful-looking blueberry pancakes, and that nice, noisy foamy latte – would you believe they are rescuing journalism, in and around Camden, Maine, at least?
Here in lobster country, at the Villager Cafe, customers can have their breakfast or lunch with a side of news, a weekly newspaper called the Midcoast Villager. “I was just reading about the SNAP benefits and different food pantries in the area,” said one cafe customer.
The cafe subsidizes the paper; the newsroom is one floor up. Throw in the rent from all the other tenants in the building, along with revenue from the Inn at Camden Place next door (same ownership), and it all helps.
“From the business standpoint, it achieves a sustainability,” said Reade Brower. At one time, Brower owned almost all of Maine’s newspapers, before selling most of them off. In September 2024, he merged four weeklies into the Midcoast Villager. The cafe opened this past April, but not just to make money.
“The accountability issues and local sports and all that stuff is important to a lot of people,” he said. “I don’t think that’s enough to sell and keep newspapers alive right now. I think it has to revolve around community. And what better way to serve community than to invite people here for food and to mix all this stuff together?”
How often do you see the owner of a newspaper, and members of his staff, hanging out with readers over breakfast?
Kathleen Capetta helps Brower run what they both see as an experiment in rebuilding trust in news. “We’re present, we’re visible, we’re real,” she said. “We’re not behind a screen.”
And would that experiment work if the food weren’t good? “Absolutely not, no!” Capetta laughed.
“It’s good, classic diner food, but a little bit elevated, which is I think kind of like our paper,” said deputy editor Alex Seitz-Wald. He is the face of the newspaper when he parks himself in the cafe on Friday mornings, to hear complaints, story tips, whatever. “Having a place where people can vent, or can say something, and have it be heard, I think is really valuable,” he said.
Seitz-Wald was an NBC politics reporter in Washington, D.C., for a decade before taking a chance – and a pay cut – to work for the Midcoast Villager, a start-up in a field where two newspapers die every week.
How’s the Villager doing? Circulation revenue, we’re told, is 40% above what all four papers it replaced took in – so, promising.
“I’m quite glad that I still have a newspaper to work for,” said Glenn Billington. A local news lifer, he’s the optimistic ad salesman and columnist for the Midcoast Villager, just as he was for one of its now-defunct predecessors.
The mascot on the paper’s masthead is Vern, who is the epitome of Midcoast Maine. “He sure is,” said Billington. “Look at his sou’wester. He’s got the hat that you wear when the wind blows from the southwest and it brings rain. And he’s got the telescope. Vern’s looking at the future of newspapers.”
What one sees at the Villager Cafe is old-fashioned – people sitting down at tables, eating and talking and looking at each other eye-to-eye. Or as Brower put it, “You’re picking up what we’re putting down.”
RECIPE: Maine Blueberry Pancakes with Blueberry Compote, from the Villager Cafe
RECIPE: Haddock Hash, from the Villager Cafe
RECIPE: Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup, from The Villager Cafe
For more menu suggestions check out the “Sunday Morning” 2025 “Food Issue” recipe index
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Story produced by Jack Weingart. Editor: Ed Givnish.
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While influenza remains the top concern for Maine public health experts, other viruses are also currently circulating, including norovirus and COVID-19.
“Influenza is clearly the main event,” said Dr. Cheryl Liechty, a MaineHealth infectious disease specialist. “The curve in terms of the rise of influenza cases was really steep.”
Maine reported 1,343 flu cases for the week ending Jan. 3, an uptick from the 1,283 cases recorded the previous week, according to the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Hospitalizations increased to 147 from 108 during the same time periods.
“I hope the peak is now,” Liechty said, “but I’m not really sure.”
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported on Friday that all of New England, except for Vermont, is currently experiencing “very high” levels of influenza. Vermont is in the “moderate” category.
“What we are seeing, overwhelmingly, is the flu,” said Andrew Donovan, associate vice president of infection prevention for Northern Light Health. “We are seeing both respiratory and gastrointestinal viruses in our patients.”
Norovirus also appears to be circulating, although due to its short duration and because it’s less severe than the flu, public health data on the illness — which causes gastrointestinal symptoms that typically resolve within a few days — is not as robust.
“Norovirus is the gastrointestinal scourge of New England winters and cruise ships,” Liechty said.
According to surveillance data at wastewater treatment plants in Portland, Bangor and Lewiston, norovirus levels detected in those communities are currently “high.” The treatment plants participate in WastewaterSCAN, which reports virus levels in wastewater through a program run by Stanford University and Emory University.
Dr. Genevieve Whiting, a Westbrook pediatrician and secretary of the Maine chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, said viruses are prevalent right now, especially the flu and norovirus.
“For my patients right now, it’s a rare encounter that I hear everyone in a family has been healthy,” Whiting said. “I’ve had families come in and say their entire family has had norovirus. Several of my patients have had ER visits for suspected norovirus, where they needed IV fluids because they were dehydrated.”
Both Liechty and Whiting said they are seeing less respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, likely because there has been good uptake of the new RSV vaccine, which is recommended for older people and those who are pregnant. The vaccine was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 2023.
“The RSV vaccine has been a real success, as RSV was a leading cause of hospitalizations for babies,” Whiting said.
Meanwhile, COVID-19 cases increased to 610 in the final week of 2025, compared to 279 the previous week. Influenza and COVID-19 vaccinations are available at primary care, pharmacies and clinics across the state.
“If you haven’t gotten your flu shot yet,” Liechty said, “you should beat a hasty path to get your shot.”
Defensemen Max Wanner was re-assigned to the Maine Mariners from the Providence Bruins on Thursday. Defenseman Michael Underwood was also re-assigned to Maine.
Wanner, 22, was acquired by the Boston Bruins when they traded Trent Federic to Edmonton last March. He played in 15 games for the AHL Providence Bruins at the end of last season, and seven this season.
Underwood returns for his second stint with the Mariners. He appeared in 67 games with Maine last season.
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