Alna has been so good to her, Deputy Town Clerk Lynette Eastman is almost sad to be retiring.

“Almost,” the former Woolwich and Pittston official repeated, laughing. Eastman, in public service 37 years, leaves the Alna job later this year. Selectmen and others lauded and applauded her Sept. 26. 

The recognition, at the start of the board meeting at the town office and over Zoom, included a detailed recounting of Eastman’s recent, surprise receipt of a lifetime achievement award from Maine Town & City Clerks’ Association.

The town kept the secret a month, including Town Clerk Sarah Perkins’ close call that stemmed from a pocket dial. Perkins was home, working in her barn, when her phone called the phone of Eastman’s husband George, one of the contacts Perkins had made in connection with the surprise. Then Perkins’ phone rang. “And Lynette’s voice was on the other end of the line. She said, ‘You just called this number?’”

Perkins told her the phone just dialed it and she had no idea why. She didn’t think Eastman would buy it. “I thought, ‘Oh, no … we have totally blown our cover.” But the woman Perkins said is very hard to surprise “with anything,” accepted the apparent fluke. 

Eastman said she was very surprised by, and appreciative of, the lifetime achievement award. “I can’t get over it. I really can’t.”

Perkins recalled getting Eastman to go to the event up by signing her up for a class at it. Eastman said she, as a “lame duck” due to her impending retirement, wondered why the town would send her. Perkins insisted she go, saying it was a wonderful class, the two recalled.

Third Selectman Coreysha Stone said Perkins assembled “a crew” of Eastman’s family, friends and past co-workers. Stone said they all hid “behind stage, behind curtains” until the award was announced.

“She has served … with grace, class and professionalism,” Perkins said. “Since 2018, Alna has truly benefited from her hard work and dedication … Lynette, we congratulate you on receiving this award. And though I wish I could keep you forever, Lynette will be retiring in a few short months, and I, for one, will miss her.”

“Well, thank you,” Eastman said. She said of the nomination which officials described as a group effort, “You don’t know how much that means to me … What a shock it was when I heard my name called (at the event) as the honoree … I have never been so honored or so grateful to be working with such thoughtful people. You folks are the best.”

The award came with a certificate and an engraved, handcrafted rocking chair; both are wonderful keepsakes, Eastman said. She noted she and Perkins assembled the “absolutely beautiful” chair Sept. 24.

A letter Stone, board chair Nick Johnston, Second Selectman Steve Graham and former selectman Ed Pentaleri signed as part of the nomination stated, “Although Lynette’s experience and expertise are of the highest order, it’s her character that truly sets her apart … She possesses unwavering integrity and grace, navigating all manner of challenges without drama,” including keeping the office open in the pandemic. 

Eastman was Woolwich’s town administrator from 2007 to 2017 and, before that, its tax collector, according to Wiscasset Newspaper files. 

Also Sept. 26, the board supported a liquor license renewal for The Alna Store; and — pending voter approval of a proposed tap of American Rescue Plan Act funds at a 6 p.m. Oct. 24 special town meeting at the fire station — selectmen nodded a $30,840 bid from Quality Services of Alna for roadwork on Bailey Road.

Ford Enterprises of Houlton bid $78,400, Johnston said.

William Stewart in “Alien Absolution.”

The first week of October is when the reality of another fleeting Maine summer sinks in – and the fresh, crisp tingle of some great Maine spookiness takes its place. We all know Maine’s creepy. A certain Bangor-based author has essentially made our state Spooky Central. And over the years, I’ve written about innumerable Maine filmmakers who’ve seized upon this innate in-state eerie vibe to create some truly impressive and unnerving Maine-made, Maine-based scares.

So here’s a rundown of some of the best Maine horror movies and where to see them.

“Are You the Walkers?” (2011)

Director Derek Kimball’s early entry in Maine’s own horror and dark fiction short film anthology series Damnationland is not just the best Damnationland movie I’ve ever seen, but one of the best, most atmospheric and downright chilling short horror films I’ve ever seen. Two estranged friends spend a weekend at a cabin on the shores of a frozen Maine lake. And then there’s a knock at the door. No, I’m not saying any more.

Watch it: On DVD, for sale at the Damnationland Bandcamp page. (And get ready for this year’s 14th annual Damnationland, premiering Oct. 18.)

“Dead Whisper” (2024)

Recently featured in this column, Conor Soucy’s eerie psychological thriller sees a grieving man (Brunswick native Samuel Dunning) compelled to investigate one of those mist-shrouded Maine islands you should never go to alone when you’re carrying psychological baggage. For those who like their horrors on a slow burn, this one will burn you. Slowly, but lastingly.

Watch it: Rent on Apple, or with your Hoopla or Tubi subscription.

Samuel Dunning as Elliot Campbell in “Dead Whisper.” Photo courtesy of Vertical Entertainment

“Alien Absolution” (2024)

Bath filmmakers Christian and Sarah Matzke’s no-budget fan film set in the outer space backwaters of the “Alien” movie universe is a meticulously crafted, loving – and genuinely scary – short fan work. A lonely space cop (Will Stewart) allows a shady deal concerning an even shadier mysterious shipping container go through – with the expected slimy, toothy results. Atmospheric and ambitious, it’s what fans should do when their favorite franchise disappoints. You know, rather than griping on the internet.

Watch it: For free on YouTube.

“Bone Cold” (2023)

Maine’s Billy Hanson takes full advantage of a cold, cold Maine winter to inject some sci-fi tinged action horror into the landscape. Following a pair of military snipers as they track a supposed Russian target whose icy retreat may or may not (OK, it does) hide a mind-bending, otherworldly secret, Hanson crafts a gripping, visceral tale of survival – with some killer twists.

Watch it: For rent on Apple TV.

“Swallowed” (2022)

Bowdoinham native Carter Smith (2008’s big budget “The Ruins”) returned to rural Maine to film this queer body horror film about two friends whose unwise choice to be drug mules turns into a gut-wrenching ordeal once the truth of what they’re smuggling (internally) is revealed. Featuring Jena Malone and “A Nightmare on Elm Street. 2: Freddy’s Revenge” star Mark Patton.

Watch it: Rent or buy it on Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV+.

“One for the Road” (2021)

Stephen King may be a jillionaire, but he’s nothing if not generous – especially when it comes to spreading his Maine horror universe around. Filmed as part of King’s “Dollar Babies” program (where filmmakers can snap up rights to adapt King’s short stories for, you guessed it, a buck), the Brunswick-Topsham team of David Jester and Leigh Doran brings King’s tale of a stranded motorist back home. Sadly for him, his car broke down near the fictitious town of Jerusalem’s (or Salem’s) Lot, so King fans might have a guess as to what’s lurking out in the Maine fog.

Watch it: For Free on Film Freeway.

“Dirigo” (2021)

Portland’s own Noah Bessey saw this short horror tale snapped up as the Maine representative of Dystopian Film’s ambitious, one-from-every-state horror anthology series “The United States of Horror.” The Maine-shot short has all the basics (young people, cabin in the woods, unnerving visitors), all with a pine-scented twist and plenty of atmosphere packed into its running time.

Watch it: For rent on Amazon Prime Video.

“The Dead Ones” (2009)

Baltimore-born filmmaker Jeremy Kasten (“The Attic Expeditions,” “The Wizard of Gore”) resurrected this early high school-set horror film after he relocated to Maine with his family. Filmed in an abandoned inner city school, it sees four troubled teens assigned to a sort of all-night “Breakfast Club”-style cleanup crew, only to confront the seeming ghosts of a seriously traumatic school shooting. Provocative, gory, and intense, with just a touch of all-too-relevant real world violence.

Watch it: For rent on Apple and Amazon, or with your Tubi subscription.

“Sweet Meats” (2023)

If you like your horrors to have some satirical bite, then this Damnationland short from Maine’s Myshrall sisters (Rebecca and Emily) is right up your dark alley. Set in an alternate universe where women rule with bloody impunity, this tale of dark empowerment includes plenty of hallucinatory yet trenchant imagery – including a scene ghoulishly worthy of the title.

Watch it: For sale (hooray, physical media!) on the Damnationland Bandcamp page.

“The Hanover House” (2012)

Writer-director (and Maine film teacher and movie maven) Corey Norman’s tale of a grieving man whose return to his Maine childhood home awakens some seriously dark secrets.

Watch it: Look for it under its re-release name “The Calling” on Hoopla, Tubu, Freevee and Amazon Prime Video (with subscription.)

“The Wrong House” (2009)

One of the first Maine films I ever covered in this column, Shawn French’s nasty feature is a classic grindhouse tale of a group of obnoxious city folk robbing weed from, as the title implies, the very wrong house in rural Maine. Co-writers Sue Stevens and French play the inhabitants, a loving, sadistic couple with a hunger for torture and disproportionate vengeance. Think Rob Zombie in the Maine woods.

Watch it: There appears to be one DVD left on Amazon – which feels ominous.

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Gov. Gavin Newsom of California on Sunday vetoed a bill that would have enacted the nation’s most far-reaching regulations on the booming artificial intelligence industry.

California legislators overwhelmingly passed the bill, called SB 1047, which was seen as a potential blueprint for national AI legislation.

The measure would have made tech companies legally liable for harms caused by AI models. In addition, the bill would have required tech companies to enable a “kill switch” for AI technology in the event the systems were misused or went rogue.

Newsom described the bill as “well-intentioned,” but noted that its requirements would have called for “stringent” regulations that would have been onerous for the state’s leading artificial intelligence companies.

In his veto message, Newsom said the bill focused too much on the biggest and most powerful AI models, saying smaller upstarts could prove to be just as disruptive.

“Smaller, specialized models may emerge as equally or even more dangerous than the models targeted by SB 1047 — at the potential expense of curtailing the very innovation that fuels advancement in favor of the public good,” Newsom wrote.

California Senator Scott Wiener, a co-author of the bill, criticized Newsom’s move, saying the veto is a setback for artificial intelligence accountability.

“This veto leaves us with the troubling reality that companies aiming to create an extremely powerful technology face no binding restrictions from U.S. policymakers, particularly given Congress’s continuing paralysis around regulating the tech industry in any meaningful way,” Wiener wrote on X.

The now-killed bill would have forced the industry to conduct safety tests on massively powerful AI models. Without such requirements, Wiener wrote on Sunday, the industry is left policing itself.

“While the large AI labs have made admirable commitments to monitor and mitigate these risks, the truth is that the voluntary commitments from industry are not enforceable and rarely work out well for the public.”

Many powerful players in Silicon Valley, including venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, OpenAI and trade groups representing Google and Meta, lobbied against the bill, arguing it would slow the development of AI and stifle growth for early-stage companies.

“SB 1047 would threaten that growth, slow the pace of innovation, and lead California’s world-class engineers and entrepreneurs to leave the state in search of greater opportunity elsewhere,” OpenAI’s Chief Strategy Officer Jason Kwon wrote in a letter sent last month to Wiener.

Other tech leaders, however, backed the bill, including Elon Musk and pioneering AI scientists like Geoffrey Hinton and Yoshua Bengio, who signed a letter urging Newsom to sign it.

“We believe that the most powerful AI models may soon pose severe risks, such as expanded access to biological weapons and cyberattacks on critical infrastructure. It is feasible and appropriate for frontier AI companies to test whether the most powerful AI models can cause severe harms, and for these companies to implement reasonable safeguards against such risks,” wrote Hinton and dozens of former and current employees of leading AI companies.

On Sunday, in his X post, Wiener called the veto a “setback” for “everyone who believes in oversight of massive corporations that are making critical decisions that affect the safety and welfare of the public.”

Other states, like Colorado and Utah, have enacted laws more narrowly tailored to address how AI could perpetuate bias in employment and health-care decisions, as well as other AI-related consumer protection concerns.

Newsom has recently signed other AI bills into law, including one to crack down on the spread of deepfakes during elections. Another protects actors against their likenesses being replicated by AI without their consent.

As billions of dollars pour into the development of AI, and as it permeates more corners of everyday life, lawmakers in Washington still have not proposed a single piece of federal legislation to protect people from its potential harms, nor to provide oversight of its rapid development.

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