Taking a deep breath this week. Melancholy for sure. Good memories but getting a bit frustrated as well. What is happening?

Well, first, by the end of this month, the newspaper will be without two of our longtime employees, Suzi Thayer and Katrina Rickermann.

Both of these co-workers started out in the production department — Suzi taking over for the late Bill Harris in the ad department and Katrina taking over for the late Joyce Bell in the typesetting department — and after a few years, each wanted to try their hand at writing. With some tutoring from me and others, and through their own perserverence, both developed into award-winning writers.

Katrina left her full-time job here a little over two years ago to work at Dead River, but she has contributed stories part time since. Suzi has been here full time since 2004 and has developed quite a following with her business stories and food column.

Both are leaving for different reasons; Katrina is moving away to be with her mother in New York and Suzi is taking a break from newspaper work, perhaps writing a book and continuing with her art.

I personally want to thank them for their work and their friendship (hopefully they'll come back to see us sometime) and wish them good luck.

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Secondly, I am also a bit melancholy with it being graduation week. In addition to my nephew graduating from Boothbay Region High, I have gotten to know a few other members of the class of 2018 through our coverage of sports. The athletes in this class have been a pleasure to watch on the fields and courts over the past four years. Not only have some of them grown from their "green" freshmen year, a few have prospered to become record-setters for the school.

Thank you for the memories BRHS class of 2018.

As Alumni Banquet speaker Lisa Arsenault said in her speech to you on Sunday, "Do some good in the world, be kind, be passionate."

Good luck and be safe.

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Finally, it has been a sad week here in the region because of the disappearance of Daniel Gagnon, 26, a BRHS graduate who had been living in Brunswick. Despite searches and no leads on where he might be, no one has seen him in a week. Prayers go out to him and his family and we all hope he is found safe.