From left: Maggie Dewane, Hailey Bryant, and Alyce McFadden.
The Lincoln County News recently welcomed three new employees in the editorial department: copy editor Maggie Dewane, reporter Hailey Bryant, and intern Alyce McFadden.
Maggie Dewane
Dewane joined the editorial staff of The Lincoln County News on March 23. While this is Dewane’s first full-time job in the field of journalism, she said she has been gravitating toward the profession for quite some time.
Dewane attended Seton Hall University in New Jersey, where she studied diplomacy and international relations. While there, she worked as managing editor for The Stillman Exchange, the school’s undergraduate business newspaper.
Dewane went on to attend Columbia University, where she earned a Master of Public Administration degree in environmental science and policy. She worked as the online senior editor at the Journal of International Affairs, an academic journal created by Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs.
Some of Dewane’s professional highlights include working as executive assistant to the late U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg, working for the White House’s Council on Environmental Quality during the Obama administration, and working as communications manager for the nonprofit Environmental Investigation Agency. Most recently, she worked as communications manager for the Marine Stewardship Council, an international nonprofit.
Dewane visited Maine for years as a camper and later instructor at Hog Island Audubon Camp in Bremen. In November, she decided to leave Washington, D.C. and move to Maine full time.
As copy editor, Dewane edits press releases and many columns submitted to the newspaper to fit AP style and publishing guidelines. She has also contributed feature articles to the seasonal publication Lincoln County Magazine.
“It’s been so much fun, because I’m getting to know my new home and talk about some of the cool and unique things going on in the community,” Dewane said.
Dewane resides in Pemaquid with her Leonberger dog, Argos. When not working, she enjoys hiking, playing soccer, painting, and writing poetry.
Hailey Bryant
Bryant began working at the newspaper May 21. She replaces Jessica Clifford as reporter for the towns of Alna, Dresden, Edgecomb, Westport Island, Whitefield, and Wiscasset. She will work in collaboration with veteran reporter Charlotte Boynton in Westport Island and Wiscasset.
Bryant replaces Jessica Clifford, who has left the LCN after two years to pursue her master’s degree.
Bryant, a Gorham native, is a May 2020 graduate of the University of Maine at Orono. She majored in journalism and political science and worked at the university’s student newspaper, The Maine Campus. During Bryant’s senior year, she interned at the Bangor Daily News as a news intern and later a digital editor.
Bryant received scholarships from the Maine Press Association both her junior and senior years.
Bryant said she has always wanted to work for a newspaper. When her journalism faculty adviser emailed her about a job opening at The Lincoln County News, she decided to apply.
“I’m already being recognized, which is cool,” Bryant said. “When I moved here I didn’t know anyone, and working at the paper, I’m starting to feel like more of the community.”
Bryant lives in Damariscotta with her cat, Atlas. In her spare time, she enjoys singing and playing guitar and is currently learning to Rollerblade.
Alyce McFadden
McFadden, a native of Los Angeles, Calif., joined the staff as a news intern May 21. Her duties include writing feature stories, assisting with news coverage, and helping with projects in the editorial department.
McFadden is the second intern the newspaper has welcomed this year. Bisi Cameron Yee worked at the newspaper as a photojournalism intern for eight weeks, from March into May.
McFadden is a May 2020 graduate of Bowdoin College, where she majored in political science and minored in visual arts. She joined the staff of The Bowdoin Orient as a writer her freshman year and worked her way up to editor-in-chief by her senior year.
One of the biggest stories during McFadden’s tenure was about the efforts of the college’s housekeeping staff to unionize.
“It ended up being a big project,” McFadden said. “I worked on it with a younger writer on staff, so I got to show him the ropes and that was really fun.”
In McFadden’s spare time, she enjoys running and printmaking.
