Still finding trouble in the woods: 'Blair Witch Project' star at center of Maine road dispute

Описание: (17 May 2025)

FOR CLEAN VERSION SEE STORY NUMBER: 4576713

RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
++SOUNDBITES PARTIALLY OR FULLY COVERED++
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Freedom, Maine – 13 May 2025
1. Waterfall and bridge in Freedom, Maine
2. SOUNDBITE (English) Heather Donahue, Actor, "The Blair Witch Project":
“What could be more different than being in an indie movie that ends up being a blockbuster than helping to run a small main town of less than 800 people?”
3. Downtown Freedom, Maine
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Heather Donahue, Actor, "The Blair Witch Project":
“And yet, what did they use when they really wanted to discredit me? Well, they called the newspaper and said, “Hey, the girl from 'The Blair Witch Project' is being recalled.” And it worked.”
5. Freedom general store
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Heather Donahue, Actor, "The Blair Witch Project":
“I ended up winning the select board seat after only living in town for two years at that time. The animosity that led toward my recall, it certainly isn't because of an orange mark like this. That was what was in the petition, but the gossip and the lies that went around along with the petition.”
7. Heather Donahue walking on disputed roadway
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Heather Donahue, Actor, "The Blair Witch Project":
“They said basically this marking meant that I had no regard for the rule of law and should not be allowed to be on the select board.”
9. Donahue walking on disputed road with windmill in background
10. SOUNDBITE (English) Heather Donahue, Actor, "The Blair Witch Project":
“This road is absolutely a town road. There's private property on either side, but this has always been a town easement. And then a family moved here who decided it was their private property.”
11. Posted sign stating private property
12. SOUNDBITE (English) Heather Donahue, Actor, "The Blair Witch Project":
“I just wanted to be able to show for the court where the center of that 66-foot easement is.”
13. Donahue walking on disputed roadway through the woods
14. SOUNDBITE (English) Heather Donahue, Actor, "The Blair Witch Project":
“To me protecting public access is a hill I will die on, have died on, will die again.”
15. Tulips swaying in the breeze
16. SOUNDBITE (English) Heather Donahue, Actor, "The Blair Witch Project":
“Seeing the birds, seeing the plants, like having a relationship with what makes this state so incredible and so rare.”
17. Wide of waterfall with bridge
18. SOUNDBITE (English) Heather Donahue, Actor, "The Blair Witch Project":
“Even where there is private property, I feel like part of what I fell in love with about Maine was that people still allowed people to use their land for recreational purposes to really appreciate how beautiful this place is.”
19. Donahue walking through the woods
20. SOUNDBITE (English) Heather Donahue, Actor, "The Blair Witch Project":
“I love this place beyond reason. I would do anything to protect it, actually, which is sort of how I ended up in this situation.”
21. Donahue walking through the woods on disputed roadway with windmill in the background
STORYLINE:
Heather Donahue is walking through the woods once again. The star of the successful low-budget horror movie “The Blair Witch Project” has an on-screen history of getting into scary situations in a forest.

But this time she's merely picking up an old soda can someone carelessly left on a trail. And she wouldn't want to be anywhere else.







“I was relieved that the recall was successful. I thought Heather's demeanor and behavior toward others was just unbecoming of a town official,” Hadyniak said.











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