It is with deep regret that organizers announce that this year’s Wilderness Sled Dog Race will be canceled, the event had been scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 1.

For more than 20 years -- since I first caught the fly fishing bug and began traveling up to the East Outlet of the Kennebec River every chance I got -- I’ve looked forward to regular visits to downtown Greenville, and to the fly shop that sits just a few long casts from Moosehead Lake.

U.S. Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine recently spent the day in Piscataquis County to visit small businesses, speaking with folks at the Piscataquis County Economic Development Council, and learning more about the Piscataquis Regional Food Center in Dover-Foxcroft.

Everybody, and everything, loves a smelt. The sleek, silver fish -- officially known as a “rainbow smelt” -- is prevalent in many lakes and ponds, and is the preferred food of landlocked salmon and other larger fish. In streams, they might be gobbled up by opportunistic mammals or birds. And humans? Well, if we’re not using them as bait to catch other fish, we eat ‘em, too.

There’s a new brewpub coming to the area this spring. Threshers Brewing Company, based in Searsmont, plans to open a pub in the vacant building across the street from the Greenville Junction Post Office.

Citing a desire to step away from running a retail establishment, the owners of the Maine Guide Fly Shop in Greenville have announced plans to sell their business.

A 56-year-old New Hampshire man died Sunday, Jan. 19 after breaking through the ice on his snowmobile on a treacherous area of Moosehead Lake.

State regulators have cleared the way for Mayo Regional Hospital in Dover-Foxcroft to join Northern Light Health, the Brewer-based health system that includes nine other hospitals stretching from Portland to Presque Isle.

Maine’s ATV task force, created by Gov. Janet Mills to address opportunities and issues associated with increasing ATV registrations, submitted a report and recommendations to the governor, which include limits on ATV sizes and weights and recognizes the importance of private landowners who allow public use of their land.

The Maine Department of Transportation released a three-year road and bridge funding plan on Tuesday, Jan. 14 that will use more money to fund fewer projects, a symptom of rising construction costs and chronic underfunding of the state system.

Amid all the wild words and phrases that weather reporters bandy about during the winter -- polar vortex, bombogenesis -- there’s one panic-inducing term that dates back hundreds of years, predating modern-day snowmageddons: nor’easter.

I recently received two emails from readers looking for great places to snowshoe in Maine. They were looking for trail suggestions, and boy did I have a lot to say. Too much to say, really. So I decided to write a whole advice column on the topic.

Doug Thomas of Ripley has announced he is a Republican candidate for the Maine Senate District 4. Thomas is a successful small business owner and entrepreneur with customers across Central Maine. Thomas believes that the government of Maine needs to put the welfare of Maine people first.  There are a lot of problems around the country and around the world and it is not up to the people of Maine, with their hard-earned money, to pay for those problems through their tax dollars. We need to help our own people first.

As part of the Maine Department of Education’s ongoing efforts to highlight Maine’s outstanding teachers, nominations are now open for the 2020 County Teachers of the Year and 2021 Teacher of the Year. Members of the public are encouraged to nominate educators who demonstrate a commitment to excellence and nurturing the achievement of all students. Nominations can be made through the Maine Teacher of the Year website at mainetoy.org/nominate through 5 p.m. on Feb. 3.

Ticks have spread throughout Maine over the past few decades, carrying with them a cocktail of crippling diseases. In response, healthcare providers, researchers, educators, non-profit organizations and the government have been working to protect people from this dangerous pest.

I’m not one of those guys who starts every new year with a list of resolutions that I’ll begin ignoring on Jan. 3. In general, I’m one of those guys who works more generically, and tries to screw up less than I did the year before. I keep a few goals in mind, I admit, but rarely do I resolve to achieve them. Instead, I hope to get better, then plod onward, doing the best I can.

University of Maine Cooperative Extension has named Emily Mott as the new 4-H community education assistant for Piscataquis and Penobscot counties.

On Jan. 6 students and staff at 32 elementary schools around the state will start participating in WinterKids’ third annual WinterKids Winter Games, including Brownville Elementary School and the Greenville Consolidated School. This outdoor physical activity and nutrition competition encourages young children to develop healthy habits over the course of the four-week program.