Piscataquis Observer

616397334_3045837588932702_6164973680389075996_n

Contributed photo LARGE SCHOOL CHAMPS — The SeDoMoCha Middle School girls won the 2026 Penquis League Large School championship on Jan. 17 at Foxcroft Academy. The top-seeded Eagles defeated No. 2 Mattanawcook Junior High School of Lincoln 50-33. Front, from left, players Gabby Topolski, Brianne Burgess, Kennedy McKenney, Lilah French, Kinsley Hall, Libby Yeo, Audrey Cleaves, Kelsey Simmons, Sariah Martin, Glenna Brochu, Chloe Pratt, Eizley Martin, Brynn Gaudett, Kaydiense Nelson and manager Bailey Adams. Back, coaches Jessica Bell, Brandon Hall, Diane Stephen and Elizabeth Martin.

Contributed photo LARGE SCHOOL CHAMPS — The SeDoMoCha Middle School girls won the 2026 Penquis League Large School championship on Jan. 17 at Foxcroft Academy. The top-seeded Eagles defeated No. 2 Mattanawcook Junior High School of Lincoln 50-33. Front, from left, players Gabby Topolski, Brianne Burgess, Kennedy McKenney, Lilah French, Kinsley Hall, Libby Yeo, Audrey Cleaves, Kelsey Simmons, Sariah Martin, Glenna Brochu, Chloe Pratt, Eizley Martin, Brynn Gaudett, Kaydiense Nelson and manager Bailey Adams. Back, coaches Jessica Bell, Brandon Hall, Diane Stephen and Elizabeth Martin.

SeDoMoCha, Penquis girls win league titles

January 19, 2026

Contributed photoLARGE SCHOOL CHAMPS — The SeDoMoCha Middle School girls won the 2026 Penquis League Large School championship on Jan. 17 at Foxcroft Academy.

News BrowseNews

AARP accepting 2026 Community Challenge Grant applications

PORTLAND — AARP Maine invites local eligible nonprofit organizations and governments to apply for the 2026 AARP Community Challenge grant program, now through March 4.

Mike’s Photography has helped make memories for a quarter century

DOVER-FOXCROFT — What started as a hobby has developed into a business preserving special moments forever, for 25 years owner Michael Brown of Mike’s Photography has been capturing images.

Cold Hands & Warm Hearts: A luncheon to fight hunger

DOVER-FOXCROFT — This February the Piscataquis Regional Food Center invites the community to gather once again for its 2nd Annual Cold Hands & Warm Hearts Luncheon, a heartwarming fundraiser to fight hunger in the Maine Highlands and celebrate the extraordinary generosity of this year’s Hunger Heroes, the Perkins Family.

Southern New Hampshire University president’s list

MANCHESTER, New Hampshire — It is with great pleasure that Southern New Hampshire University congratulates the following students on being named to the fall 2025 president’s list, the fall terms run from September to December: Taylor Defa of Medford and David Bialczak of Abbot.

Mainely Spinners 2026 International Back to Back Wool Challenge results

MILFORD — On Jan.

Milo Garden Club news

MILO — A sprouting sweet potato, Conservation-in-a-Cup, and a birthday cake with ice cream were some of the fun features at the Milo Garden Club meeting held on Tuesday, Jan.

Sports BrowseSports

Screenshot (62)

Bangor Daily News photo/Linda Coan O’Kresik ONE OF THE TOP PLAYERS — Foxcroft Academy senior Lennon McAfee has become one of the most dominant players in the Class C North region, despite an injury suffered at birth that limits the use of his right arm.

Bangor Daily News photo/Linda Coan O’Kresik ONE OF THE TOP PLAYERS — Foxcroft Academy senior Lennon McAfee has become one of the most dominant players in the Class C North region, despite an injury suffered at birth that limits the use of his right arm.

Lennon McAfee is a force on the basketball court. And he does it mostly with one arm.

January 19, 2026

By Matt Junker, Bangor Daily News Sports Editor Lennon McAfee took the court for Foxcroft Academy on Thursday night, Jan. 15 sporting a black eye — a parting gift from a collision in his team’s game the night before against Hermon High School.

As other hockey teams disappear or combine, one rural Maine program is making a comeback

By Larry Mahoney, Bangor Daily News Staff DOVER-FOXCROFT — At a time when athletic programs are being dropped for one reason or another, primarily due to a lack of participants, there is a program that is in the early stages of a revival.

Pair of local athletes win indoor track events

ORONO — Two area athletes won events at a Penobscot Valley Conference/Eastern Maine Indoor Track League meet on Jan.

Opinion BrowseOpinion

2026 must be the year that Maine gets serious about reducing domestic violence

By Patrisha McLean “It’s still about the same,” Maine’s retiring Public Safety Spokesperson Steve McCausland said in 2020 about a chief frustration of the job.

The surprising winter hunt that doesn’t require a license

By John Floyd Just because the whitetail and moose seasons have long passed, doesn’t mean we don’t still hear the call of the wild or feel a yearning for the Maine woods.

Are we losing the reasons why we hunt because of trail cameras?

By Al Raychard The evolution of the trail camera has been extraordinary.

How the current public notices system protects all Mainers

By Dan MacLeod There exists a quiet, and not at all flashy, section of your local paper that’s been protecting towns and taxpayers for hundreds of years.

Come visit the PACC

To the Editor; The old Y has been renewed, re-named! We have recovered and are thriving as the Piscataquis Area Community Center.

Why every deer camp has a ‘brush gun’ story

Living BrowseLiving

UMaine Extension offers webinar on managing weeds in greenhouse ornamentals

University of Maine Cooperative Extension will host a webinar focused on identifying and managing weeds in greenhouse ornamental production from 6-7:15 p.

First Shirley Bog Trail Busters ride of the season Wednesday

SHIRLEY — The Shirley Bog Trail Busters Inc.

Calendar of events

Recurring Events Mondays DEXTER: The Abbott Museum is open 10 a.

Center Theatre to host Valentine’s dance

DOVER-FOXCROFT – Tickets are now available for the Center Theatre’s Sweetheart’s Dance.

A surprising source is building more housing in rural Maine

By Kathleen O’Brien, Bangor Daily News Staff Lalli Ventura of New Jersey always dreamed of raising her 7-year-old daughter in an area with plenty of land to explore.

UMaine Extension hosts dairy webinar series on wearable technology

University of Maine Cooperative Extension, in collaboration with the University of New Hampshire and University of Vermont Extension, will offer a 2026 Tri-State Dairy Exchange monthly webinar series beginning Wednesday, Jan.