The Maine Community Foundation Animal Welfare Grant Program has awarded 25 grants totaling $342,884 to organizations and projects across the state that advance animal welfare.

By Joseph Cyr, Houlton Pioneer Times HOULTON — The Houlton boys and girls varsity squads hosted Foxcroft Academy Saturday, Dec.

Grade 12, high honors: Abigail Conlogue, Brianna Rouleau, Evan Horne, Jessica Morton, Rachel Broussard, and William Sanborn IV; honors: Aileen Strout, Emily Trask, Frederick Shaw, Ida-Grace Lundin, Imaan Ali, Kalan Decker, Macie Veino, Mason Searles, Mickayla Pierce, Sky Guzy, Syreniti Grant, and Victoria Boislard.

By WGME A former Greenville police chief has pleaded guilty to several charges, including arson and burglary.

It starts with a few sniffles, a scratchy throat, and a couple of sneezes.

By Mehr Sher Mainers learned earlier this year that the state is approximately 75 percent carbon neutral, based on a first-of-its-kind analysis of Maine’s greenhouse gas emissions.

Grade 12, highest honors: Emma Calnan, Gabriella Clark, Samantha Goodwin, Kendall Kimball, and Norah MacMahon; high honors: Cadence Clukey, Maximilian Daehn, Jarren Grant, Jennifer (Jordy) Lonergan, Christina Maguire, Saia Miles, Gavin Richards, Hunter Ronco, Gracie Talbot, and Meriel Willey; honors: Tyrus Cobb, Connor Gebo, Sydney Grenier, Abigail Herrick, Alexandria Maguire, Christopher Maguire, Julia Munson, Joshua Oldham, Maria Fernanda Pinheiro Velame, Abbey Ricker, Brylee Ricker, Dawson Simpson, Molly Sipple, and Anna Zimmerman.

By Erin Rhoda, Bangor Daily News Staff Most water districts in Penobscot County are not finding “forever chemicals” in their drinking water supplies, but given laboratories can’t entirely rule out their presence, there’s no guarantee the water supplies are free of the toxic chemicals.

By Julie Harris, Bangor Daily News Staff A fire that started in a ceiling light fixture in an apartment building on Center Street Saturday night was quickly squelched, according to the Dexter fire chief.

Grade 12, highest honors: Emma Alexander, William Kuznierz, and Payson Reinhardt; high honors: Ivey Batey, Brooklynne Blockler, Benjamin Bourgoin, Jennifer Downing, Sydney Dyson, Sydney Fogler, Annika King, Alexandria Mullins, Elisa Picariello, and Caleb Schobel; honors: Frederick Beem, Caden Brown, Lauryn Brunner, Brayden Flagg, Chayce Foster, Olivia Gilman, Lakota Glidden, Kasey Hurd, Elyssa Jerome, Lillian LaPointe, Brendon Melhorn, Makayla Moore, Sophia O’Donnell, Jozlynn Paige, Jillean Poliquin, Alex Race, David Race, Brady Reynolds, Madison Rowe, Thomas Rowe, and Cole Tibbetts.