The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife has relaxed the ice fishing rules at Allagash Lake. For the first time in many years, the lake will be open to ice fishing for three months: January, February and March. Ice anglers will also be allowed to use five lines instead of the two-line restriction that has been in effect since as long as I can remember.

Join the Community Climate Conversation potluck from 5:30-7:30 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 28 at The Commons at Central Hall. The Citizens' Climate Lobby will then meet at 12:30 p.m. on Sunday, March 1 at the Mayo Regional Hospital Resource Center.

Junior guard Parker Ponte took a feed from Nathan Richards and buried a 3-pointer from the right wing with 2.7 seconds left, helping No. 2 Dexter escape with a 55-52 victory at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor. “It’s one of those moments where if you’re open, you’ve got to shoot it,” Ponte said. “It was quite an experience. I don’t really know how to put it into words.”

Wells High School, which recently captured its fourth consecutive Class B wrestling state championship, added a new piece of hardware Friday, Feb. 21 by winning the inaugural Class B state dual-meet competition at Penobscot Valley High School in Howland.

Central Aroostook junior guard Maci Beals lobbed an inbounds pass from midcourt to a wide-open Breann Bradbury for a crucial layup with 26 seconds remaining and the sixth-seeded Panthers upset No. 2 Dexter 35-32 in a Class C North girls semifinal at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor Friday, Feb. 21.

A man from Massachusetts died in a snowmobile crash south of Baxter State Park on Friday, Feb. 21. Alan Paquette, 55 from Ashburnham, Massachusetts, was killed shortly before noon when the snowmobile he was operating crashed on Interconnecting Trail System (ITS) 86, about 3.5 miles East of Abol Bridge.

An owner of the largest employer in Piscataquis County has sued his cousin and fellow co-owner over a deep disagreement about the direction of the manufacturing business that has been in their family for generations -- Hardwood Products Company LP of Guilford -- and that could be sold to a new owner depending on the outcome of the suit.

House Republicans remain concerned that excessive spending, combined with a lack of true priorities, will result in hardship and tax increases down the road. Democrats created a state budget that is 11 percent higher than the last one.

Gracie Talbot of Piscataquis Community High School came in third in the 220-pound division. In the consolation finals Talbot pinned Tayanne Aquino of Mountain Valley High School of Rumford at the 3:45 mark.

We are in the middle of the misinformation age. The latest is the recent effort by a people’s veto group Reject Big Pharma to use the ploy of claiming that Big Pharma is behind the new law requiring vaccinations. I am writing to set the record straight. I have many beefs with Big Pharma, but they are not driving the law to require vaccination of children. Science is.