The Foxcroft Academy girls picked up 29 points to place eighth among 10 teams at  the 2020 Penobscot Valley Conference Swimming and Diving Championships on Feb. 8 at the University of Maine. The Ponies finished just ahead of the 28 points for George Stevens Academy of Blue Hill and the six points for 10th-place Searsport District High School.

Cheering teams from Dexter Regional High School and Penquis Valley High School each took part in state championships competitions on Saturday, Feb. 8 at the Augusta Civic Center, two weeks after earning berths at the respective qualifiers.

The Omicron Chapter of DKG Society International, a group for women educators, met Feb. 1 at the SeDoMoCha School in Dover-Foxcroft. The guest speaker was Emily Poland RN, school nurse Consultant for the Maine Department of Education. Poland spoke about Project AWARE - Advancing Wellness and Resilience in Education

Earlier this week, Maine’s conservation agencies -- the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry and the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, issued some safety tips that deserve a second look.

Throughout Maine, there are pockets of wilderness where nature is given free rein. The trees grow old and tall. The moss grows thick. And rare plants and animals find safe haven.

University of Maine Cooperative Extension will offer monthly community plant clinics at several locations in Piscataquis County beginning 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 28 at the UMaine Extension office, 165 East Main St.

It looks like Mother Nature is taking the high school basketball season to overtime. Thursday’s snowstorm and even messier weather on Friday means numerous regular-season finales aren’t likely to be played until Saturday, leaving some tournament fates hanging in the balance.

I didn’t grow up ice fishing. I loved to play outside in the snow, and we neighborhood kids spent plenty of time outdoors, sliding down hills on our sleds until the sun set and we’d waddle on home. But ice fish? Nope. Didn’t catch that bug until my late 20s, when I met a man who introduced me to the sport and its customs.

Laura Feaga, a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner and a Piscataquis County native, has opened a new psychiatric practice in Dover-Foxcroft. Healing Partners Psychiatric Services, LLC, located in The Mill, provides psychiatric diagnosis, consultation, medication management and supportive therapy for clients by appointment.

When Jesse Erickson weighs in for Saturday night’s NEF 42 mixed martial arts bout against undefeated Josh Harvey -- a Dexter Regional High School graduate -- at Merrill Auditorium in Portland, he won’t be giving away nearly the poundage he did for one of his most recent athletic competitions.