Each winter the state holds a free fishing weekend, during which people are invited to enjoy a day on the water without a fishing license. That weekend is upon us, and on Feb. 15 to 16 anyone who hasn’t otherwise had a license suspended or revoked can fish for free.

The broadcasts began Tuesday night with seven preliminary round games. The games can be seen by going to https://www.whou.live/.

The Houlton Shiretowners earned their way into the Class B North quarterfinals by virtue of a 56-41 victory over Foxcroft Academy on Tuesday night, Feb. 11.

Seventh-seeded Narraguagus High School easily defeated No. 10 Piscataquis Community High School 64-31 Tuesday, Feb. 11 during a Class C North preliminary tournament game to advance to the quarterfinals.

On Feb. 5 the Sangerville Public Library hosted Chewonki's StarLab at Piscataquis Community Elementary School for all fifth-graders. StarLab is a portable, inflatable planetarium that introduces features of the night sky and explains how stars are formed. It also shows us human history with the constellations above, from early mythological characters to modern navigation.

Greenville is gearing up for one of its most popular winter events on Sunday, Feb. 16 -- the annual Chocolate Festival. This year the festival, which was created 16 years ago by former Moosehead Chamber Executive Director Bob Hamer and his wife Susan as a fundraiser for the chamber, tips its hat to Maine’s 200th anniversary. 

The public is cordially invited to a concert of classical music performed by The Highlands Classical Chamber Ensemble at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 23 in the Greenville High School auditorium, located at 130 Pritham Avenue. Solos, duos and ensemble works for violin, cello, piano, saxophone, flute and bassoon, will be presented, including works by Haydn, Brahms, Kodaly, Gershwin and Kalliwoda.

The co-main event provided the biggest surprise of the night when veteran Jesse Erickson of Central Maine Jiu-Jitsu in Auburn upset previously undefeated Josh Harvey -- who is a graduate of Dexter Regional High School -- with a first-round armbar.

Anglers looking for a day of fun on a beautiful Maine lake may want to head to the Milo/Brownville area this weekend, as the venerable Schoodic Lake Ice Fishing Derby returns for its 58th edition.

Word this week of a campaign to block use of ranked-choice voting in Maine's 2020 Presidential election, and to instead allow the people of Maine to vote on repealing RCV, is warm news on a cold winter day.