Welcome, friends, to the new year. And, welcome to the 200th year of Maine's existence. Our state has a very proud heritage, particularly given the nature of its official beginning. Maine was admitted as a "free state" to balance the admission of Missouri, which was being added as a "slave state."

The longer President Donald Trump talks, the more lies he tells. And now, at a time when the world may be teetering on the brink of war, the president and the U.S. are paying the price.

Upcoming events around the region.

The Dover-Foxcroft United Methodist Church “Pay It Forward” thrift shop is open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the second and third Wednesdays of the month in conjunction with WIC. The shop is located on the second floor of the church.

Students from the Brownville Elementary School are participating in the WinterKids Winter Games in January. Students compete in a four-week series of outdoor physical activity and nutrition challenges designed to help them be active in the winter and learn healthy habits.  Each school is encouraged to involve volunteers, parents, healthy eating and active living organizations in their community and hold a winter carnival to close out the month’s events.

Tisbury Manor Chapter NSDAR, based in Monson, has welcomed 111 members since the chapter began on Nov. 14, 1952. Tisbury Manor is excited to join the National Society in celebrating this milestone by spotlighting members of the chapter through the years.

The Penquis Beekeepers' monthly meeting will be held at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 14 at the VFW on Cedar St. Anyone interested in learning about keeping bees is welcome to attend

Good Shepherd Food Bank recently announced recipients of the annual School Pantry Capacity Building Grant program. Funded on a competitive basis to school pantry sites, the food bank’s awards range from $250 to $2,500. Among the 13 grantees across the state are the Ridge View Community School of Dexter and the SeDoMoCha School in Dover-Foxcroft.

Doug Thomas of Ripley has announced he is a Republican candidate for the Maine Senate District 4. Thomas is a successful small business owner and entrepreneur with customers across Central Maine. Thomas believes that the government of Maine needs to put the welfare of Maine people first.  There are a lot of problems around the country and around the world and it is not up to the people of Maine, with their hard-earned money, to pay for those problems through their tax dollars. We need to help our own people first.

On Jan. 3 after a week postponement due to weather, 19 local people came together at The Commons at Central Hall to talk about “Bridging the Climate Change Divide,” to kick off a year long monthly “Final Fridays” series of climate conversations and to enjoy a delicious potluck meal. Participants came from Charleston, Garland, Dexter, Dover-Foxcroft, Sebec and Milo and from many walks of life to share their perspectives about climate change and to talk about how the current conversation around climate change is impacting them.