There is a place, ladies and gentlemen, where magic happens. It is a place where men and women parade around on a stage and recite lines they memorized in their head, and try to make you feel like what they are saying is natural and spontaneous.

Democratic voters in Iowa will caucus next week, becoming the first to weigh in on who should be the nominee to challenge President Donald Trump in November. I’m going to let you in on a little secret that only experienced and wise political columnists know.

Dexter Regional High School wrestlers Augustus “Gus” Irwin and Eric Bennett joined the 100-win club during recent matches.

February is American Heart Month, and as a leading community-based organization dedicated to improving the nation’s health, the Piscataquis Regional YMCA is offering a Fit February Challenge to help families in Piscataquis County be heart healthy. Participants will receive heart healthy tips and be encouraged to complete a variety of fun and healthy activities to receive entries into prize drawings throughout the month.

An incredible summer adventure awaits a group of 10 high school students in northern Maine’s rugged wilderness. Every August Friends of Baxter State Park invites students from across Maine to spend an extraordinary nine days backpacking from one end of the Park to the other, accompanied by experienced wilderness leaders and educators from the Chewonki Foundation.

A new childcare center has opened in Dover Foxcroft, Little Organics Learning Center.

Bucksport, Mattanawcook Academy of Lincoln, George Stevens Academy of Blue Hill, Central of Corinth, Dexter and Fort Kent would move from Class C to Class B while Schenck of East Millinocket, Deer-Isle Stonington and Machias would shift from Class D to Class C.

A Milo man accused of killing a cat and shooting at his fleeing wife and kids in December  has pleaded guilty. ABC affiliate WVII reports that Frank Foss Jr. 25, pleaded guilty Monday to domestic violence terrorizing with a dangerous weapon and cruelty to animals, among other charges.

If you drive north of Greenville on the road to Kokadjo you might notice a modest sign on the right hand side with an image of a plane and the words B52 Memorial. It commemorates an event that took place almost 60 years ago on January 23, 1963, when a hulking, 185,000-pound B-52 Stratofortress took off from Westover Air Force Base in Massachusetts as part of an Air Force test of the eight-engine jet’s ability to handle low-level flight. 

Who elected these people? I asked myself that question a few times working in the Maine Legislature. I wasn't being cruel. Neither was I being wholly dismissive of the legislators in question. Rather, I was thinking first about the duties, the job of being a legislator. It can take only one vote to have a majority of legislators raise taxes, end charter schools, end the definition of marriage, change the way we vote -- the opportunities for legal mischief making are endless.