Are you keeping warm this winter? While the days are getting longer, the coldest time of winter is approaching. Now is the time to order low cost, energy saving window inserts that can increase the comfort, and reduce energy use of your home and save money on heating fuel. Window Dressers, in partnership with a new local organization The Commons Energy Collaborative, is starting early this year to take orders for the 2019 workshop for the towns in the Penquis region.

Following several Dexter Regional High School wrestling teammates who earned their 100th wins this season, Tiger senior Isaiah Hesseltine stepped on the mat on Jan. 2 with 97 career victories. His hope, to start 2019 with 100 career wins and keep the Dexter Regional High School wrestling tradition alive.

The Piscataquis Community High School wrestling team put up a fantastic showing in Calais on Jan. 5. Top Pirate individual performances include Nate Bock, Fischer Cobb, and Ethan Chadwick, each in fourth place in their respective weight classes; Henry Rowell in third; and Ethan Moulton, Jacob Nadeau, and Zac Wilson all taking home first-place finishes. Pictured on the podium is Moulton and Rowell.

The Foxcroft Academy wrestling team had a busy Christmas break. The Ponies traveled down south to North Berwick on Dec. 29 to compete at the Noble Invitational Tournament, a two-day tourney with 28 teams from Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont taking part. Foxcroft finished ninth as a team in this very tough tournament.

Sen. Paul Davis, R-Sangerville has been appointed to serve as a member of the Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Committee, the State and Local Government Committee, and the Government Oversight Committee.

As part of the Maine Department of Education’s ongoing efforts to highlight Maine’s outstanding teachers, nominations are now open for the 2019 County Teachers of the Year and 2020 Teacher of the Year. Members of the public are encouraged to nominate educators who demonstrate a commitment to excellence and nurturing the achievement of all students. Nominations can be made through the Maine Teacher of the Year website through Feb. 4.

The Center Theatre and the Slightly Off-Center Players are looking for directors for two shows in 2019. The first, “Seussical Jr.,” is a magical musical romp through the land of Dr. Seuss. This kid's production will be performed the first two weekends in May.

The makeup of legislators in Maine’s current 129th Legislature is almost identical to Maine’s 115th Legislature. I was first hired as a legislator staffer for the second session of the 114th Legislature. The 115th was my first experience working for a full two-year session of the Maine Legislature.

Piscataquis County sees the revival of the Big Squaw Mountain ski area as a part of the Moosehead Lake region’s economic revitalization. So the county’s commissioners have joined the state in a lawsuit against the partially defunct ski area’s owner that seeks millions of dollars to restore the ski mountain.

Helping Hands with Heart (HHH) and the Piscataquis County Economic Development Council (PCEDC) are pleased to be partnering with Healthy Acadia to launch Maine RecoveryCorps. Maine RecoveryCorps is funded by an AmeriCorps grant from the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) and is focused on expanding recovery coaching to strengthen recovery support services and to improve recovery success among individuals facing substance use disorders, with an emphasis on opioid use disorders.