On Saturday, March 10 the Big Pine Gun Club hosted its fourth annual youth biathlon competition. To enter the biathlon, each participant had to have passed a rifle safety course. The competitors were separated into classes based on their National Rifle Association proficiency levels achieved while taking part in Big Pine's light rifle program.

Do you remember the 1999 movie "Field of Dreams" starring Kevin Costner? The film was based on W.P. Kinsella's novel, "Shoeless Joe," published in 1982. I bought "Shoeless Joe" off a drug store book rack on a hunch. Never a staunch baseball fan, unfamiliar with Mr. Kinsella's writing, something told me, "This is a good book."

The Northern and Eastern Maine Chapter of the American Red Cross recognized community members who have gone above and beyond in service to others at its 21st annual Real Heroes Breakfast on March 21. The 2018 Real Heroes include Officer Kenneth Spaulding Dexter Police Department, who was presented with the Community Hero Award.

The SeDoMoCha School Organization (SSO) with the support of a number of local organizations will be bringing the travelling exhibit "Anne Frank: A History for Today" to the Commons at Central Hall from April 30 to May 11. The exhibit, developed by the Anne Frank House and sponsored in North America by The Anne Frank Center USA, has been travelling around the world for over 10 years.

Mayo Regional Hospital will soon be celebrating its 40th anniversary. Four decades on from its formation as a regional hospital serving over 13 communities, Mayo Regional Hospital will mark its 40th year Anniversary on from 1-4 p.m. on Monday, April 9 in the Resource Center.

Kaitlyn Webber, a senior at Dexter Regional High School and the daughter of Kevin and Nichole Webber of Garland, has been selected to receive the 2018 Principal's Award, Principal, Stephen Bell announced. The award, sponsored by the Maine Principals' Association, is given in recognition of a high school senior's academic achievement and citizenship.

The upcoming spending bill in Congress is being used to sneak in language to repeal or weaken the Johnson Amendment, the law that since 1954 has shielded nonprofit organizations from partisan politicking. That bill must pass by March 23 to keep the federal government from running out of money (and shutting down for a third time this year).

The 2018 Maine Moose Permit Lottery application process is officially open to Maine residents and non-residents alike.

The year was 2008, and the country was in the midst of a presidential election that would eventually hand the White House to Barack Obama.

There’s a strange bipolar effect that happens every election season. We want people to run for office. We want more choice. And then we bemoan the fact that so many people run — writing some folks off prematurely, even before they have a chance to make their case.