Each year about this time, the Maine Warden Service urges us to use extreme caution before venturing out onto any ice that may be covering Maine’s waterways. This is timely advice. Two winters ago three night-time snowsledders all perished in one night on Rangeley Lake when they and their machines broke through thin ice.

On Dec. 21 Foxcroft Academy wrestling had its home opener, hosting Mattanawcook Academy of Lincoln and neighboring Piscataquis Community High School. Earlier in the season Mattanawcook beat Foxcroft at the Penobscot Valley High School Tournament, so the Ponies had something to prove.

The Dexter Regional High School girls basketball team has a new look this season. It is a building year for the defending Class C North titlists, who wound up 16-7 a year ago.

Upcoming events around the region

It may be hard to believe but Dexter Dover Area Towns in Transition (DDATT) was started a little more than eight years ago, a few local people concerned about climate change and how its effects might impact the area. The fledgling group began to occasionally screen films on various aspects of the subject at the town hall and then the Abbott Memorial Library in Dexter, which became popular enough to warrant a monthly public meeting, dubbed the First Friday Free Film and Discussion.

The President has signed a historic tax reform into law. While Democrats claim the power of the seer akin to Nostradamus portending wild-eyed apocalyptic doom as a result of wage earners and wage payers keeping more of the fruits of their labors, in the real world of the real truth this new tax structure affords real tax relief to virtually every wage bracket in the U.S. Contrary to the liberal narrative, it is not theft for Americans to keep more of their wages.

Winter days in Maine are sometimes black-and-white. My friend, Bill Kitchen, last week posted a photo view from his home porch of Bad Little Falls in Machias. You think you're seeing a black-and-white photo until you read Bill's photo caption. You are, in fact, looking at a full-color photo of the river moving almost without a ripple, between white, snow-covered banks and fir trees.

Never has giving away more than $1 trillion been so difficult. Republicans in Washington have passed a massive overhaul of the US tax code. With a package that’s heavily tilted toward wealthy individuals and large, multinational corporations, the tax plan will further exacerbate income inequality. As if that wasn’t enough, the tax bill does a lot more.

Ladies and gentlemen, it is that time of year again, the time of year you all look forward to with ever-growing excitement. I’m speaking, of course, of my annual bold predictions, where I give you, dear reader, a foretelling of the coming year.

For the eighth consecutive year, the Boston Red Sox Foundation is seeking submissions from inspiring senior students, who are dedicated to making a positive impact in their communities, for the New England Red Sox Service Scholarship. Thirty two high schools across Maine have been chosen to take part, including Dexter Regional High School, Greenville High School and Penquis Valley High School.