Puritan Medical Products, a Guilford-based global manufacturer of single-use products will celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2019. Puritan’s management team attributes “innovation, evolution, and authenticity” to the longevity of the organization, which originated from humble beginnings in 1919 as the Minto Toothpick & Specialty Company.

Piscataquis Community Elementary School kindergartener Abel Richardson thought he was attending a Winter Carnival kickoff assembly when he was called to the front of the cafeteria for a surprise presentation on Wednesday.

During a Feb. 5 meeting of the county commissioners, County Manager Tom Lizotte said the final Atkinson annual town meeting before deorganization would be held on the evening of Monday, Feb. 11. “I don’t anticipate any issues,” Lizotte said.

Brook trout are among the state’s most treasured natural gifts, and Maine is lucky to have more places to catch wild brookies than any other state in the lower 48. And according to a state fisheries biologist, anglers on the state’s largest lake have been hauling in some huge brookies of late.

Dexter Family Practice has joined Mayo Regional Hospital to become the hospital’s fifth rural health center in the region.

The 12th annual Moosehead Lake Togue Derby with Ricky Craven is in the books. The event is organized by the Natural Resource Education Center at Moosehead (NREC) to raise funds for programming. Anglers from all over made the trek north to Maine’s largest lake for the action. As would be expected, Mainers make up the vast majority of participants, but organizers also sold tickets to folks from Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, Quebec, and Florida

Moosehead Marketplace is celebrating its fourth year in business and Janet Richards Chasse, who owns and runs the online operation, couldn’t be happier. The Marketplace has been pretty much a one-woman show since its inception.

Mayo Regional Hospital has announced the closing of its primary care office in Guilford. The official closure date for Guilford Medical Associates, which is housed via lease from the town at the C.H. Lightbody Medical Center on Park Street, will be Friday, April 5.

Kim Cavanagh, a local lawyer and Foxcroft Academy alum, was celebrated recently at the Center Theatre for the Performing Arts Board of Director's annual meeting. The meeting was Cavanagh's last after being on the Center Theatre board since 2012.

The sound of skates cutting into the ice, pucks bouncing off the boards and glass, and more will be heard starting this summer according to the plan for opening the Piscataquis County Ice Arena on West Main Street at the former Brothers Chevrolet property. The $5 million project is being funded by the Libra Foundation, and the arena will be managed day-to-day by Foxcroft Academy.

Those affected by abuse and domestic violence throughout Piscataquis and Penobscot counties are able to receive a wide variety of information, support, and services from Partners for Peace. Starting next month a change in office hours for the 8 Mechanic Street location will help Partners for Peace advocates to get out and reach more people and increase the agency’s presence in the community.

A proposal to change how development is allowed in Maine’s Unorganized Territory still is being met with some vocal opposition, despite some minor changes that a state planning body has made to the draft policy.

Earlier this week, in what has become an annual ritual, Maine political insiders began posting links to the initial lists of legislative bills -- by title only -- that have been introduced. A quick glance turned up more than a few bills worth paying attention to among those that deal with Maine’s fish, wildlife and wild places.

What was founded by Lloyd Cartwright in 1919 as the Minto Toothpick and Specialty Company in Saginaw, Michigan is today the nation’s principal manufacturer of a broad variety of tipped applicators, tongue depressors, and other medical and non-medical disposable woodenware and related products.

Offering numerous types of insurance coverages and financial programs, Kimball Insurance, LLC provides strong customer service to go above and beyond the needs of its clients. Since opening its doors in the spring of 1999, Kimball Insurance has strived to be a family-oriented independent agency.

Ryan Crane and Crane Brothers Farm, Inc., in Exeter produced more than 278 bushels of corn per acre from a Livermore field to top the state yield in all categories.

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.

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.