The program can still reverse field and stay at the 11-player game, but Dexter Regional High School is looking to be among a number of Maine high school football teams -- including much of the Little Ten Conference (LTC)/Class  D North -- shifting to 8-man football when the 2020 season kicks off in August. The SAD 46 school board supported the transition with a formal motion during a March 4 meeting at the Ridge View Community School. A timeline would be determined by the superintendent and principal.

With the pending retirement of a Waterville hospital executive and the recent addition of a new hospital, Northern Light Health is shuffling around the leadership of its hospitals in central Maine and Piscataquis County.

Two organizations with a shared vision to meet the health care needs of the people of Piscataquis County have officially come together. Northern Light Health and Mayo Regional Hospital completed their merger agreement on Sunday, March 1. On Monday morning, Michelle Hood, president and CEO of Northern Light Health, joined with Marie Vienneau, president and CEO of the newly named Northern Light Mayo Hospital, for a press conference and celebration at  the hospital with employees.

When Maine achieved statehood in 1820, it was home to a number of wild creatures that are no longer seen in the region today. Wolves, caribou, panthers and rattlesnakes are among the animals found roaming the woods and waters of Maine 200 years ago. 

The U.S. Postal Service will celebrate Maine’s bicentennial with the issuance of a new Forever stamp and a dedication ceremony on the actual anniversary of Maine’s statehood, March 15.

A lawsuit seeking to block the merger of Mayo Regional Hospital with Northern Light Health is heading to court late next month after the Maine attorney general’s office and both health care organizations all filed motions seeking to dismiss the case.

The Maine attorney general’s office has asked a federal judge to dismiss an ex-police officer’s lawsuit against the Penobscot County district attorney on the same grounds that an appeals court threw out a similar lawsuit in 1992 against the man who was then the county’s top prosecutor. 

The American Red Cross of Maine and the Dexter Fire Department  are teaming up to make town residents safer by installing free smoke alarms in their homes, helping them create escape plans and providing other fire safety tips.

The typical snowmobilers were older than they used to be, but helped inject $606 million into Maine’s economy last winter, according to the first economic study of the state’s snowmobile industry in 22 years.

But it was an issue that continues to be central to the ongoing story of the United States -- the enslavement of kidnapped African people -- that is irrevocably tied to Maine’s independence, thanks to an 1820 federal agreement known as the Missouri Compromise.

A former police officer in Penobscot County has sued the county’s top criminal prosecutor, claiming she relied on false information in putting him on a list of police officers who are potentially unreliable trial witnesses.

The week concluded with a dance where the Winter Carnival court was crowned. Pictured are grade 9 Lord Bryce Connor, Lady Jozlynn Paige, grade 10 Duke Cameron Allen, Duchess Elizabeth Kinney, grade 11 Prince Hunter Dean, Princess Cheyenne Beem and grade 12 King Cameron Paige, Queen Caitlyn Hardy.

At the Feb. 13 meeting of the Dexter Town Council Sen. Paul Davis, R-Sangerville and Rep. Steve Foster, R-Dexter presented to Elizabeth Breault and Marilyn Curtis Legislative sentiments recognizing their service as employees of the town of Dexter for 30 years

Saturday and Sunday, as you may have heard, constitute a Free Fishing Weekend here in Maine, and the state is inviting you to head out onto the ice (safely, of course) and try your hand, whether you have a license or not.

Each winter the state holds a free fishing weekend, during which people are invited to enjoy a day on the water without a fishing license. That weekend is upon us, and on Feb. 15 to 16 anyone who hasn’t otherwise had a license suspended or revoked can fish for free.

The Omicron Chapter of DKG Society International, a group for women educators, met Feb. 1 at the SeDoMoCha School in Dover-Foxcroft. The guest speaker was Emily Poland RN, school nurse Consultant for the Maine Department of Education. Poland spoke about Project AWARE - Advancing Wellness and Resilience in Education

Earlier this week, Maine’s conservation agencies -- the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry and the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, issued some safety tips that deserve a second look.

Mayo Regional Hospital has announced a “Ski Day” for its employees and families in February. The first 100 employees to register are able to ski for free. Officials at the hospital say that this is to encourage employee wellness while calling attention to American Heart Month, which is recognized throughout February.