Everybody, and everything, loves a smelt. The sleek, silver fish -- officially known as a “rainbow smelt” -- is prevalent in many lakes and ponds, and is the preferred food of landlocked salmon and other larger fish. In streams, they might be gobbled up by opportunistic mammals or birds. And humans? Well, if we’re not using them as bait to catch other fish, we eat ‘em, too.

State regulators have cleared the way for Mayo Regional Hospital in Dover-Foxcroft to join Northern Light Health, the Brewer-based health system that includes nine other hospitals stretching from Portland to Presque Isle.

Maine’s ATV task force, created by Gov. Janet Mills to address opportunities and issues associated with increasing ATV registrations, submitted a report and recommendations to the governor, which include limits on ATV sizes and weights and recognizes the importance of private landowners who allow public use of their land.

The Maine Department of Transportation released a three-year road and bridge funding plan on Tuesday, Jan. 14 that will use more money to fund fewer projects, a symptom of rising construction costs and chronic underfunding of the state system.

Amid all the wild words and phrases that weather reporters bandy about during the winter -- polar vortex, bombogenesis -- there’s one panic-inducing term that dates back hundreds of years, predating modern-day snowmageddons: nor’easter.

Cpl. Dana Gatcomb was honored as the Dexter Police Department Officer of the Year during a Jan. 9 town council meeting.

I recently received two emails from readers looking for great places to snowshoe in Maine. They were looking for trail suggestions, and boy did I have a lot to say. Too much to say, really. So I decided to write a whole advice column on the topic.

Good Shepherd Food Bank recently announced recipients of the annual School Pantry Capacity Building Grant program. Funded on a competitive basis to school pantry sites, the food bank’s awards range from $250 to $2,500. Among the 13 grantees across the state are the Ridge View Community School of Dexter and the SeDoMoCha School in Dover-Foxcroft.

Doug Thomas of Ripley has announced he is a Republican candidate for the Maine Senate District 4. Thomas is a successful small business owner and entrepreneur with customers across Central Maine. Thomas believes that the government of Maine needs to put the welfare of Maine people first.  There are a lot of problems around the country and around the world and it is not up to the people of Maine, with their hard-earned money, to pay for those problems through their tax dollars. We need to help our own people first.

As part of the Maine Department of Education’s ongoing efforts to highlight Maine’s outstanding teachers, nominations are now open for the 2020 County Teachers of the Year and 2021 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 at mainetoy.org/nominate through 5 p.m. on Feb. 3.

Ticks have spread throughout Maine over the past few decades, carrying with them a cocktail of crippling diseases. In response, healthcare providers, researchers, educators, non-profit organizations and the government have been working to protect people from this dangerous pest.

I’m not one of those guys who starts every new year with a list of resolutions that I’ll begin ignoring on Jan. 3. In general, I’m one of those guys who works more generically, and tries to screw up less than I did the year before. I keep a few goals in mind, I admit, but rarely do I resolve to achieve them. Instead, I hope to get better, then plod onward, doing the best I can.

University of Maine Cooperative Extension has named Emily Mott as the new 4-H community education assistant for Piscataquis and Penobscot counties.

Members of the Dexter Regional High School student government raised funds to purchase gas cards to benefit breast cancer patients in the area.

Last week’s cold snap covered many lakes and ponds in ice, but with the warming temperatures this week, the Maine Warden Service is urging people to use caution before venturing out onto any ice covering Maine’s waterways.

Early on the morning of Dec. 21, Dexter Regional High School student government and Key Club members, along with several Dexter Sunrise Kiwanis members, gathered at P&L Country Market to assemble and wrap 55 Christmas food boxes to be given to area families.

The town of Cambridge and almost three dozen residents from the other communities that collectively own Mayo Regional Hospital in Dover-Foxcroft have filed a lawsuit trying to block its pending merger with Northern Light Health.

With 37 people in attendance at Dexter Age-Friendly’s December Tea Talks, Wanita Grant answered the most Christmas trivia questions correctly to win a seasonal fresh-flower arrangement contributed by the Spring Street Greenhouse. Gratitude is extended by everyone on the Dexter Age-Friendly Committee to Susan LaFerriere and her team for the monthly floral donation.