By Pete Warner, Bangor Daily News Staff DEXTER — This has been a difficult and unpredictable winter with little safe ice on Maine’s lakes and ponds.

DEXTER — A project to replace the terminal building and improve the site at the Dexter Regional Airport should see completion, despite higher than anticipated construction costs.

Photo courtesy of Dexter Regional High School STUDENTS OF THE MONTH — Dexter Regional High School is pleased to announce the December Students of the Month as selected by the faculty and staff for being exemplary students.

By Pete Warner, Bangor Daily News Staff Most of Maine barely has any snow to enjoy the outdoors — and adding insult to injury is the limited amount of safe ice on many of the state’s lakes and ponds forcing the cancellation of local ice fishing derbies.

By Leela Stockley, Bangor Daily News Staff An initial round of state testing showed that nearly 75 percent of the wells included in the study had what are considered safe levels of PFAS contamination.

Nominations are now open for the 2023 County Teachers of the Year and 2024 State Teacher of the Year.

DEXTER — For the safety of all involved, the fishing portion of the Dexter Fish & Game Association’s annual Ice Fishing Derby that had been scheduled for this weekend has been canceled due to poor ice conditions on Lake Wassookeag.

ORONO — State food safety specialist and UMaine alumnus Jason Bolton has been named associate dean at University of Maine Cooperative Extension.

By Larry Mahoney and Adam Robinson, Bangor Daily News Staff During a boys basketball game at Calais High School, a player on the opposing team who had donated blood earlier in the day passed out on the court.

By Judy Harrison, Bangor Daily News Staff Zachary Brandmeir is the first independent to serve as a Penobscot County Probate Court judge.

SKOWHEGAN — Skowhegan Savings celebrated the holiday season with their second annual “Season of Giving” by donating $20,000 to 20 local nonprofits.

By WGME An internal power failure at two data centers for the 911 call system temporarily affected 12 of 24 public safety service organizations in Maine on Jan.

DOVER-FOXCROFT— A Dover-Foxcroft family with a newborn is without a home after a fire consumed their two-story house just days into the new year.

By Kathleen O’Brien, Bangor Daily News Staff The Bangor region’s largest health care system will turn to a national company to manage most behind-the-scenes administrative functions, in one of Northern Light Health’s latest money-saving moves to bounce back from the financial toll of the COVID-19 pandemic.

By Kathleen O’Brien, Bangor Daily News Staff Recent moves by the Bangor region’s largest health care system to scale back or sell off services signal that Northern Light Health is facing some of the same financial headwinds as health care systems across the U.

Bangor Daily News file photo AUGERING WELL — Space is a premium these days at Frye Cove on Lake Wassookeag as fishermen stand nearly shoulder to shoulder, all seeking that trophy fish.

By Judy Harrison, Bangor Daily News Staff Maureen Whitehouse likes to hear the whole story.

AUGUSTA — Senate President Troy Jackson, D-Allagash, announced Senate committee assignments for the 131st Maine Legislature.