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.

CHARLESTON — The Maine Department of Corrections has received test results indicating that per- and  polyfluoroalkyl substances are present at levels above the state standard in three of the  five wells at the Mountain View Correctional Facility in Charleston.

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

DOVER-FOXCROFT — Dover-Foxcroft residents and businesses can expect an increase in disposal fees starting in February.

By Leela Stockley, Bangor Daily News Staff A Maine man died at the Mountain View Correctional Facility in Charleston on Tuesday morning, according to NewsCenter Maine.

DOVER-FOXCROFT — The Rev.

WASHINGTON, D.

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.

By Pete Warner, Bangor Daily News Staff The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 helped ignite a surge of people heading into the Maine outdoors — and that trend continued in 2022.

MONSON — Monson Arts, an art center and artist residency program located in Monson, opens the winter exhibition, “Artists of the Maine Highlands: Today and Tomorrow.

By Christopher Burns, Bangor Daily News Staff A Bradford man died Friday, Jan.

GUILFORD — On Sunday, Dec.

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

The sixth annual WinterKids Winter Games begins next week with 15 schools competing statewide to win a total of $30,000 for their schools! Milo Elementary School will be representing Piscataquis County.