Currently the younger students at Penquis Valley Middle School have little more than a decades-old basketball court and a small area with a pile of dirt and two roads going right by to use for recess but a group of educators, parents and community members are working to change this with a new playground.

The Bangor Humane Society is delighted to announce receipt of a generous bequest of over $1.3 million from Violet and James Moffett of Dover-Foxcroft, the proceeds of which will be placed in the newly established Violet F. Moffett Memorial Fund. “This is the largest single gift BHS has ever received,” said Executive Director Suzan Prendergast, “and we will forever be grateful for their remarkable generosity.”

On Nov. 22, something wonderful happened in Guilford. The former Guilford Primary School building, which had been on the market since the summer prior, was sold to its long-standing tenant Friends of Community Fitness (FoCF).

The Center Theatre for the Performing Arts announced that for the first time in facility history it is raffling off a lifetime supply of popcorn. Tickets are only $10 per person and can be purchased at the Theatre or from a member of the Center Theatre board of directors. 

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.

The coalition selected five communities to serve as host sites for the tour with the loop route starting and finishing in Old Town. Cyclists will spend the first night in Binette Park -- along the Penobscot River -- then move on to Lincoln, Patten, Millinocket and Dover-Foxcroft. 

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

This story isn’t specifically about this year’s high school basketball tournament, but it does involve a championship trophy. Not mine, mind you.

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.

Rep. Paul Stearns R-Guilford, left, presented Paul McPhetres of Sangerville with a certificate and special commemorative coin expressing the gratitude of the citizens of Maine for his service in the United States Army during the Korean War.

Citing overcrowding with 10 grades currently housed at Piscataquis Community Elementary School and potential educational benefits of having the older middle school students be in the secondary school building, SAD 4 officials were given the go-ahead to proceed with planning to move grades 7-8 to Piscataquis Community High School during a Feb. 11 school board meeting at PCHS.

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.

Greenville is gearing up for one of its most popular winter events on Sunday, Feb. 16 -- the annual Chocolate Festival. This year the festival, which was created 16 years ago by former Moosehead Chamber Executive Director Bob Hamer and his wife Susan as a fundraiser for the chamber, tips its hat to Maine’s 200th anniversary. 

Anglers looking for a day of fun on a beautiful Maine lake may want to head to the Milo/Brownville area this weekend, as the venerable Schoodic Lake Ice Fishing Derby returns for its 58th edition.

The Piscataquis County Economic Development Council (PCEDC) Executive Committee is pleased to announce the hiring of a new executive director, John Shea.