By Judy Harrison, Bangor Daily News Staff Penobscot County should spend millions of dollars it is receiving from the federal government on transitional and affordable housing as well as boosting access to mental health and substance use disorder treatment.

The Maine State Legislature has recently announced a new opportunity for Maine residents to temporarily defer collection of homestead property taxes.

By Emily Burnham, Bangor Daily News Staff Alongside lobster, blueberry pie, fiddleheads, bean hole beans and whoopie pies in the pantheon of iconic Maine foods is the red hot dog, or red snapper, a local delicacy found nowhere else but on the grills and stovetops of Mainers.

By David Marino Jr.

This story will be updated.

LEWISTON – Androscoggin Home Healthcare + Hospice, Maine’s largest, independent, non-profit home healthcare organization is proud to announce the acquisition of Care & Comfort, a home and behavioral healthcare company that has been serving Maine since 1991.

Beaver Cove officials have created the town’s first ever emergency operations plan to have resources in place for disasters such as ice storms and power outages and keep residents safe.

By Pete Warner, Bangor Daily News Staff It is an exciting time of year for Mainers who want to get out on the ice.

DOVER-FOXCROFT — Regional School Unit 68 has cut its required isolation time for COVID-19-positive students and staff members from 10 days to five, based on new guidance from the Maine Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

This story will be updated.

DOVER-FOXCROFT — The Piscataquis County Commissioners agreed in September to provide $7,000 to the town of Brownville for a slope study.

By The Associated Press Death rates in Maine from COVID-19 are three times higher in the state’s least-vaccinated counties compared with counties that are heavily vaccinated.

This story will be updated.

DOVER-FOXCROFT – The town of Dover-Foxcroft with the approval of the selectboard and support of the Climate Action Advisory Committee is applying to join the Maine Community Resilience Partnership, a program of the state of Maine to assist communities in transition to clean energy and to become more resilient to effects of climate change.

Programs that assist older Maine people with transportation received a total $141,000 in grant funding in 2021 through the Maine Charity Foundation Fund and three donor-advised funds at the Maine Community Foundation.

Being a responsible user of the Maine outdoors means staying informed of, and complying with, the current laws and rules.

By Jessica Piper, Bangor Daily News Staff AUGUSTA — The number of Maine kids getting vaccinated against COVID-19 has slowed in recent weeks even as cases surge heading into 2022 and the highly contagious omicron variant takes hold.

Maine Woodland Owners will be hosting its annual Forestry Forum on Wednesday, Jan.