Having once been dubbed “an odd duck” in a loving way by the wife of one of my closest friends, I shouldn’t wonder that, for some perverse reason, it tickles me when my writing lights the fires of provocation – the hotter the better!

What was founded by Lloyd Cartwright in 1919 as the Minto Toothpick and Specialty Company in Saginaw, Michigan is today the nation’s principal manufacturer of a broad variety of tipped applicators, tongue depressors, and other medical and non-medical disposable woodenware and related products.

Rep. Paul A. Stearns, R-Guilford has been appointed to the 129th Maine Legislature’s Joint Standing Committee on Inland Fisheries and Wildlife as the lead Republican. The committee is among the most sought after legislative assignments, because its jurisdiction encompasses several Maine pastimes, traditions, and important parts of the Maine economy.

Offering numerous types of insurance coverages and financial programs, Kimball Insurance, LLC provides strong customer service to go above and beyond the needs of its clients. Since opening its doors in the spring of 1999, Kimball Insurance has strived to be a family-oriented independent agency.

A man from midcoast Maine and his son were rescued from Mount Katahdin on Sunday, Jan. 6 after blowing snow caused whiteout conditions along the Knife Edge Trail, according to park officials.

Ryan Crane and Crane Brothers Farm, Inc., in Exeter produced more than 278 bushels of corn per acre from a Livermore field to top the state yield in all categories.

Sen. Paul Davis, R-Sangerville has been appointed to serve as a member of the Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Committee, the State and Local Government Committee, and the Government Oversight Committee.

As part of the Maine Department of Education’s ongoing efforts to highlight Maine’s outstanding teachers, nominations are now open for the 2019 County Teachers of the Year and 2020 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 through Feb. 4.

Piscataquis County sees the revival of the Big Squaw Mountain ski area as a part of the Moosehead Lake region’s economic revitalization. So the county’s commissioners have joined the state in a lawsuit against the partially defunct ski area’s owner that seeks millions of dollars to restore the ski mountain.

The Dover-Foxcroft Police Department is asking for the public’s help in locating family members of a Steadman’s Landing Road resident whose body was discovered on his front porch by a neighbor on New Year’s Day, after apparently being there for days.

Spruce Mill Farm & Kitchen owner Natasha Colbry delivered what she believed to be the largest order in the history of her establishment when she dropped off 100 freshly-baked baguettes at the Augusta Civic Center on Thursday. The long, skinny loaves of French bread were destined for Gov. Janet Mills’ Inauguration Celebration on Friday evening.

Janice Kimball-King, who owns The Moosehead Hooker, has been hooking and braiding rugs for the past 40-plus years. She found it was the kind of task easily picked up or put down, which worked well at the time her children were small.

The New Year is almost always a welcome event, even if we are all a year older. The slate is clean. As we look ahead it's a lot like a field of virgin snow. As we move on, the tracks we leave will take us to unseen ground. This is especially sweet for outdoor people who have an affinity for exploration, for finding what is just beyond the hill, or on the other side of the cedar swamp.

The body of a Steadman’s Landing Road resident was discovered on his front porch by a neighbor on New Year’s Day and had apparently been there for days, Dover-Foxcroft Police Chief Ryan Reardon said on Wednesday morning.

A man with a history of escapes from state correctional facilities is one step closer to trial for his latest escape. The Penobscot County grand jury late last week indicted Arnold Nash, 65, for his September escape from Mountain View Correctional Facility in Charleston when he had just 14 months left on his sentence. An indictment is not a finding of guilt, but rather a determination that enough evidence exists to bring a case to trial.

Mayo Regional Hospital and the Piscataquis Regional Food Center (PRFC) collaborated for the groups’ second annual Gadget Drive during the months of October and November. Employees and community members collected more than 125 gadgets and raised $148 to purchase additional kitchen gadgets for clients of area food cupboards.

The state with the most black bears on the East Coast might change the way it manages its growing population of the animals, and hunters and environmentalists alike are keeping a watchful eye to see if there's trouble brewing for bruins. Maine is home to more than 35,000 of the bears, up from just 23,000 less than 15 years ago, and the state wants to better manage that population growth to minimize the potential for conflicts between the bears and people. While bear populations are also growing in Vermont and New Hampshire, Maine's has grown to be among the largest in the United States.

Tom Hennessey – gifted sporting artist, meticulous writer, and friend to sportsmen – epitomized the self-made man. Always an avid outdoorsman with a creative bent, who lived to fish and hunt, the Brewer native parlayed his artistic passion and skill into a successful career as a nationally known sporting artist and author. Sadly, he passed away just before Christmas.