Ticks have spread throughout Maine over the past few decades, carrying with them a cocktail of crippling diseases. In response, healthcare providers, researchers, educators, non-profit organizations and the government have been working to protect people from this dangerous pest.

CourageLIVES and the Penquis Sex Trafficking Action Response Team (START) will host four free and open to the public events as part of Human Trafficking Awareness and Prevention Month in January. All events will feature a film screenin of “Gridshock,” a documentary about human trafficking, followed by a panel discussion with local experts.

I’m not one of those guys who starts every new year with a list of resolutions that I’ll begin ignoring on Jan. 3. In general, I’m one of those guys who works more generically, and tries to screw up less than I did the year before. I keep a few goals in mind, I admit, but rarely do I resolve to achieve them. Instead, I hope to get better, then plod onward, doing the best I can.

University of Maine Cooperative Extension has named Emily Mott as the new 4-H community education assistant for Piscataquis and Penobscot counties.

On Jan. 6 students and staff at 32 elementary schools around the state will start participating in WinterKids’ third annual WinterKids Winter Games, including Brownville Elementary School and the Greenville Consolidated School. This outdoor physical activity and nutrition competition encourages young children to develop healthy habits over the course of the four-week program.

The Harmony man who allegedly shot at police and wounded a Waterville officer during a multitown pursuit two weeks ago has been charged with aggravated attempted murder. Richard Murray-Burns, 29, has been hospitalized at Eastern Maine Medical Center for gunshot wounds since the Dec. 22 shootout. He was arrested this afternoon as he was released from the hospital and transported to the Somerset County Jail, according to a press release from Maine State Police spokesperson Stephen McCausland.

Jeffrey Ryan’s book, Hermit, is a fascinating and unforgettable story about Jim Whyte’s mysterious life in a very remote section of the Maine woods in Onawa. I’d never heard of Onawa, but I found it on my map, not far from Milo.

Members of the Dexter Regional High School student government raised funds to purchase gas cards to benefit breast cancer patients in the area.

When a new year arrives, many have traditions that involve resolutions and celebrations. For Maine’s moose biologist, the arrival of a new year has come to mean something else: It’s time for the state to “recruit” a new crop of moose to aid in future research efforts.

Rep. Paul Stearns, R-Guilford has announced his intention to run for the Maine House of Representatives for a fourth term. House District 119 is made up of Abbot, Beaver Cove, Bowerbank, Greenville, Guilford, Monson, Parkman, Sangerville, Sebec, Shirley and Willimantic plus the unorganized territories of Blanchard Township, Northeast Piscataquis (including Barnard and Elliottsville Townships) and Northwest Piscataquis.

The Piscataquis Writers Alliance (PWA), formerly the Monson Writers Alliance, has some exciting changes to announce. The Alliance started in Monson with the support of the Monson Arts Center and Libra Foundation in December 2018. Meeting space was graciously made available in the Monson Public Library for the summer. Since then, the PWA has changed its meeting location and time to better accommodate its members. The Piscataquis Writers Alliance currently meets weekly at the Guilford Bed and Breakfast at 24 Elm St. in Guilford from 1-3 p.m. on Tuesdays.

Ice anglers looking to find a safe place to fish on the traditional opening day of the season might want to consider a trip north, as the superintendent of the Allagash Wilderness Waterway reports that there is some fairly thick ice on AWW lakes and ponds. In much of the state, ice fishing is allowed as soon as safe ice forms. In the AWW, the season still begins on Jan. 1, as used to be the custom statewide.

The Piscataquis County Economic Development Council (PCEDC) is in the process of a website upgrade, and we need your help.

As the saying goes, change is the only constant, and 2019 was no  exception. For the outdoor community in Maine, some of the change was good, some not so good. Let’s check out our backtrack.

Kenneth Hatchette’s first attempt at a novel loosely based on his memories (and those of his friends) of Brownville Junction can be enjoyed in his new book “The Great Chase” available on Amazon.com.

Though Peace, Love, & Waffles has been open since November, there will be a grand opening celebration from 3-5 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 9 with a 4 p.m. Piscataquis Chamber of Commerce ribbon-cutting ceremony. Coffee and baked goods will be offered. The event is open to the public. An RSVP is appreciated at 207-564-7533.

Northern Light Health is not paying a fee to acquire Mayo from the 13 towns that collectively own the institution -- that’s one of the arguments in a new lawsuit seeking to block the deal. But supporters of the merger have said that it will nonetheless provide something for the people who use Mayo Regional Hospital and its affiliated practices: the weight of a larger health care organization. 

Visiting Baxter State Park in the winter takes extra planning. The main road that leads into the park is unplowed and therefore closed to vehicles. Plus the cold, wet conditions of winter in Maine add more risk to any outdoor adventure. But the sight of Katahdin and surrounding mountains cloaked in snow makes the planning worth the effort.