Communities have the ability to opt out of the retail aspect of recreational marijuana -- residents can still use recreational and medicinal marijuana within the law -- and the town of Dexter now has an emergency moratorium ordinance regarding retail recreational marijuana in place for 60 days through March 12.

With the start of the new year students at Piscataquis Community Elementary School have a pair of new weekly educational extracurricular activity options.

With the position of SAD 4 superintendent currently being advertised in education publications and soon in the state’s daily newspapers -- the application deadline is Friday, March 2 -- Interim Superintendent Raymond Freve presented the school board with a draft search committee proposal during a Jan. 9 meeting.

In the early 1990s, working as a partisan legislative staffer, I had an idea for the upcoming statewide election. Some of our state House and Senate candidates were campaigning in Districts where their victory was uncertain. A few more registered voters in those Districts favoring our candidates would be a good insurance policy.

Despite the subzero temperatures and a raging blizzard, Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife (MDIFW) wildlife biologists and a helicopter-based aerial capture crew located, captured, and collared 83 moose last week and this week in northern and western Maine.

There was a day when Ski-Doo was simply a generic name for a snowmobile. Early on, as I recall, Ski-Doo was the only game in town.

The Forest Society of Maine (FSM) is celebrating the completion of the permanent conservation of thousands of acres of productive forest land and access to popular recreation lands near Gulf Hagas and Whitecap Mountain in Maine’s North Woods in Piscataquis County. After four years of collaboration with the forestland owner, the state Bureau of Parks and Lands, and conservation partner Maine Appalachian Trail Land Trust, an area used by thousands of people annually is permanently conserved for hunting, fishing, hiking, snowmobiling, and camping.

DOVER-FOXCROFT — What today is a 25-bed critical access hospital and health system with five rural health clinics across the region, provides emergency medical services for all of Piscataquis County, psychiatry and counseling services as well as various surgical specialties, in April Mayo Regional Hospital will mark 40 years since first opening its doors to patients.

DOVER-FOXCROFT — With the land use ordinance committee continuing its work to update the document to be voted on by the public later in the year on the November ballot, a summary of the group’s efforts was reviewed by the selectmen during a Jan.

DOVER-FOXCROFT — As part of the regular rotation for replacing older department vehicles the Piscataquis County Commissioners approved the purchase of a 2017 Ford Police Interceptor for $28,041 from Quirk Ford of Augusta, during a Jan.

With the first 2018-19 academic year budget meeting set for the end of the month, RSU 68 officials are awaiting financial figures from the Maine Department of Education.

Foxcroft Academy boys soccer and wrestling coach Luis Ayala, who teaches health and physical education at the secondary school, was recognized as the U.S. Cellular Most Valuable Coach on Jan. 4 during the 11th annual Under Armour All-American Game at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Fla.

A missing Dover-Foxcroft man with dementia has been found safe, police said.

Sometimes my thought process runs like a pinball machine. A sight, a sound, a smell, triggers a thought. In an instant the thought takes off like a 1-1/16 inch, 2.8 ounce, case hardened carbon steel pinball, ricocheting around my brain, looking for stored information to help me make sense of that first thought.

The slate is clean as we start another year anew.

Santa Claus had some help this year from the staff at Piscataquis Community Elementary School in making sure about two dozen students received a needed item of winter clothing and had something fun for Christmas.

Does Maine's Legislature have a chronic glut of bills wasting time, money, and creativity, keeping elected officials from giving important issues the attention they deserve? Should Maine legislators reduce the number of bills they submit each legislative session?

Each year about this time, the Maine Warden Service urges us to use extreme caution before venturing out onto any ice that may be covering Maine’s waterways. This is timely advice. Two winters ago three night-time snowsledders all perished in one night on Rangeley Lake when they and their machines broke through thin ice.