Dexter senior Nathan Richards, twirling the net after the Tigers won the Class C North title in February, is one of 25 players from across five classes to earn BDN All-Maine Schoolboy Basketball Team Honorable Mention recognition.

For the past 18 years, the BDN has partnered with registered Maine guide Dan Legere to give away what many winners called the trip of a lifetime: A daylong drift down one of Maine's classic fly-fishing rivers. This year, unfortunately, we won't be holding that trip after all.

The Maine Principals’ Association, citing continued concerns about the coronavirus pandemic and a recommendation by the Maine Commissioner of Education, decided Thursday, April 9 to cancel outright the 2020 spring high school sports season.

A pair of defensive linemen from the region were selected for the 31st annual Maine Shrine Lobster Bowl, scheduled for Saturday, July 18 at Thornton Academyin Saco (the coronavirus pandemic has the game questionable at the present time). Dexter Regional High School’s Haedyn Guenther and Isaac Weymouth of Foxcroft Academy were both named to the East squad.

Meanwhile, there are several Kiwanis-sponsored events that won't happen or will be postponed. First, as you probably assumed, due to state and federal mandates, our annual Piscataquis River Race scheduled for April 25 has been canceled. Nevertheless, we greatly appreciate the sponsors of this event, most of whom decided to donate their sponsorship amount anyway. They will be recognized when we have the final tally. But our fundraising raffle has not been canceled. Renamed our “Social Distancing Community Raffle,” you have three chances to win gas cards in the amount of $300, $200 or $100.  

Tiegan Murray of Greenville High School has become the first player to commit to Husson University and head coach Amanda Cummings for the 2020 women’s soccer season.

Snowmobiling is supposed to be fun, a wintertime recreational pursuit accessible to families and people of all ages. It is not supposed to end in death or serious bodily injury. Yet in Maine, the season winding down has been badly marred by one after another snowmobiling accidents that resulted in death to the operators. Eleven people have died this winter somewhere on Maine’s 14,000 miles of trails. In almost all the crashes, the operator lost control at a high rate of speed and hit a tree.

Greenville senior Halle Pelletier is one of 25 players from across five classes to earn BDN All-Maine Schoolgirl Basketball Team Honorable Mention recognition.

The Third Team is composed of seniors Lexi Mittelstadt of Mt. Blue in Farmington, Cecelia Dieterich of Oxford Hills, Windham’s Hannah Talon, Gray-New Gloucester’s Jordan Grant and junior Peyton Grant of Dexter.

Citing a continuing goal of reducing moose density in certain areas in order to cut down the effect of winter ticks on the herd, Maine biologists have proposed increasing the number of available moose permits this year by 11 percent over last year, up to 3,135.

The day dawned gray and blustery -- not ideal for fishing, but sadly par for the course when it comes to early season fishing outings -- and I struggled to find and gather all the gear I'd need for my personal opening day of open-water season.

Recent times have proven less profitable for the 2,968-yard layout located on Park Street in Milo, so the Gerrishes have opted to close the 90-year-old course.

Engaging in outdoor exercise, such as fishing, hunting, hiking, boating, walking, running, are permitted activities under the executive order issued by Gov. Mills, as long as people continue to follow social distancing guidelines.

When Maine’s recent stay at home order goes into effect on Thursday, there are many things you cannot do, such as have friends over or go for a ride with your neighbor. But there are some “essential activities” you can continue to do in the pursuit of health. Namely, outdoor activities including fishing and hiking are allowed.

The crisp connection between bat and ball was one of the chief selling points for a Shirley company as it returned to spring training sites in Florida and Arizona to market their bats to major- and minor-league baseball players. By all accounts Dove Tail Bats was having its share of success as one of approximately 35 bat makers certified by Major League Baseball.

Fishing regulations, like any rules or regulations, are not easy to love. Some time ago, as fishing law books got thicker and the water-by-water rules got increasingly complex with multiple S-codes and exceptions to the General Law, a cynic made the observation that a serious law-abiding angler needed two companions with him on the water: a Sherpa to carry the law book and a lawyer to interpret the regulations and S-code for each body of water.

Like the rest of you, I'm not allowed to spend much time visiting others nowadays. Social-distancing rules say that I'm supposed to stay six feet away from everybody else, and as this pandemic gathers steam, I've even found myself guiltily holding my breath when I've passed someone in the aisles of my local grocery store. For a guy who makes his living meeting up with total strangers, listening to their stories, and sharing those tales with thousands of BDN readers, this has been an odd time, to be sure.

Anglers who head out to fish Maine's ponds, lakes and brooks early in the open-water season have learned that for several weeks, the fishing can be quite slow. The cold water has left the fish sluggish, it seems, and it might take just the right fly or bait to garner any interest from a passing fish.