Fiddlehead Focus

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A new Valley Unified Regional Schools bus, bought with federal funds, is decorated with photos of the St. John Valley donated by Aroostook County photographer Paul Cyr. The bus will be used to transport students from three local school districts on field trips. Jessica Potila|Fiddlehead Focus

A new Valley Unified Regional Schools bus, bought with federal funds, is decorated with photos of the St. John Valley donated by Aroostook County photographer Paul Cyr. The bus will be used to transport students from three local school districts on field trips. Jessica Potila|Fiddlehead Focus

Valley Unified students have new travel bus that also promotes area

November 13, 2018

Students in three Valley school districts now have access to a new 2018 BlueBird transit bus for school related field trips thanks to the efforts of the Valley Unified Regional Service Center which successfully acquired federal grant money to buy the bus.

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Closures & Cancellations

Closures, delays and cancellations from around The Valley. Please check back regularly for updates.

Police chiefs nominate Gillen for Elks award

Annually the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks seeks nominations for the Enrique S. Camarena Award

Van Buren Police Department hosts federal agent to discuss scams with residents

Close to 30 area residents turned out to hear a presentation on Nov. 8 at the Van Buren Community Center about the different kind of scams circulating, and how to handle them.

Poliquin sues Dunlap to stop ranked-choice count in Maine’s 2nd District

U.S. Rep. Bruce Poliquin and three supporters sued Maine’s secretary of state on Tuesday to stop an ongoing ranked-choice ballot count and declare him the winner in his re-election race against Assistant Maine House Majority Leader Jared Golden.

Parts of Aroostook could see half foot or more of snow

Residents of northern Maine could see a half foot or more of snow by early Wednesday morning, according to the National Weather Service.

Veterans, supporters gather at UMFK to mark 100th anniversary of end of World War I

A large crowd gathered at the University of Maine at Fort Kent Old Model School Building on Sunday, Nov. 11, to mark Veterans Day and the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I.

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What happens next as Maine’s 2nd District race heads to a new round of ranked-choice voting

Good morning from Augusta. Maine is entering a milestone in its first-in-the-nation experiment with ranked-choice voting, which will apply to the race between U.S. Rep. Bruce Poliquin and Assistant House Majority Leader Jared Golden in the 2nd Congressional District.

LePage says he’s ‘going to retire and go to Florida’ when he leaves office

Maine Republican Gov. Paul LePage says he plans to become a resident of Florida after his final term expires at the end of the year.

How the candidates in Maine’s biggest races are courting voters as Election Day looms

The contest in Maine’s 2nd Congressional District is one of the key battleground races in the country and on the overcast Friday afternoon before Election Day, the battleground was the parking lot of a paper mill as workers changed shifts.

Mills, Moody and Hayes spar over ads, integrity in final debate

In the last debate of the 2018 Maine gubernatorial race, Democrat Janet Mills looked to sow doubt among women about Republican Shawn Moody

Everything you need to know about voting in Maine on Election Day

If you haven’t been following this election cycle’s caravan of candidates or still don’t quite know what is being asked in the state’s four bond questions

Maine governor’s race takes a nasty turn ahead of the final debate

Good morning from Augusta. Maine’s gubernatorial candidates will share a debate stage for the final time on Thursday evening in a race marked so far by mostly amiable in-person meetings — which may change tonight after the race took a negative turn on Wednesday.

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Spooky, spooky

November 1, 2018

A bare-branched tree appeared appropriately creepy on Halloween in Fort Kent.

Living Browse Living

Knights of Columbus lotto winner — Oct. 29-Nov. 4, 2018

The Fort Kent Knights of Columbus have announced the winner of their ongoing lotto fundraiser for the week of Oct. 29-Nov. 4, 2018.

PAWS Pet of the Week — Schwarz

PAWS Animal Welfare Shelter presents Schwarz as the Pet of the Week in hopes that this adorable cat will find his forever home.

Hodgdon man recalls time as WWII POW

Floyd W. Smith of Hodgdon is part of a declining population of American heroes who have served in the military.

Mom, pharmacist say getting flu shot can help save others

Sheri Albert, who struggles each year to protect her young daughter Kearston from influenza, urges everyone to get a flu shot.

United Veterans of Maine shelter now housing five

Two years ago, United Veterans of Maine President John DeVeau had a concept for a homeless shelter for veterans, where they could not only find a home, but their work on-site could help sustain the program while giving residents a sense of purpose.

County Face: David L. Stevens of Ludlow

A love of the great outdoors drew David L. Stevens to northern Maine, but it is the kindness of the people who call Aroostook County home that has kept him here.

Opinion Browse Opinion

Snowy or wet? (Should I fret?)

Daylight snow can have a tough time accumulating on roads at this time of year. When it does snow in mid-November, temperatures are often pretty close to the freezing mark of 32.

Honoring Maine’s Veterans

On this Veterans Day, it is my privilege to recognize and thank all of the men and women who have served in our armed forces for their commitment to our country.

A time to recognize all who served

Voici ceux du Maine que j’ai trouvé sur le Vietnam Wall avec des noms français

Deciphering old handwriting mysteries

When it comes to interpreting old handwriting most genealogists agree it’s a difficult task.

Time to boot out career Valley politician

As young adults in the St. John Valley, when we turned 18 and it was time to register to vote

The town that outlawed science – a fable

To the editor: There once was a small town by the name of Insanity, in the great state of Ignorance. The citizens, most of them descendants of immigrants from a small country in Europe 150 years past, were mostly of white Caucasian race.

Sports Browse Sports

3 County soccer players earn USCAA honors

Two local women, both freshmen, have earned All-American status for their play on the soccer field this past season, while a third, also a freshman, garnered honorable mention.

Road race planned in Caribou Nov. 24

The annual Caribou Turkey Trot 5K Road Race will begin at 10 a.m. at Caribou High School on Saturday, Nov. 24.

Local soccer players make regional all-star teams

The Maine Soccer Coaches’ regional all-star teams have been announced, with several players from Aroostook making it on either the Class B, C or D North squad.

UMPI Owl women to begin play in new conference

The University of Maine at Presque Isle women's basketball team enters its first season in the North Atlantic Conference with optimism about making significant improvements from a year ago.

FKOC will welcome winter with interactive murder mystery

The annual Welcome Winter Celebration at the Fort Kent Outdoor Center will include a unique interactive party game this year for those interested in solving a mystery while enjoying food, drinks and fun.

Local wrestling group to wrangle money for fire department

Aroostook Wrestling Excellence is going to bring Franco Varga and hall of fame professional wrestler Redemption to the Van Buren Community Center Nov. 10 to raise money for the Van Buren Fire Department.

Business Browse Business

Maine home-care costs rose faster in past year than national average

A couple days after Maine voters rejected a tax increase to fund universal home care, a new study found that long-term care costs in the state rose during the past year, with the cost of both homemaker and home health aide services showing the highest increases.

Madawaska Historical Museum gathering

Over 30 people gathered at the Madawaska Historical Museum in Edmundston on Thursday, Nov. 1

Bank names new marketing officer

Katahdin Trust is recently announced the promotion of Sam Clockedile to marketing officer.

Lowe’s stores in Maine escape 51 closures in US, Canada

Maine’s 11 Lowe’s stores, including those in Presque Isle and the Bangor area, will remain open as the home improvement retail chain said Monday it will shut 20 underperforming U.S. stores and another 31 in Canada.

Telethon aims to keep local folks warm this winter

The United Way of Aroostook, WAGM-TV and Aroostook County Action Program will unite on Thursday, Nov. 15, to raise funds for emergency heating assistance during the Heating Homes for Helping Hands Telethon.

Audit finds diocese in full compliance with youth safety

An independent, on-site audit of safe environment procedures has found the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland, which includes all 141 churches in Maine, in full compliance with the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People.