Fiddlehead Focus

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Superintendent Lisa Bernier plays guitar and leads her students and Santa in singing Christmas carols at the Frenchville Community Center on Tuesday, Dec. 11. (Morgan Mitchell)

Superintendent Lisa Bernier plays guitar and leads her students and Santa in singing Christmas carols at the Frenchville Community Center on Tuesday, Dec. 11. (Morgan Mitchell)

Frenchville gets festive with tree lighting and caroling

December 14, 2018

Students from Dr. Levesque Elementary School and other children in the community enjoyed a festive afternoon Tuesday, participating in the town’s annual tree lighting ceremony followed by caroling, hot cocoa and cookies at the Frenchville Community Center.

News Browse News

Snowmobile season gearing up, information for off-trail riders

With early snowfall and colder temperatures, visitors from all over the Northeast are headed for Maine’s 14,500 miles of snow trails.

King honors retiring chairman of Northern Maine Veterans Cemetery

In a statement submitted to the Congressional Record, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) recognized Harry Hafford, the outgoing Chairman of the Northern Maine Veterans Cemetery (NMVC)

Poliquin ends recount bid in Maine’s 2nd District

U.S. Rep. Bruce Poliquin, who lost his ranked-choice voting argument in federal court Thursday, asked state election officials on Friday to end the recount of 2nd Congressional District ballots.

Police charge Madawaska man with OUI following accident in Presque Isle

The Presque Isle Police Department arrested a 22-year-old Madawaska man in Presque Isle early Thursday morning in connection with a single-vehicle crash near the Presque Isle-Caribou city line.

Judge rejects Poliquin’s challenge to ranked-choice voting

A federal judge on Thursday rejected U.S. Rep. Bruce Poliquin’s arguments that ranked-choice voting is unconstitutional and the two-term Republican congressman’s request for a new election.

The State Bureau of Alcoholic Beverages and Lottery Operations will make an app called Age ID available to 150 on-premises licensees.

Maine restaurants, bars and clubs will soon get help verifying IDs, including high quality fakes.

Crown Politics Browse Crown Politics

How lawmakers who don’t belong to a party see their role in Maine’s new Legislature

Good morning from Augusta, where the newly seated Maine House of Representatives includes five people who don’t identify as either Democrat or Republican.

Susan Collins casts deciding vote to repeal IRS donor disclosure rule

WASHINGTON — The Senate voted 50-49 to repeal a rule that shields donors to many nonprofit groups from disclosure to IRS officials.

LePage won’t be a docile lame duck

Good morning from Augusta, where Gov. Paul LePage continues to remind people he’s still in charge.

Susan Collins feels ‘vindication’ after Kavanaugh votes to reject Planned Parenthood case

U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, who cast a deciding vote in favor of confirming Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court, said Monday that she is feeling “vindication” after the new justice’s vote on a case involving funding for Planned Parenthood.

Recount of Maine’s 2nd District ballots could end sooner than projected

Good morning from Augusta, where 16 people are entering their fourth day of hand-counting ballots for the 2nd Congressional District race recount.

How these Democratic leaders hope to fix what they believe LePage broke

House Speaker Sara Gideon, who on Wednesday earned a second term as leader of the Legislature’s lower chamber, said that she and other lawmakers, party affiliation aside, are breathing a sigh of relief to have Gov. Paul LePage “in the rearview mirror.”

County Candids Browse County Candids

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Officials at Lonesome Pine Trails in Fort Kent prepare the Founders Trail for skiing with a bit of artificial snow on Wednesday, Dec. 5. Most of the other trails at the popular ski resort overlooking the community are already good to go after Mother Nature dumped more than a couple of feet of snow on the area in November. Opening day is scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 15, according to manager Mike Voisine, who added, “So far we are off to a great start of the pre-season.” (Mike Voisine)

Officials at Lonesome Pine Trails in Fort Kent prepare the Founders Trail for skiing with a bit of artificial snow on Wednesday, Dec. 5. Most of the other trails at the popular ski resort overlooking the community are already good to go after Mother Nature dumped more than a couple of feet of snow on the area in November. Opening day is scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 15, according to manager Mike Voisine, who added, “So far we are off to a great start of the pre-season.” (Mike Voisine)

Preparing the Founders Trail for skiing

December 7, 2018

Officials at Lonesome Pine Trails in Fort Kent prepare the Founders Trail for skiing with a bit of artificial snow on Wednesday, Dec. 5.

Living Browse Living

St. John Valley Artists hold annual Christmas exhibit

The St. John Valley Artists will hold their 4th annual Christmas Harvest art exhibit Friday evening from 4-8 p.m. at the St. John Valley Chamber of Commerce office.

Frenchville gets festive with tree lighting and caroling

Students from Dr. Levesque Elementary School and other children in the community enjoyed a festive afternoon Tuesday, participating in the town’s annual tree lighting ceremony followed by caroling, hot cocoa and cookies at the Frenchville Community Center.

From Our Files — December 12, 2018

The new skating rink, complete with all facilities, will open Saturday if weather permits, according to Phil Soucy a member of the town council

Digital Crossword Puzzle — December 12, 2018

Digital crossword for December 12, 2018.

Weekly digital jigsaw — Lonesome Pine Trails

Officials at Lonesome Pine Trails in Fort Kent prepare the Founders Trail for skiing with a bit of artificial snow on Wednesday, Dec. 5

County Faces: Andrea Gregg of Mapleton

When Andrea Gregg was growing up in the small rural town of Brownsville in the Katahdin region of Maine

Poll Browse Poll

Should schools require cursive writing?

Click here to vote!

Opinion Browse Opinion

Welcome to the 30-inch club

In the 80 years they’ve been keeping records at Caribou, this snow season is now one of only three years in which 30 or more inches of snow had fallen by the end of November

Let Mueller finish his investigation

I got tired of listening to Republican whining about the Mueller investigation.

Keep pet cats inside and beware when using poison

Bibbit came to the PAWS Animal Welfare Society shelter in Fort Kent in September. She was a petite black cat who recently had had kittens. We tried to find the kittens, but could not.

Republicans also asserted fraud in 1858 County election

In February 1858, Democrat Major William Dickey of Fort Kent led an effort to separate the Madawaska territory from Aroostook County, hoping to create there a new county to be named Madawaska County. The plan did not carry in the Republican Legislature.

Border Outpost: College bound

The shop is cold in spite of a surging fire in the woodstove. The stove is too small for the building’s size; a miscalculation on my part.

Border Outpost: Proverbs

There’s a proverb, probably Chinese, probably by Sun Tzu, about a peasant standing for a long time on the mountaintop before a roast duck flies into his mouth.

Sports Browse Sports

Warrior girls prevail, boys fall in season openers

The Fort Kent Community High School Warrior girls varsity basketball team edged out Caribou 42-41 during the Warriors’ first home game of the season on Tuesday, Dec. 11.

UMFK women, UMPI men prevail in matchup of County’s college teams

The two Aroostook County universities with basketball programs met for a doubleheader Wednesday at the University of Maine at Fort Kent, with the lady Bengals pulling away for a convincing 108-42 victory and the UM-Presque Isle men collecting an 80-70 victory.

Maine deer harvest tops 32,000, highest since 2002

Maine’s deer hunters packed a lot of venison in their freezers this year, as the deer harvest reached its highest level since 2002.

Fort Kent Athletic Event Schedule, Dec. 11-15

The following sports are scheduled from Tuesday, Dec. 11, to Saturday, Dec. 15.

Fort Kent sophomore headed to premier soccer academy in Arizona

A local teen has been accepted to a full-time residential soccer academy known for graduating professional soccer players.

Blizzard signs Jean-Maxime Bond

The Edmundston Blizzard made another move by acquiring 18-year-old free agent player Jean-Maxime Bond.

Business Browse Business

Spectrum closing its Madawaska office

Town Manager Gary Picard received notice in an email Dec. 7 that Spectrum -- the cable television, internet and phone service company -- will be closing its office at 381 Main Street on Jan. 18.

Wildcats provide the assist when Warrior bus breaks down

Although Fort Kent and Presque Isle athletes are rivals on the soccer field and basketball court, it was SAD 1 transportation officials who stepped in and assisted several dozen Valley Rivers Middle School students when their bus broke down

Agency on Aging names Henderson new Medicare Education Coordinator

The Aroostook Agency on Aging is proud to announce that Tara Henderson is the new Medicare Education Coordinator.

Optometrist hires Bouchard

Timothy Rioux, OD PA, welcomes the addition of Penny Bouchard to our staff.

New boutique donates prom dress to Fort Kent girl

Sophie Saunders said she is not sure if she will have a date for her senior prom, but she will feel beautiful either way now that she has a new prom dress.

Call for submissions of essays and artworks on inclusion

The Maine Developmental Disabilities Council has recently put out a call for submissions for its 2019 Inclusion Awards