For the second year in a row, the St. John Valley Chamber of Commerce & Tourism board of directors canceled the annual Top O’ Maine Trade Show due to COVID-19 safety restrictions.

It’s a scene Catholic Charities Director of Hunger and Relief Services Dixie Shaw has seen dozens of times now: cars lining up at 6 a.m., law enforcement called in for traffic control, hundreds, even thousands, of people waiting -- some for hours -- for a 30-pound box of free food.

Catholic Charities of Maine will host a food distribution drive at the Multi Purpose Center in Madawaska on Wednesday morning, March 3. The organization, which has been hosting distribution drives like this across the county for months, will bring 1,000 boxes of grocery staples, each weighing 30 pounds.

In a varsity basketball showdown at Madawaska High School, the Fort Kent boys came out on top, 72-55, leaving the home team trailing on their senior night.

Ridgewood Estates, an assisted living facility in Madawaska, crowned a new king and queen last week at their Valentine's Day pageant. Laura Morrow of Grand Isle and Daniel Madore of Van Buren reigned supreme in a resident vote for Ridgewood’s new honorary rulers.

In a week that would usually host the high school cross country state championships -- this year they were called off due to COVID-19 -- Aroostook County ski racers met on Feb. 18 for a regular season race at the Four Seasons Trail Association in Madawaska.

Former Madawaska police chief Norman Chasse was a towering figure in his community, in every sense of the word. Chasse spent more than 30 years serving the town, first in public works, then as a police officer, and ultimately as the police chief. Chasse died in the early hours of Feb. 18 due to complications following a stroke he had in December 2020. He was 92.

On his 75th, George Morneault received more birthday wishes than ever before. Madawaska Snowmobile Club, where Morneault works as the Trail Master, posted an announcement about his special day on Tuesday, Feb. 16, on its Facebook page.