The public is invited to join the Natural Resource Education Center (NREC) and Maine’s favorite NASCAR driver/analyst Ricky Craven for a “Wild and Tame Dinner.” Come on over to the Bartley’s Event Center on Pritham Avenue from 4-7 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 27.

Last July, I wrote a column that implored you to ignore fundraising reports and polls in the gubernatorial contest. Today is your first test to see whether you listened or not.

Some Republicans, it appears, suffer from situational hearing impairment. Present in a room, listening to an audio tape, reacting to a reporter’s questions, members of the Republican Party aren’t able to hear clearly -- at least if they’re to be believed.

Game wardens are urging anyone accessing Maine’s lake and ponds to exercise extreme caution. Following the Jan. 17 rescue of three people from Long Pond in Southwest Harbor, at least nine more people reported breaking through thin ice on snowmobiles in a 24-hour period.

Obesity is a problem in our nation, and it’s a problem in Maine. But the USDA refuses to prohibit the purchase of soda and candy with food stamps.

Before either taking or publishing photographs or movies of them, should we show our children the same courtesy we show Maine prisoners? Should we give our children the right to say, “No"?

Matthew Gagnon’s parents should be lauded for teaching him “not to label people, and to reject attempts at categoriz(ing) human beings.” Unfortunately, labeling and categorizing are endemic to our society.

If you notice an abundance of pickup trucks hauling snowmobile trailers during the winter in the town of Newport, that’s because it’s a key location to hop onto miles upon miles of well-maintained snowmobile trails.

HOULTON — Joseph Cyr of the Houlton Pioneer Times, a contributor to the Piscataquis Observer over the years, has been selected as the Maine winner of the National Sports Media Association Sportswriter of the Year award.

One notable ice fishing event is the Moosehead Lake Togue Derby scheduled this year for Jan. 26-28 in Greenville. This derby has been around for a number of years and began really as a fisheries management tool, a way to cut down on the Moosehead Lake togue population and, in so doing, helping preserve the forage base for landlocked salmon survival.