Eleven pupils in grades 5-8 at Piscataquis Community Elementary School are January Students of the Month. The honorees were presented with certificates in front of their peers and teachers during an assembly in the cafeteria to start the day on Wednesday, Jan. 29.

February is American Heart Month, and as a leading community-based organization dedicated to improving the nation’s health, the Piscataquis Regional YMCA is offering a Fit February Challenge to help families in Piscataquis County be heart healthy. Participants will receive heart healthy tips and be encouraged to complete a variety of fun and healthy activities to receive entries into prize drawings throughout the month.

An incredible summer adventure awaits a group of 10 high school students in northern Maine’s rugged wilderness. Every August Friends of Baxter State Park invites students from across Maine to spend an extraordinary nine days backpacking from one end of the Park to the other, accompanied by experienced wilderness leaders and educators from the Chewonki Foundation.

A new childcare center has opened in Dover Foxcroft, Little Organics Learning Center.

If you drive north of Greenville on the road to Kokadjo you might notice a modest sign on the right hand side with an image of a plane and the words B52 Memorial. It commemorates an event that took place almost 60 years ago on January 23, 1963, when a hulking, 185,000-pound B-52 Stratofortress took off from Westover Air Force Base in Massachusetts as part of an Air Force test of the eight-engine jet’s ability to handle low-level flight. 

Have you heard the news? Foxcroft Academy is an IB World School. Our inaugural first semester is in the rearview mirror and we are on to the second semester filled with challenging learning and new experiences. If you’re interested in learning more and possibly joining the program, there will be an informational meeting for students and parents/guardians about the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program at 6 p.m. n Wednesday, Feb. 5 at Foxcroft Academy in Room 211 (the Washburn Parkman Room).

The public is cordially invited to a concert of classical music performed by The Highlands Classical Chamber Ensemble at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 9 at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Sangerville and Dover-Foxcroft, located on the corner of Church St. and Rt. 23.

On Monday, Jan. 27, Brownville Elementary held a Winter Carnival as part of the last week of activities for the WinterKids Winter Games competition.

It is with deep regret that organizers announce that this year’s Wilderness Sled Dog Race will be canceled, the event had been scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 1.

Sen. Paul Davis, R-Sangerville visited the home of Phyllis and Harlan Spaulding of Dover-Foxcroft and presented him with an Honorable Service Coin and a certificate from the State of Maine.

Eighth-grader Izzy Story earned top honors at the 10th annual SeDoMoCha Middle School District Spelling Bee on the evening of Jan. 23. Story will now go on to represent Piscataquis County at the Maine State Spelling Bee, sponsored by the Portland Press Herald and scheduled for the afternoon of Saturday, March 21 at the University of Southern Maine in Portland.

For more than 20 years -- since I first caught the fly fishing bug and began traveling up to the East Outlet of the Kennebec River every chance I got -- I’ve looked forward to regular visits to downtown Greenville, and to the fly shop that sits just a few long casts from Moosehead Lake.

Dover-Foxcroft native Jesse Havea -- best known among her many fans as the high-energy New York City drag queen Brita Filter -- is among the 13 queens announced for season 12 of “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” set to premiere Feb. 28 on VH1.

U.S. Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine recently spent the day in Piscataquis County to visit small businesses, speaking with folks at the Piscataquis County Economic Development Council, and learning more about the Piscataquis Regional Food Center in Dover-Foxcroft.

Upcoming events around the region.

Famed mythologist and storyteller Joseph Campbell once said, “Your sacred space is where you can find yourself over and over again.” This February make the Thompson Free Library (TFL) in Dover-Foxcroft your special place for learning, connection, information and fun.

A Community Climate Conversation potluck will be at The Commons at Central Hall from 5:30-7:30 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 31.

On Monday, Jan. 21 the United Bikers of Maine, Piscataquis County presented Heather Sylvia, of PAWS in Milo, with a check for $850 at the Bear’s Den in Dover-Foxcroft.