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Honor Essayist Alec Ayotte (standing) is recognized during Van Buren District Secondary School graduation on June 2, 2023. Also pictured are seniors, from left, back row: Aidan Soucy, Mikail Deschaine, Colby Morrow and Aidan Stanco. Front row: Elyssa Violette, Noah Dorr, Avery Ouellette, Sherry Dionne and Saige Michaud. Not pictured are Noah Martin, Braydin McClary and Damion Willis. (Courtesy of Van Buren District Secondary School)

Honor Essayist Alec Ayotte (standing) is recognized during Van Buren District Secondary School graduation on June 2, 2023. Also pictured are seniors, from left, back row: Aidan Soucy, Mikail Deschaine, Colby Morrow and Aidan Stanco. Front row: Elyssa Violette, Noah Dorr, Avery Ouellette, Sherry Dionne and Saige Michaud. Not pictured are Noah Martin, Braydin McClary and Damion Willis. (Courtesy of Van Buren District Secondary School)

Van Buren District Secondary School graduates 13

The 13 members of Van Buren District Secondary School’s senior class celebrated their graduation on Friday evening.

News Browse News

Van Buren slates elections and annual meeting

Van Buren residents will go to the polls on Tuesday, June 13, in preparation for the annual town meeting on Wednesday.

International film featuring French-speaking Mainers to premiere at ploye festival

St. John Valley residents take center stage in "La Frontiere," which premieres at the 23rd annual Ploye Festival on Saturday.

St. John Valley weather for June 7-13, 2023

Rain Thursday morning tapers to showers Thursday afternoon with a high in the middle 50s, northeast winds, and rainfall amounts in the tenth- to quarter-inch range.

Group promotes art of quilting in northern Maine

Quilting is about more than making blankets, it’s an artform, according to members of a Fort Kent quilters guild hoping to help preserve the craft in northern Maine.

Madawaska woman honors her Native American ancestry

Gwen Nancy Deschaine uncovered a family secret when researching her ancestry.

International bridge in Madawaska will close for inspection

The bridge linking to Edmundston will be closed to traffic from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. starting Monday.

Police/Crime/Courts Browse Police/Crime/Courts

Adam Bouchard named 2022 Aroostook County Deputy of the Year

A sheriff’s deputy with a reputation for excellence and a passion to serve others has been named 2022 Deputy of the Year by the Aroostook County Sheriff’s Office.

Fort Kent Criminal Docket, January 2023

The following cases were heard under the Aroostook Criminal Docket at the Caribou Courthouse in January.

Connecticut man arrested on drug trafficking charge in Van Buren

A community member’s report of a man with a Connecticut license plate she perceived to be behaving erratically led to an arrest for drug trafficking.

Sheriff lauds life-saving efforts by ACSO staff

Two Aroostook County Sheriff’s Office employees went above and beyond in their heroic efforts to help individuals who were in mental health crises, said Aroostook County Sheriff Shawn Gillen.

22-year veteran officer is Madawaska’s interim police chief

Madawaska is on the hunt for a new police chief after Ross DuBois retired April 8, but in the meantime a 22-year veteran of the department is keeping the watch.

Maine State Police Troop F Report, April 3-9, 2023

The Maine State Police Troop F barracks in Houlton responded to a number of calls for service during the period of April 3-9, 2023, including the following.

Sports Browse Sports

Fort Kent Girls Tennis bound for finals

For the first time in more than 30 years, Fort Kent’s girls tennis team is in the northern Maine finals.

UMFK Athletics to host co-ed soccer tournament

The University of Maine at Fort Athletics will host a youth coed 7v7 soccer tournament on Saturday, June 24 on the UMFK’s Michael Simon Field.

Upcoming UMFK Bengal co-ed soccer camps

The University of Maine at Fort Kent Athletic Department will offer two action-packed Bengal co-ed soccer camps, with the first one held from Tuesday, June 27 to Friday, June 30 and on Monday, July 24 to Thursday, July 27 at the UMFK Michael Simon soccer field. Registration is open to all students entering pre-K through grade 12.

Aroostook River fishing is prime now

Aroostook County abounds with lakes, ponds, brooks and streams, but its namesake river is an angler’s paradise for a few weeks each spring.

Special Olympics Games return to Presque Isle after 4 years

After four years of a pandemic lockdown and a cancellation due to bad weather, the Special Olympics surged back Friday with a large turnout of athletes, volunteers and supporters.

Fort Kent girls best Madawaska at the net

Fort Kent girls tennis hosted Madawaska on May 9 and registered a win of 5-0.

Opinion Browse Opinion

A story with a smile

To the editor: Of all the challenges I have faced in life none have given me more problems than trying to understand the female mind. My most recent puzzlement was my other half’s logic on not letting me have the face plate for the radio in my car. The face plate on some radios is a front plate of the radio that can be removed to make the radio useless, thus not worth stealing.

No more pickles

If you’re not planning on writing a book about your ancestors, is it still necessary to note your sources? The short answer is a resounding yes! I’ve written about this before, but it’s important. If you’re a newbie to genealogy you may neglect noting where you found information, assuming you’ll never need to or that you’ll remember. Trust me, you won’t remember, and you will eventually need to.

Valley Girls comic – Week of May 10, 2023

Uh-oh, they're here.

Let’s be better neighbors

To the editor: In a letter published on March 27, frequent contributor and ruminator, Lou Ouellette, referenced a previous story about an elderly gentleman who had murdered a neighbor’s beloved family dog.

A master of spin

To the editor: I think Joe Biden is the worst president our country has seen in modern times. I also believe in being fair. With that in mind, I set out on a quest to see if I could find something positive amid his many failures. It took less time than I thought to come up with something.

We aren’t defined by bumps in the road

The morning was that milky gray, with random droplets of rain falling clumsily to the earth like heavy particles of mislaid and forgotten glitter. I put my wipers on intermittently, automatically lowering or raising my head in conjunction with the landing of the raindrop.

Living Browse Living

St. John Valley weather for June 7-13, 2023

Rain Thursday morning tapers to showers Thursday afternoon with a high in the middle 50s, northeast winds, and rainfall amounts in the tenth- to quarter-inch range.

K of C lotto winner, May 22-28, 2023

The Fort Kent Knights of Columbus have announced the winner of their ongoing lotto fundraiser for the previous week.

PAWS Pet of the Week – Mignonne

Mignonne just wants her own home where she can be adored and cuddled.

Fiddlehead Focus Crossword Puzzle for June 7, 2023

You can complete this crossword puzzle online. Just click on the box you want to fill in and begin typing the word you think is the answer to the clue.

Acadian Archives to host Route 1 book talk

The Acadian Archives/Archives acadiennes at the University of Maine at Fort Kent will host a book talk on “Along Route 1: Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts” by accomplished writer Susan M. Bregman on Thursday, July 13 at 6 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

Group promotes art of quilting in northern Maine

Quilting is about more than making blankets, it’s an artform, according to members of a Fort Kent quilters guild hoping to help preserve the craft in northern Maine.

Business Browse Business

Katahdin Trust’s Gove receives CompTIA Cybersecurity Analyst Certification

Katahdin Trust Company is pleased to announce that Casey Gove, data security administrator, has received his CompTIA Cybersecurity Analyst Certification.

Workforce coordinator will build bridges for ‘new Mainers’

Victoire Liwanga recently became workforce development coordinator for New Mainers at Northern Maine Community College.

Frenchville gets state grant

Frenchville officials have announced the town has been awarded a safety grant by the Maine Municipal Association Workers Compensation Fund in the amount of $1,852.

United Ag & Turf, NE expands locations to Aroostook County

United Ag & Turf, NE, which operates John Deere dealerships throughout New England and eastern New York, has added John Deere agriculture and turf products to their current United Construction & Forestry locations in Houlton and New Canada.

Top O’ Maine Trade Show brings in more than 2,200 visitors

The Top O’ Maine Trade Show lived up to its reputation over the weekend as the biggest trade show north of Bangor when more than 2,200 people and 82 vendors participated

Local business to mark Independent Bookstores Day Saturday

Bogan Books will participate in the 10th anniversary of Independent Bookstore Day from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, April 29.

County Candids Browse County Candids

Trees in transition

FORT KENT, Maine — Summer is fast becoming a memory as the trees along the Riverside South Trail in Fort Kent are quickly losing their leaves.

Wind damage

The iconic sign at the Gateway Motel toppled over due to Thursday’s high winds.

Prepare your pumpkins

Prepare your pumpkins

Aftereffects of wind

Aftereffects of wind