Chocolate chip, blueberry, or plain buttermilk — which of these emerged as the most popular pancake at Wiscasset Winterfest's breakfast Jan. 31 to benefit Cooper-DiPerri Scholarship Fund?

"Blueberry," by far, said Steve Thomas. He had pancake duty as he and fellow masons of Lincoln Lodge #3 in Wiscasset helped with the breakfast at Wiscasset Community Center. Afterward, visiting a bake sale in the lobby, Thomas said chocolate chip was second and buttermilk had the fewest takers. Which kind did he have?

Education has moved beyond simple report cards into a complex system where data-driven assessments shape student support. Jan. 13, the Community School District (CSD) School Committee examined how staff use some of this data to understand each student's performance and needs. 

Wiscasset Community Center announces the return of Winterfest 2026, running from Jan. 24 to Feb. 1. This annual tradition brings the community together for indoor and outdoor fun while raising support for the Cooper DiPerri Scholarship Fund. A week-long silent auction and raffles start Jan. 24, with a weekend of events kicking off on Jan. 30.

Jan. 24 at 1 p.m. through Feb. 1 at 3 p.m.: Silent Auction and raffles, Wiscasset Community Center front lobby. Winners will be notified Feb. 1.

Are Wiscasset Middle High School students feeling safe at school? Results on that varied in two surveys and over time. And Principal Sarah Hubert suggested, to some students, "feeling safe" might mean people speaking nicely and, to others, it might mean physical safety. 

Hubert shared numbers with the school committee Jan. 14 from the Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) school climate survey and the Maine Integrated Youth Health Survey (MIYHS).

Interested in advocating for the best interests of a child? The Maine Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) program is holding its summer training for volunteer advocates from March 9 through March 13.  

Brynna Nelson, from Edgecomb, a member of the class of 2027 majoring in biomedical engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), was a member of a student team that recently completed a professional-level research-driven project titled "Assessment of DPI and Stakeholder Willingness to Pay."

Angela Lathem-Ballard, of the Center for Teaching and Learning in Edgecomb, has been nominated for the Maine Council for English Language Arts’ Teacher of Excellence award. The award is given annually to English language arts teachers who have taught for at least three years in public, independent, or private schools in Maine. 

MaineHousing is excited to present the 2026 edition of Maine’s Housing Outlook Report.

In its second annual release, this comprehensive report offers an in-depth overview of housing conditions and key issues affecting Maine residents.

Drawing on up-to-date data from state and national sources, the report explores the dynamics of housing production, homeownership, affordability, and homelessness, while situating Maine’s housing market within the broader economic landscape, including current trends in inflation and unemployment.

When Wiscasset Middle High School science teacher Shari Templeton returned to school Jan. 5, she was in a fragile state. She’d had a personal loss just before vacation, Templeton explained to the school committee hours after that first day back. 

This winter’s Noontime Series programs feature a trio of CSC members whose governmental careers total nearly a century of service. The first program, “What Determined President Carter’s Foreign Policy Decisions?”, led by Bob Rackmales, will be held at noon on Monday, Jan. 26, at St. Thomas’ Episcopal Church in Camden.

While the emphasis of this presentation will be on process, Rackmales will briefly discuss some of the long-term implications of Carter’s policy choices with regard to China, Russia, the Middle East and the issue of human rights.

Boothbay-Wiscasset Regional Adult Education (BWRAE) is one of 12 programs recently recognized as a Top Performer by the state of Maine, out of 64 eligible programs.  

Midcoast Senior College (MSC) is pleased to announce its Spring Term I 2026 lineup of engaging, non-credit courses for adult learners. Running from Feb. 2 through March 30, the term features a wide range of in-person and online classes in the humanities, sciences, social issues, arts, and contemporary topics. Registration opens Jan. 12.

Meghan Keizer, BSN, RN, who works on the Medical-Surgical Unit at MaineHealth Lincoln Hospital and lives in Tenants Harbor, recently received the DAISY Award® for her outstanding nursing care and dedication. 

The Center for Teaching and Learning in Edgecomb is proud to announce that Corbin Lichtinger, teacher of first and second grades, is receiving recognition as an artist and storyteller. His Alligators Anthology has been purchased by Holiday House/Neal Porter Books and will be published in the fall of 2027. 

Most of the 11 courses offered in the Coastal Senior College Winter Term will begin during the week of Jan. 13. One class, “Piero Della Francesca: Painter, Mathematician, Philosopher, A True Renaissance Man,” will begin later than most of the CSC Winter Term Courses, meeting from Feb. 4 -18. This course will be presented in a unique format, three one-hour long slide lectures followed by questions and discussion, meeting in person at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Newcastle.

"Wintersong: A Midcoast Gathering of Voices" will take place Tuesday, Jan. 13 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. in Porter Hall at Skidompha Library, Main St., Damariscotta with a snow date of Tuesday, Jan. 20. The event is free and open to the public. Please enter via the Elm Street side (rear entrance) of the library, as the event will be held after regular hours.

When her teenagers received their first computers in high school, Cindy Moeller joined them evenings and helped navigate homework assignments on the new devices. Later, working as a critical care nurse, she routinely carried a computer and entered codes and notes while working as a liaison between surgeons, hospital medical staff and patients before surgeries. 

 Then the kids grew up and left home, she retired, and she and husband Allan often struggled with newer technology. “We were left floundering,” she says. “Things are changing all the time.”