Lewiston High School seniors Gemma Landry, left, and Abby Svor play ice hockey Friday on “The Puddle” at Bates College in Lewiston. Landry plays hockey for the Blue Devils, but the team is unable to practice and play games because of COVID-19 restrictions. Svor and her twin sister, Julia, play for the Lewiston High School tennis team. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal Buy this Photo

John Michael, center, speaks privately with Brian Ames during a conversation about the mask mandate at an Androscoggin County Commissioners meeting in Auburn on Sunday. Sally Christner is on the right. Several commissioners were not wearing face coverings during the meeting. Andree Kehn/Sun Journal Buy this Photo

Monmouth Academy’s Manny Calder looks to the basket while being guarded by Hall-Dale’s Max Byron during Thursday night’s basketball game in Monmouth. Andree Kehn/Sun Journal Buy this Photo

Branden Murray of Sabattus heads onto Lower Range Pond in Poland to ice fish on January 22, 201. He first checked Thompson Lake, which lies partially in Poland, and found dangerously thin ice, he said. Lower Range had 5 to 6 inches of ice over most of the relatively shallow pond. Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal Buy this Photo

Allie Short enjoys an afternoon of ice fishing Wednesday with her boyfriend, Trent Newon, left, and her brother, Ian, in Norway. The three were uncertain how safe the ice was when they arrived, but were pleased to learn it was more than 5 inches thick in the small cove on Lake Pennesseewassee. Andree Kehn/Sun Journal Buy this Photo

Ella Trefethen of Maranacook skis to the finish line Tuesday after clearing the last gate during a high school slalom meet at Lost Valley in Auburn. Trefethen raced to a fifth-place finish out of 20 girls. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal Buy this Photo

Bob Carrier of Lewiston rides his bike on the beach Friday at Range Pond State Park in Poland. “I ride here most every day,” he said. “Before the recent rains, the trails here and across the street were a 10 out of 10, but now they are a little rough. I’ve got studs on my bike, but I’m not ready yet to go out on the pond.” Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal Buy this Photo

Leo Vincent plays ice hockey Tuesday with his grandson, Elliot Vincent, 8, on the ice rink he built in the front yard of his Auburn home. “I built it with the help of my grandsons and my two sons,” said the grandfather of five. Elliott Vincent, a second-grader at Fairview Elementary School, would usually be playing on a basketball court this time of year, but because the COVID-19 pandemic canceled his basketball season he spends a lot of time playing hockey with family and neighbors. Leo Vincent said he started the ice rink project at the beginning of December because he knew his grandchildren needed something to do over the winter with remote learning and canceled sports schedules. Backyard rinks are popular this winter. Leo Vincent said he knows of at least five in the area he lives in. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal Buy this Photo

People ice fish, skate and relax in the warm sun Friday morning on Middle Range Pond in Poland. While there was some open water, most parts of the pond had 5 to 6 inches of ice, unlike many of the larger bodies of water in the area that are not yet frozen over. Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal Buy this Photo

A flock of Barrow’s goldeneye and common goldeneye ducks circles Monday morning above the Androscoggin River, between Lewiston and Auburn. Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal Buy this Photo

Bus driver Rycc Smith welcomes Montello Elementary School students Wednesday as they return after nearly a month due to a COVID-19 outbreak. Smith, who has been driving a school bus for 40 years, said students have been cooperative about wearing masks and maintaining safe distances from one another. Principal Jim Cliffe says most students at Montello Elementary say they are glad to be back at school. Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal Buy this Photo

Julianna Mozzer gets ready to sail her iceboat Monday on Sabattus Pond in Sabattus. Mozzer and four of her Northeastern University classmates made the 2 1/2 hour drive from Boston to Sabattus after reading how good the ice was. “Ice boating is a bit of a circus,” said Mozzer’s classmate Jack Denker. “Wherever there is good ice everyone goes,” added Denker. The parking lot at Martin’s Point was full of boat trailers and cars with iceboats on top Monday. The wind was ideal as well for sailing. Denker recorded speeds of over 45 mph. “Thats like crazy speed,” smiled Denker. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal Buy this Photo

Todd Gustaitis of Otisfield looks for traffic Thursday as his dog sled team crosses Station Road in Hebron. Gustaitis, a musher for Ultimate Dog Sledding out of Oxford, had just finished a 12-mile run for three passengers from Connecticut. Sled dog musher Matthew Black said the dogs pulled the made-in-Maine sled along the Interconnected Trail System (ITS) 89. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal Buy this Photo


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