Brad Wight’s game cooler in Newry fills important role in disappearing niche
From hunters to highway kills, one western Maine man keeps game from going to waste.
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‘MaineFamous’ podcast spotlights Bethel businesses
Carter’s Cross-Country, A Longer Table, and The Elizabeth owners discuss growth, collaboration and year-round tourism in recent episodes.
New baby loons, Telstar wins and saying bye to a local logging legacy capped a busy 2025
The months of July through December are documented in words and photographs from the pages of The Bethel Citizen.
As skijoring grows in Maine, locals say it’s all about the partnership
From dog-powered trail runs to horse-drawn fairground races, skijoring is taking shape in western and central Maine as a winter sport built on preparation, shared access and control on snow.
West Paris crash sends man to hospital with life-threatening injuries
Alcohol is likely factor in the crash reported on Bethel Road at about 6:30 a.m. Friday, the Oxford County Sheriff’s Office said.
Snow-laden western Maine
Recent snowstorms created beautiful vistas in the Bethel area.
Titles of banned books get prime spot out front of Andover library
Librarians at Andover Public Library have displayed book titles and their authors that often appear on ‘banned’ lists.
Greenwood’s schoolhouse history comes to life in archived town reports
Town reports from 1887 to the present, archived Greenwood town website, show how the schools still battled attendance, teacher retention and building maintenance long before School Administrative District 44.
Greenwood reinstates code enforcement officer
Anne Kwoka earned new state certifications.
Police services, new Woodstock manager and winning Telstar teams among top Bethel-area news in 2025
Here are some of the news and events we reported on in the first half of the year.
Bethel barn wrapped in winter white
An East Bethel Road barn sits on a snowy landscape
For East-West sports teams, travel, adventure are part of the experience
Teams in the Class D South/East-West division, including Bethel, find ways of helping each other, especially when games take them hours from home.
Heading up to Maine’s western mountains? Fuel up at these on-the-way coffee shops
Hitting the trails or slopes in the Bethel area this winter? This guide will lead you to coffee, cappuccino, tea, hot cocoa and more along the way.
Roadside social justice message sent in West Paris
Roadside activism was alive outside one home earlier this month.
A 2007 storm destroyed Bethel’s brook-fed water source, leading to today’s costlier wells
The powerful microburst storm permanently shut down Bethel’s gravity-fed system. The town’s water users now rely on five drilled wells to supply their drinking water. The upgrade came with higher…
Woodworker brings Santa-worthy act of kindness to children in West Paris
Bruce Davison crafted 37 wooden trucks to give to local children, vowing that no child should be without something ‘to imagine with.’
Hundreds of skiing Santas hit the slopes at Sunday River
Over 300 skiers and riders dressed as Santa filled the slopes on South Ridge raising $10,000 for the Boyne Forever Foundation and The River Fund for the 25th annual Santa…
Telstar Boosters Club looks to boost more than concessions
Telstar Boosters Club takes on construction, fundraising and fan engagement while continuing to pursue more volunteers.
Black Mountain of Maine gets ready to open season
The Rumford ski area has hired a new snow sports school director and made improvements throughout the facility.
Telstar schools have fewer economically disadvantaged students, district says
Still, more than half of SAD 44 students qualify as disadvantaged, entitling the school district to Title I services and certain grants.
Absenteeism is down in Bethel area schools but still a challenge for district
Chronically absent students dipped below 20% as of Dec. 3, Superintendent Mark Kenney said.
Deer hunting coming to a close in western Maine
Hunted deer were hung last week, waiting to be processed in a yard on Intervale Road in Bethel.
At Bethel’s airport, regional pilots fly in but few pay out
Pilots registered to area towns benefit from using the airport, but local taxpayers are left footing the bill for operations while no other communities contribute to its upkeep.
Toys, volunteers, holiday magic fill West Paris church
Marybeth Ray and Lorie O’Neil organized the West Paris Free Christmas Shop to be held Dec. 13.
Watch: Santa arrives on a fire truck in West Paris
Area children listened to after school Explorer’s Program Director Eileen Storck read stories then saw Santa light the Christmas tree at Town Office.
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