Chevy, owned by the Thompson/Lovejoy family of West Bethel, was photographed in January. (Rose Lincoln/Staff Writer)
BETHEL
Valentine Farm, 162 North Road, welcomes leashed dogs to its 150 acres owned by Mahoosuc Land Trust. The mostly flat property features three looped trails laid out like a three-leaf clover. Two are wooded, while the third winds through a grassy field to the Androscoggin River and back. Visitors are reminded: “No poop on the loop.”
Mt. Will trail on Route 2, about 10 minutes from Bethel village, is a moderate three-mile looped hike. A warning for old or arthritic dogs: the trail can be a little tricky and sometimes icy, especially near the summit, where there is a great view of the Androscoggin River.
Bring your pup along the snow-covered trails at Carter’s X-country, 786 Intervale Road, Bethel. Cost is $15 for a doggie day pass. (Leave the dog in the car if you plan to use the center’s new sauna after your workout).
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After your outing, refuel at one of two area dog-friendly eateries. At Gemini Cafe & Bakery, 96 Main St., Bethel, leashed dogs are welcome on their outdoor patio. As the weather warms, Steam Mill Brewery, 96 Sunday River Road, Bethel, opens its outdoor seating area to four-legged guests as well.
Cameron Gross’ dogs Gus and Chelsea, of Hanover, chase Juno, owned by Pam Freeman, of Bethel (not pictured), at Valentine Farm on North Road in Bethel in December 2022. (Rose Lincoln/Bethel Citizen)
FARMINGTON
Powder House Hill Trails, 218 Titcomb Hill Road, welcomes dog walkers to its 188 acre, multiuse recreational trail network. The trailheads are all located less than a mile from downtown Farmington and are open from dawn to dusk year-round. The trail network includes the 44-acre Flint Woods, the 43-acre Village Woods and the 10-acre Bonney Woods.
The trails are managed by the Bonney Woods Corp., which asks that you keep your dog under control and on a leash at all times and to pick up after their messes. They also advise users to stay on the established trails to protect vegetation, animal habitat quality and to prevent erosion.
The Prescott Field Trail System offers a 0.4-mile out-and-back gravel path that travels along the edge of Prescott Field and down to the Sandy River. The trail was a project of the High Peaks Alliance and the University of Maine, and is fully-accessible to the banks of the river. The trail begins at the south end of Front Street near the Prescott softball field on the UMF campus.
Meetinghouse Park at 139 Main St. is in the heart of Farmington’s downtown, is host to an historic Gazebo and features several tributes to veterans. The town invites families to “let the kids and the dog run free,” according to the town website.
OXFORD HILLS
The Wook Nook at 495 Main St. in Norway welcomes dogs to attend its outdoor summer concerts. Down the street a few blocks, 290 Maine St. serves water to visiting pooches as staff greet customers to the patio dining area. Brenda Melhus, owner of Norway Brewing at 237 Main St., tells us that any day their patio is open, dogs have an open invitation.
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In South Paris, Norway Soft Serve on Main Street is a popular summer stop for people/canine teams.
Norway resident Carissa Daniels urges dog lovers to pose their dogs at iconic spots around Maine, including the World Traveler Signpost, an Albany Township attraction that dates back to the 1930s. Tink, pictured here, is one of Daniels’ many dogs that go to fun places around Oxford Hills. (Courtesy of Carissa Daniels)
Oxbow Brew Pub at 420 Main St. in Oxford is also known for its dog-friendly atmosphere. Rocket Ron’s American Grill is a food truck at 576 Main St. in Oxford and gets an extra thumbs-up for offering free snacks to dogs accompanied by their people.
Tractor Supply’s doors are always open for customers to bring their dogs inside. The Oxford store is at 1272 Main St.
For the adventurous among us, dogsledding is regularly done on the ITS trail between Hebron and Buckfield and at Hancock Lumber’s Jugtown Forest Trail off Ellen Drive in Naples. The Roberts Farm Preserve on Roberts Road in Norway holds Cani-cross races Sunday mornings during the fall and winter seasons.
And leashed dogs are welcomed at public trails in the region, including at Hawk Mountain and Mount Tire ‘m in Waterford, Pennesseewassee Park in Norway and the Smith Bridge Preserve in Oxford.
RANGELEY AREA
The Rangeley Lakes Trail Center has over 30 miles of conserved trails in Dallas Plantation. Dogs are welcome on select trails during the winter months, including the Geneva Loop for skijoring and snowshoeing. Dogs must remain on a leash at all times during a hike.
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Parkside & Main at 2520 Main St. in downtown Rangeley allows dogs on its outdoor deck during the summer months. Be sure to keep your pup on a leash while dining as a courtesy to other customers.
Cascade Stream Gorge trail, owned by the Rangeley Lakes Heritage Trust is a 1 mile trail in Sandy River Plantation with views of a stream and waterfalls along the path. Make sure to practice “leave no trace” on your hike and pick up after your dog.
RUMFORD AREA
The dog park at McGouldrick Park in Dixfield at 38 Dix Ave. features a small fenced-off section for small dogs and a larger section for medium and large dogs. There are posted rules and the park is equipped with waste removal stations.
In 2023, Dirigo student Kiley LaFollette presented to the Dixfield Select Board her idea to add a dog park to McGouldrick Park. Her presentation inspired the creation of Friends of McGouldrick Park, a nonprofit, which has brought new life to the park and community. The park features a section for the pooches, as well as a new playground, new boat launch, new picnic tables, and an improved ice skating rink for the humans.
The Swift River Trail is a .8 mile paved path through the woods between the river and Hosmer Field Athletic Complex in Rumford. The parking lot for this trail can be reached by turning off Hosmer Lane on the west side of the river by the basketball courts. Dogs must be leashed and their waste picked up.
Firefighters were unable to enter due to heavy fire conditions
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Maine Department of Public Safety
woman presumed dead in readfield house fire; husband hospitalized
SOURCE: Maine Department of Public Safety
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Woman presumed dead in Readfield house fire; husband hospitalized
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Firefighters were unable to enter due to heavy fire conditions
Updated: 8:48 PM EDT Apr 4, 2026
Editorial Standards ⓘ
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A woman is believed to have died in a house fire Friday night in Readfield, officials said.Firefighters responded to a home on Plains Road at about 9:51 p.m. and found the structure heavily involved in fire. Neighbors helped 74-year-old Jerrold Wentworth escape from a second-floor window. He told crews his wife, 75-year-old Carolyn Wentworth, remained inside.Firefighters were unable to enter due to heavy fire conditions.Investigators with the state Fire Marshal’s Office later located a deceased person in the debris early Saturday in the area where Carolyn Wentworth had been sleeping. The body was taken to the state medical examiner’s office for identification and cause of death.Jerrold Wentworth was hospitalized in serious condition. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
READFIELD, Maine —
A woman is believed to have died in a house fire Friday night in Readfield, officials said.
Firefighters responded to a home on Plains Road at about 9:51 p.m. and found the structure heavily involved in fire. Neighbors helped 74-year-old Jerrold Wentworth escape from a second-floor window. He told crews his wife, 75-year-old Carolyn Wentworth, remained inside.
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Firefighters were unable to enter due to heavy fire conditions.
Investigators with the state Fire Marshal’s Office later located a deceased person in the debris early Saturday in the area where Carolyn Wentworth had been sleeping. The body was taken to the state medical examiner’s office for identification and cause of death.
Jerrold Wentworth was hospitalized in serious condition. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
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The 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday ruled that Maine’s 72-hour waiting period for firearm purchases is likely constitutional, overturning a lower court’s decision that had blocked the law from being enforced.
A three-judge panel vacated a preliminary injunction that had prevented Maine from enforcing the law, which requires a 72-hour waiting period for a gun buyer to take possession of a firearm after purchasing it.
The panel found the law does not violate the “plain text” of the Second Amendment.
Circuit Judge Seth Aframe wrote that while the Second Amendment protects the right to “keep and bear” arms, the Maine law regulates the acquisition of firearms, which is a step that happens before a person actually possesses or carries a weapon.
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In the 24-page ruling, the court characterized the law as a “presumptively lawful” condition on the commercial sale of firearms rather than an outright ban. The court concluded the 72-hour delay is a “modest” burden similar to the wait already allowed for federal background checks.
This law and one expanding background check requirements was enacted in 2024, six months after 18 people were killed in the mass shooting in Lewiston. Lawmakers designed the “cooling off” period to reduce suicides and homicides sparked by impulsive firearm purchases.
The lawsuit was brought by a gun buyer, a firearms training business and three firearms dealers. They argued the law interfered with the rights of victims of domestic violence to immediately protect themselves and caused significant business losses for firearms dealers.
The court concluded the plaintiffs were unlikely to succeed on the merits of their claim, which sends the case back to the district court. By vacating the preliminary injunction, the appeals court allows the state to resume enforcing the waiting period while the underlying lawsuit continues.
AUGUSTA (WGME) — Maine could soon join a growing number of states that ban cellphones during school hours, after lawmakers advanced funding to create and enforce a statewide “bell to bell” policy.
Governor Janet Mills called for the ban during her State of the State address back in January.
“I propose that we enact a statewide ban on cellphone use during the school day, from bell to bell, to reduce distraction and disruption and to keep children’s attention on learning,” Mills said.
Earlier this week, the legislature’s budget committee signed off on $350,000 to support starting a statewide school cellphone ban. The proposal would prohibit students from using their cellphones or smart devices from the first bell until they are dismissed.
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“Appropriations has included $350,000 in its budget to support schools with the ban, presumably to cover the cost of phone lockers, Yondr pouches and other possible ‘enforcement-related’ expenses for this possible rollout,” Maine School Management Association Executive Director Eric Waddell said.
Some Maine schools already have their own restrictions. At Cony High School, Principal Kim Liscomb says the school began implementing stricter cellphone policies five years ago after teachers reported students were distracted.
“We said, ‘All right, nope, they need to be in backpacks, they need to be in bags, they can’t be out at all, and there only certain areas in the school you can use them,” Liscomb said.
Under Cony’s current rules, students are permitted to use their phones before and after school and during lunch. Liscomb says the tighter policy has improved classroom participation.
“The best impact is the engagement of students in the classroom, the highly engaged conversations and discussions, teachers have reported a significant improvement there,” Liscomb said.
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In response to this proposal, some state lawmakers like Representative Jack Ducharme of Madison say they are against an entire state mandate.
“I did not, nor will I support a state mandate for local schools to ban cellphones in the classroom bell-to-bell. We have local school boards made up of local people: parents, grandparents and others that represent the people of that school district. While I understand that cellphones in schools are a problem, I trust local people to address the problem rather than another government mandate,” Ducharme said.
Waddell says that if a statewide school cellphone policy is enacted, the association will work with the Maine Department of Education to provide a sample policy for school boards.
The proposal still must pass the House and Senate before it can go to the governor for approval. If passed, it would take effect at the beginning of next school year.