BRADFORD—The driver of a 2012 Chevy Tahoe that took out a lamppost, utility pole and road signs in downtown Bradford last week was cited for driving under the influence of drugs.

FAIRLEE—When the thermometer reads 90 degrees, it’s a good day to get ice cream. Jan’s Fairlee Diner is now serving hard and soft ice cream out of their new stand located next to the diner at the north end of the village on Main Street.

BRADFORD—As a line of cars wended its way along a narrow road for 1 mile, the sultry air hung heavier than the tree branches bending into the road. The bumper-to-bumper queue finally emerged onto the jam-packed Bear Ridge Speedway parking lot. A new event for the speedway, an honest-to-goodness rodeo, brought many from near and far to converge on Kidder Road on July 11.

GROTON—In stifling, almost oppressive heat and humidity, a small troop of aged, sweaty volunteers waged war against an invasive pest proliferating across the landscape. On the eighth day of the campaign, total combat had reached its zenith. Thousands of victims had been scythed down in the primes of their lives. The fields of battle teemed with heaps of rotting cadavers. Alan Eastman was gleeful. Japanese knotweed is a formidable opponent. The invasive weed aggressively expands, forming massive blocks of tall canes that completely crowd out native species reducing biodiversity.