Caterpillars blanketing parts of the midcoast this year have left hundreds scrambling to treat the skin rash caused by their hair fibers.

The generic equivalent of Narcan – naloxone – has risen in cost up to 17-fold over the past two years.

But data from a two-year study of tick mortality have yet to show how vulnerable they are to sudden drops in temperature.

The rising chlamydia and gonorrhea numbers mirror a national trend, and public health experts say the reasons could include a lingering resistance to condom use and less fear of having unprotected sex.

Dennis Andrews of Boothbay Center frequently volunteered for missions in Vietnam, but his decoration never made it home in 1971.

Hikers say it’s important to take precautions against getting lost while going off the trail.