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Annamarie Mendez, left, and Beth Smith hug Dec. 15 on the sidewalk next to Poirier’s Market at 38 Walnut St. in Lewiston during a vigil for their good friend Lorenzo Melendez, who died Saturday. “He was like family, the patriarch of the neighborhood,” Smith says, wiping away tears. Melendez was 57. Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal
Landis Hackett of Portland skates Dec. 16 across Shaker Bog in Poland. He said he took the morning off from work to take advantage of the smooth ice. “You don’t know when the conditions will come around again so you have to get it when you can,” said Isaac Hayes, who was also skating on the bog Monday. “I am a skier, so when there is no snow having good ice is a nice alternative,” skater Indira Gowell of Freeport said. “Having the snow fall while skating is so magical,” Gowell said. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal
Willa Manson, 2, walks toward her mother, Cassandra Manson, Dec. 18 at her family’s home in Bowdoin. Willa has Down syndrome and hypotonia, which causes low muscle tone. Cassandra Manson said that Willa’s weakened muscles caused a delay in her daughter’s ability to walk. In-home services provided by Andwell Health Partners helped Willa learn how to walk, said Cassandra Manson. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal
Nick Gibbings holds his daughters Piper, left, and Emma on Dec. 15 as they await Santa Claus’ arrival at the Franco Center at 46 Cedar St. in Lewiston. Visitors are treated to breakfast, sweet treats, gifts and photographs with Santa Claus. Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal
Oxford Hills’ Eli LaVerdiere pulls down a rebound against Lewiston’s Jeffery Randall during the Dec. 19 game in Lewiston. Andree Kehn/Sun Journal
Lucy Freeman arranges ornaments Dec. 20 on the New Beginnings Giving Tree at Forage Market at 180 Lisbon St. in Lewiston. New Beginnings supports hundreds of young adults, children and families by providing safety, connection and growth opportunities to help at-risk communities thrive. Freeman says she loves working at a business that gives back to the community. Andree Kehn/Sun Journal
Charlie Latham, middle left, and Annabelle Smith dance on Dec. 14 as Emma Chasse, right, dressed as Belle from the movie “Beauty and the Beast,” sings a song from the movie at the Lewiston Public Library. The event was part of a $1 million capital campaign kickoff in support of the Children’s Department renovation at the library. Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal
Lt. Justin Carver of the Auburn Fire Department participates Dec. 19 in a controlled burn training exercise on Hotel Road in Auburn. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal

A lifelong resident of Lewiston, Russ stumbled into photography as a college student working toward a career in psychology. His great-grandfather Louis B. Costello was the publisher of the Lewiston Daily...

Andree Kehn is a staff photographer who has lived in Lewiston for the past three years and has been a Greenwood resident for 20 years, on and off. She has worked full time for the Sun Journal since 2015....

Daryn Slover always pulls for the underdog - what would you expect from someone that was raised in Cleveland and lives in Lewiston. He drinks cheap coffee and cheap beer so that he can afford to put his...