When Jennifer Austin met Molly in second grade, they quickly became best friends. “Strong friendships really do stay for the long haul," Austin, 51, said. Early friendships are some of the deepest: the schoolmates who shared bike rides and their favorite candy.

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Loons are on the mend in Maine, filling more of the state's lakes and ponds with their haunting calls, although conservationists say the birds aren't out of the woods yet. Maine is home to a few thousand of the distinctive black-and-white waterbirds — the East Coast’s largest loon population — and conservationists said efforts to protect them from threats helped grow the population. An annual count of common loons found more adults and chicks this year than last, Maine Audubon said this week.