Fans of early Clint Eastwood movies, which is to say all of us, will remember his signature line from “Dirty Harry,” which ran thus: “Do you feel lucky? Well, do ya?”

Traditional buyers of lottery tickets in Hancock and Washington counties — in all 16 counties, actually — weren’t feeling so lucky in 2011 and their ticket buying habits proved it. Sales were off. But the director of the Maine State Lottery has an intriguing theory as to why. Page 1.

Luck had little to do with the success Tuesday evening of the “Women & Wheels” event at Darling’s Auto Mall in Ellsworth. Some 135 women turned out for gourmet nibbles, wine and expert instruction in brake pads, rotors, tire changing and dipstick usage. A good idea perfectly executed. It’s our Page 1 feature.

It’s nice to do your own thing but it’s also reassuring, sometimes, to find that you’re in sync with the people at the top. A Sumner Memorial High School program turns out to be the very embodiment of state Education Commissioner Steve Bowen’s vision for secondary ed. Read all about it.

And there’s good news from Gladstone’s Under the Sun, the Ellsworth mom & pop manufacturer that turns out delicious, nutritious, blueberry-based trail mix. They’ve acquired a new berry dryer that’s boosting production while cutting costs. That’s win-win where we come from.

We also have a three-page spread on the 25th anniversary of Blue Hill Accounting, a feature on the 25th anniversary of the Tree of Life Food Pantry, a preview of the breathtaking Banff Film Festival, an analysis of the state’s property valuations for Hancock County towns, a report on Collier’s Nursing Home’s plan to build a new facility, student notes, cops & courts, Letters to the Editor, weddings announcements and the whole story about the Department of Marine Resources’ approval of that big oyster farm in Goose Cove.

All in The American ... The Ellsworth American ... serving the community since Abe Lincoln was a prairie lawyer in Springfield, Ill.