Local author Joe Siccardi will facilitate a six-week class trying to demystify writing in general and taking out the fear of sharing your written words. The interactive “Take the Fear Out of Writing” class will begin at 1 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 5 at The Commons at Central Hall, Dover-Foxcroft. It will continue weekly through Nov. 9.

A Baileyville man was sentenced Monday, Sept. 24 at the Piscataquis Judicial Center in Dover-Foxcroft to seven years in prison with all but three suspended on a series of charges stemming from a January domestic violence assault.

Upcoming events around the region.

Concussions continue to be the most discussed health care topic these days related to youth athletes in such high-profile and high-contact sports as football and soccer. Jackie Tourtelotte has been on the front line of injury prevention in high school sports in eastern Maine for more than a decade. She started at Orono High School and for the last eight years has been the certified athletic trainer at Foxcroft Academy in Dover-Foxcroft.

It’s time for a change in leadership. I’ve walked with Sue Mackey Andrews as she’s knocked on doors in Brownville. She listens to people’s concerns because she cares and wants to help. Sue will work tirelessly for us as she’s always done. Please give her a chance to become our next state senator. You won’t be sorry.

Northern Piscataquis County is highly dependent on the Charles A. Dean Memorial Hospital in Greenville, and U.S. Sen. Angus King has made sure it remains well-funded and operational. In 2017, he voted against the repeal of the Affordable Care Act, thus ensuring that the hospital -- our county’s fifth largest employer -- continues to receive the federal support it needs to carry on strong.

The Commons at Central Hall will be sponsoring a weekly Tai Chi class at The Commons with Wayne Ripley on Thursdays at 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. starting on Thursday, Sept. 27. All levels from beginner to experienced are welcome. The fee is $7 per session, scholarships are available.

Trisha Moulton's grade 8 science classes at Piscataquis Community Middle School hiked to the Piscataquis River on Sept. 12 to complete a water quality bioassessment to study whether the river was healthy or not.

Have you heard the big news yet? There is a new clean and inviting pet store in Dover-Foxcroft. Head to Tails Family Pet Store (64 East Main Street Suite H) will offer all sorts of supplies for your family’s furry or scaly pets.

Members of the Dexter Regional High School and Foxcroft Academy cross country teams ran in the 69th annual Old Town Sectional Invitational on Sept. 22.