Every five years the town of Bowerbank celebrates community with Bowerbank Days, held Aug. 9-10 in 2019 with a mid-morning parade on Saturday as the procession traveled down the Bowerbank Road past the town hall and fire station.

Less than three weeks before students return on Tuesday, Aug 27 summer programs are winding down and preparations are being made for the start of classes, RSU 68 school board members learned during a meeting on Aug. 6 at the SeDoMoCha School.

To alleviate cramped conditions and lack of privacy inside the main sheriff’s office in the same larger complex as the Piscataquis County Jail on Court Street in Dover-Foxcroft, in the spring of 2018 the patrol and investigation divisions moved up Route 15 to Guilford at the former primary school building. The law enforcement space previously was the home of the SAD 4 administrative office suite. With the school building for sale county officials are working with the town of Guilford on an agreement to rent and then purchase, following an affirmative vote at the annual town meeting in mid-March, the C.H. Lightbody Medical Center on Park Street.

A father and daughter escaped a boat fire without injury on Sebec Lake at the Tim Merrill & Co. marina in Dover-Foxcroft shortly after noon on Tuesday, Aug. 6.

Two prestigious Foxcroft Academy alumni awards were presented during the 2019 alumni banquet on Saturday night, Aug. 3.

A journey three decades ago brought 9-year-old Truc Huynh and his family from Vietnam to Portland. Now Huynh is repaying all those who helped his family by “Trucking Across Maine” 600 miles via bicycle from Madawaska to Kittery over six days to raise money for five organizations.

Daniel O. Hurd Jr. served as parade marshal for the 2019 Dover-Foxcroft Shiretown Homecoming parade on the morning of Saturday, Aug. 3, a “Home on the Range -- Take 2” procession rescheduled due to rain one year prior.

This weekend the annual Dover-Foxcroft Shiretown Homecoming and Foxcroft Academy’s 2019 Alumni Weekend together will feature a number of events on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

The Office of the Secretary of the Maine State Senate has released its records for the first session of the 129th Maine Legislature and Sen. Paul Davis, R-Sangerville has been recognized for having a voting record of 100 percent.

The executive committee of the Piscataquis County Economic Development Council is seeking nominations for the annual Warren "Pete" Myrick Community Service Award, to be presented at the annual meeting in December. Meeting date and location will be disclosed soon.

Two of the nation’s top credit rating agencies have expressed growing confidence that Northern Light Health will be able to pay back $391 million in outstanding debts, a change that could help the hospital system borrow money more cheaply in the future.

The Piscataquis Chamber of Commerce will hold a Business After Hours event for Chamber members and local residents on Thursday, Aug. 8 from 5-7 p.m. This event is being hosted by Hibbard’s Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, 1037 West Main Street.

The selectmen set the tax commitment for the 2019-20 fiscal year during a July 22 meeting, with the mill rate rising 30 cents (1.41 percent) from last year to a rate of $21.50 per $1,000 in assessed property.

In the 11 months since their house in Milo exploded, Amanda and Ricky Badger have had to recover from their injuries, put their lives back together and deal with the explosion’s lasting impact. This week, they received a nearly $550,000 settlement to help.

An addition has been made to this year’s children’s free summer meals program at the SeDoMoCha School on Harrison Avenue. Under the "Take what you need boutique" there is an opportunity for anyone needing clothing items that may not be able to afford them.

More and more, it seems business owners from out of state are moving to central Maine to begin new business ventures here in Piscataquis County. Some credit the affordability of real-estate in the region, while others gush about the welcoming communities and quality of life they experienced here while visiting. Mike and Betsey Loomis are a perfect example of this.

Voters whose disabilities prevent them from signing petitions for citizen initiatives could have alternative ways to express their support under a proposed constitutional amendment. Maine voters will consider such a constitutional amendment Nov. 5.

Penobscot Community Health Care (PCHC), the largest federally qualified health center in Maine, in partnership with the University of Maine School of Nursing, Harrington Family Health Center in Harrington, and Hometown Health Center in Newport and Dexter, has received a four-year grant award to support a nurse practitioner residency program. The $1.7 million grant comes from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) and is one of a handful of this kind in the country.