One thing that unites us as a nation is land: Americans, and especially Mainers, strongly support conserving the open spaces they love.

AUGUSTA — A Maine judge ruled Monday that the state Republican party gathered enough valid signatures from voters to put a challenge to a new ranked-choice voting law on the November ballot, preventing the method’s use in this presidential election.

The group that oversees huge tracts of the state’s industrial forest is warning hunters and other potential travelers to expect plenty of company in the coming weeks, and is asking for visitors to be considerate during their trips to northern Maine.

DOVER-FOXCROFT — University of Maine Cooperative Extension will offer pressure gauge testing at the UMaine Extension office, 165 East Main Street.

DOVER-FOXCROFT — The Piscataquis County Ice Arena and the Piscataquis Regional YMCA have reopened after shutting down due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Despite recent rainfall, most of Maine is experiencing varying degrees of drought, and it’s left the state’s hay crop largely low and dry.

The Maine Teachers of the Year Association, in partnership with the Maine Department of Education, has created a special “teacher to teacher” back to school message to help kick off the 2020-21 school year.

DEXTER — Many everyday social interactions have come to a halt due to COVID-19 limitations, especially for those who receive care in residential facilities.

AUGUSTA — Small businesses and nonprofits can begin applying on Friday for a share of $200 million in aid under a new program rolled out by Gov.

AUGUSTA – Gov.

AARP announced that eight Maine organizations will receive 2020 Community Challenge grants – part of the largest number of grantees to date with more than $2.

Lance Walker was one of five U.

DOVER-FOXCROFT — Last month the previously anonymous identify of a benefactor — the Maine Highlands Federal Credit Union in making the largest contribution in its 54-year history — providing the $145,000 to enable the county to purchase the former Key Bank building on Hudson Avenue in downtown Guilford to be the new home of the Piscataquis County Sheriff’s Office patrol and investigation divisions was revealed during a presentation at the site.

DOVER-FOXCROFT — The Piscatgaquis County Ice Arena and Center Theatre announced they are holding a fall season for the popular Dover-Foxcroft Drive-in.

Maine teens who normally help maintain trails in one of Maine’s most famous parks were afraid they might lose their jobs this summer due to COVID-19.

More people who want to know if they have the coronavirus even if they don’t have symptoms will now be able to get tested at 10 sites across Maine run by Northern Light Health, the state’s second-largest hospital system, as a result of a state effort to provide medical providers with more resources to surveil for the virus.

DOVER-FOXCROFT — Earlier this summer the town of Dover-Foxcroft was awarded an approximate $255,000 grant through the Keep Maine Healthy COVID-19 Awareness Campaign to help cover unexpected costs for the community and other Piscataquis County towns resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.

DEXTER – Hometown Health Center is participating in a new clinical trial to use telemedicine for the treatment of opioid addiction (or opioid use disorder).