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.

Recently Maine’s new fish and wildlife commissioner, Judy Camuso, was a studio guest on Maine Calling, an interactive radio program on the National Public Radio station in Portland. She performed well as she outlined the goals and challenges of the Department in the months ahead. The control of coyote populations in the North Woods by IF&W contractors, as well as recreational hunters, was a hot topic. There was a pronounced “urban bias” as some callers railed against coyote-population control as an institutionalized policy implemented by the Department.

The 13th Annual Thoreau-Wabanaki Trail Festival will take place July 24-26 on the shores of East Cove, downtown Greenville. Adventures begin at The Center for Moosehead History, 6 Lakeview St., on all three days. They range from a Thoreau-style guided hike up Little Moose Mountain to a Native American cultural workshop with directors from the Abbe Museum and the Penobscot Nation.

The state of Maine is reminding residents that they can save ticks and send them for testing if they get bitten by the pesky arachnids. State officials say the testing can show whether the person bitten by the tick was exposed to anything. The UMaine Cooperative Extension Tick Lab tests for Lyme disease, anaplasmosis and babesia. The tests are $15 per tick for Maine residents.

In other business, the Dexter town council took no action on the recommendations of the cannabis task force. Councilors will continue to look at the possibility of allowing for commercial marijuana operations in town.

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.

With students away on summer vacation, the Penquis Valley School is a construction site with hallway ceiling tiles down and stacked on the floor as part of the work to make way for an upgrade to the heating system.

Have you found that as you grow older the things that are special to you become even more special with the passing years? For me, one of these has been what our family fondly calls “the shack.” Visiting it the other day for the first time in too many months, it began talking to me as soon as it came within sight from the trail that leads to its back door.

Baxter State Park was established with a goal of the land remaining “forever wild,” and one of the benefits of that focus is the wide variety of native animals a visitor might see on the park’s more than 200,000 acres. But one particular species -- the black bear -- has been a bit overly active this summer, prompting park officials to put a cautionary message up on its Facebook page.

A Bath man is facing charges that he allegedly attempted to kill a distant relative who was shot and wounded and then beaten with the butt of a gun after he waited hours for her to arrive at a horse barn in Shirley.

Around 400 teenagers and adults will arrive in Dexter on Sunday, July 21 to work on and improve the homes of elderly, disabled and other area residents. The volunteers will work on various projects from July 22-26.

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.

A Bath man accused of shooting a female relative in Shirley was arrested at gunpoint later on Monday (July 8) morning in Kennebec County after leading a state trooper on a brief chase. Christopher Hallowell, 24, was charged with attempted murder in connection with the early morning shooting at North Point Farm & Garden on Route 15 in Shirley that wounded a woman, according to Chief Deputy Todd Lyford of the Piscataquis County Sheriff’s Office.

The Commons at Central Hall board of directors and members of committees held the annual meeting at the camp of Cherie Stitham White on June 29. Tara Smith is the chief executive officer and she reported progress made this past year in the completion of all but the back area of the building. This past year has been successful with its offerings of activities, events and programs.

Wardens responded to an ATV crash Thursday on the Frenchtown Road in Shawtown Township. The crash involved two subjects on a single dirt bike sometime during the early morning hours.

Sergeant Spencer’s Lunch Wagon will be easy to spot as folks drive pass the Piscataquis Chamber of Commerce they will notice a fenced-off area for customers and a picnic table for seating. The menu and prices are posted on the outside of the colorful wagon, boasting a wider-than-you’d-expect variety of foods at very affordable prices.