Throughout the year the Piscataquis County Democratic Committee is holding a series of non-partisan information forums on various issues facing the region. The most recent “Ensuring the Success of Our Youngest Mainers: A Conversation about Children and Families in Piscataquis County” during the afternoon of Aug. 2 at Mayo Regional Hospital examined related challenges such as poverty, food insecurity, and barriers in accessing care, and the discussion featured Maine Speaker of the House of Representatives Sara Gideon, D-Freeport.

The purpose of the meeting is assessing public sentiment regarding six proposed industrial wind projects and CMP’s Maine Clean Power Connection 145-mile high voltage transmission corridor.

The bottom line is this: At a critical time in Maine’s deer recovery the state has ostensibly been without a seasoned, experienced deer research leader for far too long. It’s a typical bureaucratic situation: sudden departure, slow replacement.

Non-union, full-time county employees will be receiving a 2 percent wage increase in the 2018 county budget after a motion for the increase was approved by the Piscataquis County Commissioners during an Aug. 8 meeting. The raise matches the 2 percent the county’s union employees will receive per their contract starting on Jan. 1, 2018.

Following discussions at several meetings, during a July 25 session the Piscataquis County Commissioners signed a renewal agreement with the town of Greenville to enable residents of Moosehead Junction, Harfords Point, and Big Moose townships to use the Greenville solid waste transfer station for another two years.

Secretary of State Matt Dunlap says he’s refusing a second request by the Trump administration’s election fraud commission to turn over Maine voters’ personal information.

Acting on authorization from Congress, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) recently hired four private debt collection agencies to pursue overdue federal taxes. Unfortunately, this new activity has prompted some scammers to contact taxpayers, including Maine residents, pretending to be collectors working on behalf of the IRS, and demanding immediate payment.

Residents and visitors to town had the opportunity to learn more about the project from Libra Foundation Chairman and CEO Craig Denekas, who spoke at the Monson Historical Society on July 15 during the annual Monson Summerfest.

The Libra Foundation recently purchased the former Brothers Chevrolet-Buick site on West Main Street in Dover-Foxcroft with plans to convert the building into an all-season indoor recreation facility with artificial turf. It will add an indoor ice rink and a connecting building that would include locker rooms and spectator space and serve as the primary entrance.

For the fourth year in a row a contingent is hiking 120 miles from downtown Monson to the summit of Mount Katahdin through the 100-Mile Wilderness along the northernmost section of the Appalachian Trail to raise funds through pledges along the way. This year’s “Miles of Memories Hike” supports the Wilderness Walk for Warriors, an organization that raises money for Maine veterans and service members and their families and honors the nation’s fallen heroes.

The Department of Labor's bill to modernize the regulations governing youth employment, LD 1564, is now law and effective immediately.

Customers stopping by the Kineo Coffee Shop for a drink and a bite to eat had the opportunity to learn more about the efforts of the Moosehead Lake Region Economic Development Corporation and the Brand Leadership Team through a “Coffee Shop Talk” on the morning of July 8.

Rescuers helped an injured hiker to safety in Piscataquis County for the second time in as many days on Thursday, July 6.

A teenager who suffered a broken leg on the Appalachian Trail was airlifted off a mountain east of Greenville on Wednesday, July 5.

Maine Department of Labor (MDOL) is collaborating with the Maine Department of Education (DOE) for the 2017 Maine Hire-A-Vet campaign to offer free training for veterans interested in becoming a school bus driver.

DOVER-FOXCROFT -- After a change in contractors was made earlier in the month due to health reasons, prep and ditching work is being done to get a 1.8-mile stretch of the Elliottsville Road in the township of the same name ready for scheduled paving next month.

The Maine Forest Service is cautioning towns and residents against using third-party, non-sanctioned online burn permit systems after at least two fires occurred this spring. The fires likely would not have resulted if the officially sanctioned state online burn permit system had been used instead of that of a third party.

Officials at Maine’s Department of Professional and Financial Regulation (DPFR) are focusing attention on World Elder Abuse Awareness Day--recognized each June 15 throughout the United States and in other countries, and often referred to as the ‘crime of the 21st century,’ because of its increasing prevalence and devastating impacts.