Earlier in the month the Piscataquis County Commissioners asked County Manager Tom Lizotte to collect proposals to fund an upgrade to the radio system for the Piscataquis County Sheriff’s to replace antiquated dispatch equipment with components dating to the 1980s. During a Sept. 18 meeting the commissioners approved a lease purchase proposal from Gorham Savings Bank for a total of a little more than $127,000 to be paid over five years.

A 52-year-old East Millinocket woman was found safe several hours after she was reported missing. On the afternoon of Monday, Sept. 17 Maine game wardens located Nancy Michaud with her 2012 Nissan Sentra stuck along a remote dirt road near Hurd Pond approximately 40 miles northwest of Baxter State Park in northern Piscataquis County.

In partnership with the United Way of Northeastern Maine, Helping Hands with Heart (HHH) has received one of six Early Childhood Community Planning Grants in the amount of $25,000 from The Maine Community Foundation. These funds will support a rigorous study of the region’s age 0-5 population, map community resources, identify barriers to early childhood education and develop local solutions intended to help communities ensure their youngest children are ready to learn and thrive when they begin school.

Betty Van Dyke of Guilford was recently notified that a soon to be released book is dedicated to her. Walter Boomsma, program director of Valley Grange in Guilford and the Maine State Grange communications director, has authored the book, "Exploring Traditions--Celebrating the Grange Way of Life." He dedicated the book to Van Dyke, calling her a "Granger Extraordinaire" and explaining the great influence she had during his "formative years" as a Grange member.

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Janet Mills this week released an action plan for the Maine economy. The plan includes 19 action items, specific recommendations for improving the state’s economy and spreading prosperity into rural areas.

For nearly a year now, we've been living in a different era. That era is the "me too" era, where women across this country are standing up and making their voices heard, taking some power back after generations of silent abuse that women all over America have experienced.

I know, it has been a long time since my last Senior Matters column, years in fact. Sorry. And much has changed, including I am now a retired “senior” myself, The Commons at Central Hall has opened and people are enjoying her beautiful spaces for dancing and quilting, connecting and thriving.

All genealogists rely on indexes to locate family members in databases such as the census. It saves browsing through hundreds, if not thousands, of names or documents.