It’s a familiar story for Maine — a once-thriving manufacturing town suddenly in search of a new identity.

My two children attend elementary school in East Millinocket, and when we received word that we would be remote learning for the remainder of the school year because of COVID-19, I was worried. I was not thinking about my kids, who have devices and good internet access. I was thinking about the 40 to 50 percent of students in our local high school and elementary school that did not have dependable access to online learning materials. For some of those students who could “access” the internet, they did so on a parent’s cellphone.

The East Sangerville Grange is pleased to announce this year’s recipients of the Don Hall Scholarship. A first-year scholarship has been awarded to Megan McLaughlin, a 2020 graduate of Piscataquis Community High School in Guilford. In addition, a renewal scholarship has been awarded to Brooke Kujawski, a 2019 graduate of Piscataquis Community High School.

The 29th annual Maine Forest Heritage Days scheduled for Aug. 6-9 has been canceled as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The event is scheduled to return Aug. 12-15, 2021 at the Greenville Consolidated School campus.

Tisbury Manor Chapter National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (NSDAR) has adapted to the quarantine guidelines and is holding its chapter meetings via online video conferencing. The chapter is using Zoom, and it has been a successful tool to gather the Daughters and hold meetings.

"This was an incredibly difficult decision to make. There were so many factors to consider," explained members of the Milo Garden Club Advisory Board. Because the Summer Fair is a major fundraiser which enables the club to donate to 14 organizations and charities, members will discuss fundraising ideas in September.

The choice in the upcoming Republican state senate race is simple. I want someone who’s conservative, trying to rein the liberal spending currently ongoing in Augusta. Now more than ever we need a man who has represented us in a conservative, common sense, manner.

The Maine Department of Corrections (MDOC) announced it will begin to ease certain restrictions within correctional facilities. The decision to ease restrictions, such as those related to visitation, community restitution, work release and transfers, have been made in close consultation with the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Maine CDC). Many of the restrictions scheduled to be lifted in the coming weeks have been in place since early March.

Recently Northern Light Health leadership announced their systemwide plan to eliminate racism and other forms of discrimination and promote a strong future for social and medical justice.

Tuesday afternoon I learned the unfortunate news that former Speaker of the Maine House of Representatives and former commissioner of the Department of Economic and Community Development John Richardson had passed away as the result of a heart attack. I had the great fortune to know John, though interestingly enough we first encountered one another well before we met in person.