Memorial Day Weekend marks the beginning of the boating season in Maine for many, and the Maine Warden Service is urging all boaters to wear your life jacket, boat safely and maintain proper social distancing while out on the water.

There is a safe and secure way to act. Call the Maine Secretary of State election office at 207-634-7736 to ask for an absentee ballot (or if you have the Internet use your search function for “Maine State absentee ballot”). I urge you to request your mail-in ballot now. Absentee ballots must be returned to your municipal clerk by 8 p.m. on election day, July 14.

Two prisoners with medical conditions that make them vulnerable to the coronavirus are suing Maine’s Department of Corrections for not granting them furlough or providing them with the means to protect themselves during the pandemic, actions they say violate their constitutional rights and federal disability laws.

Therefore, we found it fitting and proper to remember. On behalf of Post #29 Chadbourne-Merrill American Legion we would like to offer a few words of remembrance in honor of those who have loved so deeply as to give their all for the cause of freedom and everything it entails. At this important and solemn time, we remember the hard-earned liberty gained through the sacrifice of so many on our behalf, a grateful nation.

Upcoming events around the region.

The state's wildlife biologists have proposed a 61.2 percent increase in the number of any-deer permits allotted this year. If the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife's advisory council approves the plan, 109,890 hunters will be allowed to shoot deer without antlers during the firearms hunting season.

Secretary of State Matt Dunlap recently said that “unless something radically changes,” he doesn't expect Maine wouldn’t see a “major change” in the conduct of the July election.

Among the 2020 grantees is the Piscataquis Regional Food Center of Dover-Foxcroft to develop a strategic plan for acquiring specialized commercial food processing equipment as part of a program to incubate regional food product businesses

The Maine Principals’ Association is prepared to follow state mandates and new guidelines issued by the National Federation of State High School Associations to pave the way for a safe return to sports activities. The spring season was canceled in March by the MPA because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

On April 23, I published a plan for reopening Maine, outlining several steps for our economic recovery, including reopening rural counties first, looking to similar states like South Dakota.