U.S. District Court Judge John Woodcock denied a temporary restraining order requested by Joseph Denbow and Sean Ragsdale, two inmates at the Mountain View Correctional Facility in Charleston, that would have required the Maine Department of Corrections to review the cases of all medically vulnerable inmates and release them to give them the ability to social distance during the pandemic.

The Maine Republican Party is paying an out-of-state signature collection firm $400,000 to gather 63,067 valid signatures by a June 15 deadline.  They even managed to have paid signature collectors designated as “essential workers” during the coronavirus pandemic.

Think dirty politics happens only at the national level? Think again it’s alive and well right here in rural Maine. I refer to the letter by Andy Torbett published this week on the Piscataquis Observer website. Of course, it’s hard to tell if Torbett wrote the letter or if Sen. Paul Davis wrote it. Since Davis hired Torbett to write letters the last time I ran against him and even reported it on his ethics reports as a campaign expense. This letter is just the latest example of the half-truths and outright falsehoods we have endured for years from the Davis camp.

While Naisbitt was startled to find the fawn lying so close to a well-traveled trail, her experience wasn’t that unusual. In Maine, people often stumble upon baby wildlife, especially in the spring and early summer. As a result, the Maine Warden Service and state biologists field a multitude of phone calls about wild animals that people worry have been abandoned or orphaned this time of year. And their message is always the same: If you care, leave it there. 

I have waited for several weeks, in a vain hope against reality, for Doug Thomas to show some modicum of integrity and honesty to clarify just exactly what was meant by the supposed “letter of endorsement” from Gov. LePage.

After closing its facilities on March 17 due to safety concerns and Gov. Janet Mills’ stay-at-home order surrounding the spread of COVID-19, the Piscataquis Regional YMCA will reopen on June 12. The reopening will be conducted under the guidance of state and local health authorities and will take place in phases.

There will be no large throng at this year's moose permit lottery, as there has been in years past. You won't meet up with your friends and relatives there. You won't join in as the crowd tries to set a world record for most people making a moose call at one time.

Everything we need to know about our president is wrapped up in the simple story that all of the swabs produced in Guilford on the day of his visit had to be destroyed. Why? Potentially because our role model in chief decided not to wear a mask.

The Guilford factory that produces the nasal swabs that are sorely needed to control the coronavirus pandemic had to stall its production of the swabs all Friday, June 5 ahead of a visit by President Donald Trump, then throw away the swabs that were made during his tour, according to a report by USA Today.

Despite a lack of a season, a number of high school seniors from across the region received all-academic recognition from the Penobscot Valley Conference.