Question 1 would allow those who oppose vaccines for non-medical personal reasons to send their unvaccinated children to school. Those personal beliefs would expose other children -children who then carry the virus home and into the community. This puts us all at risk, especially the vulnerable, aged, infants and pregnant women.  

Did you know that patients fighting cancer need more blood than patients fighting any other disease? Cancer patients use nearly one-quarter of the nation’s blood supply. In fact, five units of blood are needed every minute to help someone going through cancer treatment. Yet, only 3 percent of people in the U.S. give blood.

Top-seeded Greenville received a game-high 27 points from senior center Halle Pelletier and cruised to a 59-14 Class D South quarterfinal win over No. 8 North Haven Community School on Monday morning, Feb.  17 at the Augusta Civic Center.

As the long lines of cars turn off Main Street into the Cross Insurance Center this high school basketball tournament week, it's hard not to reflect on the people inside. They are moms and dads, brothers and sisters, grandparents, cousins, family friends, classmates and, perhaps most significant, the plain but oh-so-reliable hometown basketball fans who cheer on the team, year after year.

Reactions on the Piscataquis Observer Facebook page to last week's column are interesting. Especially comments critical of my praise for the new campaign to repeal ranked-choice voting (RCV) in Maine. A few criticisms referenced parts of Maine history with which I was unfamiliar, so I did some digging on the internet for a better understanding.

The typical snowmobilers were older than they used to be, but helped inject $606 million into Maine’s economy last winter, according to the first economic study of the state’s snowmobile industry in 22 years.

Pine Tree Hospice participated in the 17th annual Maine Nonprofit Day at the Statehouse on Tuesday, Feb. 11. Nonprofit Day provides an opportunity for nonprofits and government to assert their commitment to working together in order to creatively, efficiently and effectively serve the people of Maine.

From 7-10 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 21 there will be a Contra Dance at The Commons at Central Hall. This a change, for this month only, from our usual second Fridays.

A Monson resident is working to combat plastic pollution by launching a small-scale, community-based plastic recycling workshop called Precious Plastic Monson. Precious Plastic Monson is currently crowdfunding (fundraising many small amounts of money from a large number of people) to purchase a set of plastic recycling machines that will shred collected plastic, melt it and remold it into new products.

For anyone qualified and interested in a fulfilling and challenging career as a Maine Game Warden, the opportunities over the next few years will never be better. According to Warden Service spokesman Sgt. John MacDonald, there is among the warden ranks a large number of senior wardens who will be eligible for retirement in the near future.