The Maine Principals’ Association, citing continued concerns about the coronavirus pandemic and a recommendation by the Maine Commissioner of Education, decided Thursday, April 9 to cancel outright the 2020 spring high school sports season.

Among the recipients is the Katahdin Valley Health Center, which has received $806,540, and  $615,395 for Sebasticook Family Doctors.

In any crisis, we triage the issues we are facing, and our reactions proceed in relatively predictable ways. The COVID-19 pandemic is no different.

There’s a certain clarity that develops in a crisis. Old rules -- that seemed so important to protecting the public order, to good business practices, to the rules of commerce -- all of a sudden get tossed out and we adapt to new ways of doing things for the times. With the COVID-19 pandemic, we have changed the way we live our lives and conduct business.

The Maine Department of Education (DOE) delivered Wi-Fi-enabled Samsung Tab A's with a 12-month Verizon service to RSU 68 and SAD 4 schools on April 8, in an effort helping area students with their school work while they are engaged in remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Maine Sen. Angus King and several Democrats in the U.S. Senate called on Wednesday for a future stimulus bill aimed at coronavirus relief to include money to support local news organizations. King, an independent who caucuses with Democrats, signed a letter with 18 Senate Democrats that characterized local news organizations as “in a state of crisis” that was only “exacerbated” by the coronavirus pandemic. 

Though many of the campsites you find on North Maine Woods Inc. land are not the typical campgrounds one might find elsewhere in Maine, members of the organization have announced they're honoring the spirit of Gov. Janet Mills's recent executive order that closes lodging establishments and will shut down their own campsites until at least May 1.

We are lucky to live here in Maine. Time outdoors has not been canceled! Take a walk down your road. A late-season snowshoe might still be possible for some. Find a local land trust trail. It does not have to be a grand excursion. It can be as simple as a 10 minute sit-down on the back steps to listen to the birds or gaze at the moon.

For everyone’s safety, our employees are following the social distancing precautions recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and local health officials. We are asking people to not approach our carriers to accept delivery. Let the carrier leave the mailbox before collecting the mail. With schools not in session, children should also be encouraged to not approach a postal vehicle or carrier.

The Rose and Samuel Rudman Library Trust of the Maine Community Foundation has awarded grants totaling $23,895 to 32 libraries in Aroostook, Hancock, Knox, Penobscot, Piscataquis, Waldo and Washington counties. Among the recipients is the Shaw Public Library of Greenville, for books on the history of Maine, emphasizing the importance of Native Americans, African Americans and women