Maine began to reopen businesses faster than most other states amid the coronavirus outbreak, but public pressure on Gov. Janet Mills has focused on sectors most sensitive to the summer tourist season as changing plans begin to roll out across the country.

Some of our Legislative leaders have finally asked to reconvene so they can reconsider the emergency powers of the Governor. My hope is that those "stay at home" orders are rescinded. This statewide shut down of business is not the measure we need to prevent the spread of this virus.

Piscataquis Community High School Principal John Keane has announced that Megan McLaughlin is this year’s recipient of the MPA Principal’s Award.

In early April, the Department of Education delivered 500 internet-enabled tablets to schools in Piscataquis County made possible through donations.

Piscatquis Community High School Principal John Keane has announced the valedictorian and salutatorian for the Class of 2020, Melissa Burdin and Macee Pearl respectively.

National School Nurse Day, May 6, is a time to celebrate the specialty practice of school nursing. In 1972, the National Association of School Nurses created National School Nurse Day to recognize and celebrate their role in the educational setting.

In recognition of Correction Officers Appreciation Week, Piscataquis and Penobscot County District Attorney Marianne Lynch said she would like to extend her deep appreciation to all the hand working correction officers in the two counties and all those serving in the capacity across the state.

With so much confusion and uncertainty this spring about what you can or cannot do and stay within the law, there isn’t a trout or salmon angler in Maine or elsewhere who isn’t asking this question: “Will I be able to access the woods and go fishing?” North Maine Woods, a recreational land management group that controls access to thousands of acres of woodlands and fishing waters in northern Maine, has announced that it will open its gates, but with conditions.

For those getting bored at home, I know it is challenging in this time of COVID-19 to socially distance, wear a facial covering, avoid careless passers-by, and keep six feet from the refrigerator. But there are positives. In Zoom meetings, new to me, I have come to appreciate seeing everyone’s faces, although some are taking the extra precaution of creating a kind of digital mask by showing only their foreheads and ceiling.  

The Center Theatre will be holding an online murder mystery party at 7 p.m. on Saturday, May 16. The party, set in the 1920s, centers around a death in prohibition Chicago and is called “Murder, Mayhem, and Moonshine.”