A Hex, or if your Latin is good, a Hexagenia limbata, is a bomber-size Mayfly that shows up on Maine trout ponds in mid-summer, usually early July. For a trout, they are a turkey dinner with all the fixin's - a chance to get the most amount of food for the least amount of effort.

Fire marshals arrested a Milo man Monday, July 1 and charged him with arson after he threw his wife’s belongings on the front lawn, poured gas on the items and set them on fire.

A Shirley Mills man charged with attempting to share child pornography made his first appearance Monday, July 1 in U.S. District Court in Bangor. Eugene Murray, 25, was not asked to enter a plea because he has not yet been indicted by a federal grand jury.

The Piscataquis County Soil and Water Conservation District (PCSWCD) is now able to offer additional parking for and access to the Law Farm thanks to a generous land donation from Pleasant River Lumber. The donation includes six acres of land that abuts the Law Farm and on that half dozen acres, there is a cleared parking area, fruit trees, perennials and much more.

Upcoming events around the region.

Skowhegan Savings announced that it will celebrate its 150th anniversary with 11 customer appreciation events between July 11 and Oct. 4. Each event will be held at one of the bank’s 11 branch locations or a nearby venue, including in Dexter from 4-7 p.m. on Sept. 18.

A donor board modeled to resemble an old time card catalog has been permanently installed just outside of the Abbott Memorial Library's reading room. Each drawer bears the name or names of a business or individual who donated to the 2018 restoration project for the library in Dexter.

A presentation and demonstration of low-stress cattle handling will be held at the Shaw Road Farm on Saturday, July 20 from noon to 3 pm. Dr. Colt Knight, UMaine Extension livestock specialist, will discuss the impact of handling cattle on their stress levels and participants will see Shaw Road Farm’s practices of separating beef animals from a herd of 50.

I would like to say in these days where politics have split the country, Maine has shown to still have some conscientious leaders that respond to the needs of the people regardless of party. I would like to take a moment to acknowledge the votes of Sen. Paul Davis on LD 1494 and LD 1711.

Legislators should approve a Land for Maine’s Future bond for the 2019 ballot. Land for Maine’s Future is a fantastic program, yet it hasn’t received bond funding for years. What are we waiting for?