Crystal Ward was the guest speaker at the Piscataquis County Retired Educators Association meeting May 29 at the Our FAMBily Restaurant in Dexter. She presented a lively and informative session regarding current bills being discussed in the Maine Legislature.

The summer food service program, sponsored by the RSU 68 food service program, returns this year from mid-June to mid-August at the SeDoMoCha School -- 63 Harrison Avenue. All children under 18 are welcome for free breakfast and lunch Monday through Friday with breakfast served from 8-9 a.m. and lunch from 11 a.m. to noon. All meals must be eaten on site, and no application is needed.

Upcoming events around the region.

Battle lines are drawn. The NRA is the target du-jour of the litany of Democrat presidential candidates, vying for boldest denouncement of the millions of armed, peaceful and law-abiding citizens in America. Six million strong, this large sector of the American public is an easy target for these “bold” politicians to threaten fearlessly; after all, they are law-abiding.

Recently Ridge View Community School fourth-graders participated in the annual “Hooked on Fishing” event sponsored the Dexter Sunrise Kiwanis and held at a private pond.

Yoga instructor and Pine Tree Hospice volunteer Gayle Worden RYT, is offering free Yoga Nidra sessions for both professional and family caregivers in the community and for PTH volunteers as well. The sessions are about 45 minutes in length and are held at the Dover-Foxcroft Congregational Church on West Main Street. The next session is at 9 a.m. on Saturday, June 15.

Penquis Valley High School senior Cymeria Robshaw won the triple jump for the second year in a row and she came in second in both the 100-meter dash and long jump at the 2019 Class C Outdoor Track & Field Championship on June 1 at Mt. Blue High School.

Tennis teams from Dexter, Foxcroft and PCHS took part in the postseason.

Since I am no longer employed at the Maine State House (1989-2012), I haven’t tried this experiment. But every now and then, while at the State House, I would take one workday and ask people: If I ask you to name a famous drummer, which drummer first comes to mind?

As state lawmakers continue to evaluate a bill that would allow Mayo Regional Hospital in Dover-Foxcroft to merge with the statewide Northern Light Health system, they must also consider a recent proposal that would give more control of the process to the communities that now oversee the hospital.