Women who own or manage farmland in central Maine are invited to participate in a free conservation discussion focused on soil health on Thursday, July 11 at Hall’s Christmas Tree Farm, 816 Douty Hill Road. The program, sponsored by USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and Women, Food and Agriculture Network, is called Women Caring for the Land.

Come July 14, a group of Maine Key Clubs, led by the club at Penquis Valley High School in Milo, will stage an event that you may want to consider supporting. Not your run-of-the-mill fundraiser, the first Schoodic Lake Bass Fishing Tournament is trying to share something that Maine has plenty of -- fresh water -- with countries that simply don’t have enough of it.

On Friday, June 28 Gov. Janet Mills signed into law legislation that will allow Mayo Regional Hospital in Dover-Foxcroft to move forward in merging with the statewide health care organization, Northern Light Health.

Today, all my lifelong self-educating sources — the music, the books, the experts, the college courses — are in my pocket, available 24/7/365 on my iPhone. Remember that next time you’re considering taking on student loan debt. Ask yourself, “Is being indebted to the government the only way to get the knowledge and experience I want?” Or is there another way?

One of the nicest traditions in Greenville during the summer months are the concerts, whether they be at the Gazebo or the Thoreauly Entertaining! series at the Artisan Village. There’s something magical about being beside one of the largest lakes east of the Mississippi on a summer evening listening to some great music. This summer's series has been scheduled on Thursday and Friday evenings beginning July 4 and 5.

Love a great deal? Want to stretch you summer budget? Forget coupons and Groupon and shopping apps, the best -- most valuable -- bargains can be found at the Thompson Free Library in Dover-Foxcroft. This July, banish boredom with free programs for all ages.

Stop me if you've heard this one before. Susan Collins is beatable. She is uniquely vulnerable this election cycle, and a good, strong Democrat can take her out. She has lost a lot of her popularity and is really vulnerable. This is the year she goes down.

Look, most of us who love to fish Maine in early June expect to be swatting a few bugs, right? When I was a lad fishing with Dad he always lathered me up with that black, foul-smelling Old Woodsman fly dope. I’d complain about the stinky stuff and whine about the buzzing hordes and he would say, “It’s part of the deal, son, bugs and trout. You can’t have one without the other.”

Attention veterans and surviving spouses of veterans, on Wednesdays during the month of July the American Legion service officer will be at American Legion Post 41, 18 West Main Street, from 1-4 p.m.

The newest item of interest to the general public is the receipt of two DVDS featuring home movies compiled by John and Joe Michaud (sons of Andrew Michaud). One of these videos shows scenes in Brownville Junction and people of the area; the second is video of scenes along the Canadian Pacific Railroad from Quebec, through Maine and into New Brunswick. These home movies were made by Andrew Michaud and his dad Sam Michaud from 1939 through the 1950s. These can be found on YouTube.com.