Over 20 area souls met in the basement meeting room of the Abbott Memorial Library in Dexter April 5 to discuss the thought-provoking ideas expressed by Daniel Schmactenberger, a futurist whose concern about the current human demands on the earth’s physical systems has driven him to question most aspects of the status quo.

Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate The Masiello Group, Northern New England’s leading independently owned real estate and home services company, honored its top agents for 2018. Agents from the company’s 36 offices in New Hampshire, Maine and Vermont were recognized for their achievements in real estate sales including those from the Dover-Foxcroft office: Betty Ann Richardson, Grover Kilpatrick, Donna Vainio and Brian Chadbourne.

University of Maine Cooperative Extension Piscataquis County 4-H is offering the Piscataquis Passport Project again this summer. Enrollment forms are available Monday, Thursday and Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. through June 3 at UMaine Extension, 165 East Main Street. Sign up opportunities also will be available at community events.

To the Editor; I recently attended the community forum held in Guilford by Mayo Regional Hospital to inform citizens about the proposal to merge with Northern Light Health.

A career resource fair will be held at the Penquis Higher Education Center on Thursday, April 25 from 1-4 p.m. for youth to meet with local employers and apply for positions and possible on the spot interviews and also explore job training and higher educational opportunities available from Eastern Maine Community College and the University of Maine at Augusta. The fair is also open to the public and anyone seeking employment services or career services are encouraged to attend from 2-4 p.m. that day.

Connor DiAngelo of Greenville was awarded a Maine Legislative Memorial Scholarship in the Maine Senate in Augusta on April 11. While he was unable to attend session, DiAngelo’s parents Bette and Joe accepted the scholarship on his behalf. Connor attends college at the University of Maine where he is majoring in business finance.

Our new Postmaster asked me the other day, "Are you retired?" "No," I smiled at her impression of me. I was sorting my mail; some of it went straight to the trash, the rest was coming home with me.

The General Federation of Women’s Clubs (GFWC)/Miosac Club met April 2 at Thayer Parkway. Diane and David Leighton presented an interesting program of their trip to Nashville and all the sights they saw, including Willie Nelson’s Road House, the Wall of Fame, car museum, Elvis’ car, the Parthenon and the “Smokey the and the Bandit” car and many more. Diane rode in Daisy Duke’s car.

In a previous OpEd, I described three “shocks” challenging Maine tourism’s resilience: changing climate, changing general economic conditions and changing global markets. Some disturbances are unavoidable, like warming winters, while others are uncertain, like another severe economic recession. Some shocks will have negative impacts for Maine, like less reliable snow cover, while others may be advantageous, like climate disruptions at competing destinations.

Rick Whitney is this year’s Spirit of America Award recipient for Dexter. The honor is presented in the name of Maine municipalities to local individuals, organizations and projects for commendable community service