More and more, it seems business owners from out of state are moving to central Maine to begin new business ventures here in Piscataquis County. Some credit the affordability of real-estate in the region, while others gush about the welcoming communities and quality of life they experienced here while visiting. Mike and Betsey Loomis are a perfect example of this.

Water quality monitor training and certification will be held on Friday, Aug. 9 from 9 a.m. to noon on Wilson Pond. Snacks and beverages provided free of charge by Friends of Wilson Ponds.

Luis Ayala, who has coached the Foxcroft Academy wrestling team to six state championships in 17 years, will be one of four new inductees into the Maine Amateur Wrestling Alliance (MAWA) Hall of Fame next month.

This week, H. Ross Perot, the enigmatic Texas billionaire, two-time presidential candidate and reform party founder, passed away at the age of 89.

Have you found that as you grow older the things that are special to you become even more special with the passing years? For me, one of these has been what our family fondly calls “the shack.” Visiting it the other day for the first time in too many months, it began talking to me as soon as it came within sight from the trail that leads to its back door.

Baxter State Park was established with a goal of the land remaining “forever wild,” and one of the benefits of that focus is the wide variety of native animals a visitor might see on the park’s more than 200,000 acres. But one particular species -- the black bear -- has been a bit overly active this summer, prompting park officials to put a cautionary message up on its Facebook page.

On July 4 three area residents took part in the 39th annual Walter Hunt Memorial 4th of July 3K from Brewer to Bangor.

A hike to Little Wilson Falls will be Saturday, July 13 with a July 20 rain date. Meet at the Monson Appalachian Trail Visitor Center at 12:30 p.m. Advance registration is required.

Al Harris of Hampden and his brother-in-law, Joe Vachon of Toronto, spent a few days fishing together last week, landing an unlikely fish story in the process.

Thirty years ago I was assistant District Attorney responsible for Piscataquis County. At that time, we had a process known as “filing” a case. This meant a case was postponed for a period of time on a promise of good behavior. It worked well with petty crimes, but we never “filed” an operating under the influence (OUI) charge. It would have been wrong then and it is now.