The Guilford Memorial Library will host author and Guilford native Heidi Dellaire at 6 p.m. on Friday, July 26. Dellaire is a 1989 graduate of Piscataquis Community High School. She recently released a book of lyric narrative poems and affirmations called “Roots and Tendrils” in March of 2019. The book delves into the depths of the heart.

But the South and its West region high school seniors from the 2018 season reasserted their collective strength Saturday at steamy Thornton Academy in Saco, racing out to a 21-0 first-quarter lead and cruising to a record-breaking 60-14 victory over the East.

In the 11 months since their house in Milo exploded, Amanda and Ricky Badger have had to recover from their injuries, put their lives back together and deal with the explosion’s lasting impact. This week, they received a nearly $550,000 settlement to help.

If I’m born with a right to free health care, who’s the guy born with the responsibility to pay for it? That question should be asked of all government services or programs. Other questions should be asked too. For example, what is the up side and bad side of government services or programs?

Recently Maine’s new fish and wildlife commissioner, Judy Camuso, was a studio guest on Maine Calling, an interactive radio program on the National Public Radio station in Portland. She performed well as she outlined the goals and challenges of the Department in the months ahead. The control of coyote populations in the North Woods by IF&W contractors, as well as recreational hunters, was a hot topic. There was a pronounced “urban bias” as some callers railed against coyote-population control as an institutionalized policy implemented by the Department.

The 13th Annual Thoreau-Wabanaki Trail Festival will take place July 24-26 on the shores of East Cove, downtown Greenville. Adventures begin at The Center for Moosehead History, 6 Lakeview St., on all three days. They range from a Thoreau-style guided hike up Little Moose Mountain to a Native American cultural workshop with directors from the Abbe Museum and the Penobscot Nation.

The state of Maine is reminding residents that they can save ticks and send them for testing if they get bitten by the pesky arachnids. State officials say the testing can show whether the person bitten by the tick was exposed to anything. The UMaine Cooperative Extension Tick Lab tests for Lyme disease, anaplasmosis and babesia. The tests are $15 per tick for Maine residents.

The Milo American Legion, 18 West Main Street, will be open on Wednesday, July 17 from 1 to 4 p.m. to assist with veterans assistance (VA issues and other benefits).

Monson’s annual Summerfest, on Saturday, July 20, is approaching fast and, according to organizer Dee Adams, this will be the best fest yet.

Save for a few welcome exceptions, today’s political discourse at all levels is awful. From politicians to political staffers; political reporters and commentators across all media; political party communicators, activists, public policy non-profits — the bulk of all this messaging is negative, emotionally and physically draining, and culturally corrosive.