Northern Piscataquis County is highly dependent on the Charles A. Dean Memorial Hospital in Greenville, and U.S. Sen. Angus King has made sure it remains well-funded and operational. In 2017, he voted against the repeal of the Affordable Care Act, thus ensuring that the hospital -- our county’s fifth largest employer -- continues to receive the federal support it needs to carry on strong.

The Commons at Central Hall will be sponsoring a weekly Tai Chi class at The Commons with Wayne Ripley on Thursdays at 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. starting on Thursday, Sept. 27. All levels from beginner to experienced are welcome. The fee is $7 per session, scholarships are available.

Trisha Moulton's grade 8 science classes at Piscataquis Community Middle School hiked to the Piscataquis River on Sept. 12 to complete a water quality bioassessment to study whether the river was healthy or not.

Have you heard the big news yet? There is a new clean and inviting pet store in Dover-Foxcroft. Head to Tails Family Pet Store (64 East Main Street Suite H) will offer all sorts of supplies for your family’s furry or scaly pets.

Members of the Dexter Regional High School and Foxcroft Academy cross country teams ran in the 69th annual Old Town Sectional Invitational on Sept. 22.

The good people of Greenville have always banded together for a community cause and as September comes to a close the activities downtown have picked up in the spirit of cooperation for the common good. You may have noticed a lot of people down on the boardwalk near the Steamship Katahdin hammering and sawing away as they replace boards in the walkway.

Fans expected a close game when the Foxcroft Academy football team traveled to windblown Carmichael Field on Friday night, Sept. 21 for a midseason battle of the unbeatens against Bucksport. They got it. Quarterback Matt Spooner and halfback Michaleb Niles each rushed for more than 100 yards and senior defensive tackle Caleb Ladd came up with two big quarterback sacks late in the fourth quarter as Foxcroft held on for a 21-20 victory over the host Golden Bucks.

Basketball tournament week brought together small-school soccer coaches from western and southern Maine last February at the Augusta Civic Center to discuss one of the bigger issues facing their sport. A player shortage.

Although crossbows have never held a lot of appeal for me, I have hunted with a borrowed crossbow in the deer-rich state of Maryland. For me it just seems awkward to carry while still hunting, and it doesn’t have the visual appeal of conventional longbows, recurves or compound bows. As a hunting device it is accurate and lethal and, in the eyes of the law and the hardcore bowhunters, neither fish nor fowl. The Maine Warden Service considers the crossbow not to be a firearm. The Maine Bowhunters Association (MBA) could never warm up to the medieval contraption, deeming it not a true bow.

Jody Arno is no stranger to Dover-Foxcroft. At her very core, she is a lover of community who is often found supporting local non-profits through hours of volunteerism and has been involved in the creation of dozens of community-based events over the years such as Piscataquis Hometown Holidays and the Piscataquis Heritage Hot Air Balloon Festival. She has always been motivated by her deep desire to provide meaningful, memorable moments for families who live here, and by her deep appreciation for the history of Dover-Foxcroft.