The Shaw Public Library has been selected by the Maine Humanities Council to offer “Let’s Talk About It,” a free reading and discussion group with copies of the books available through the library. This program is provided by the Maine Humanities Council’s Maine Center for the Book in cooperation with the Maine State Library.

Piscataquis Community Elementary School second-grader Nandin Erdene, left, looks at design possibilities and fourth-grader Caleb McKusick paints his pet rock during the 2018 Arts Alive event at the Guilford school on June 8. Through the help of approximately 100 volunteers from the community, the 300 PCES students spent a day taking part in more than 30 different workshops.

Upcoming events around the region.

Anthony Levensalor, center, snips the ceremonial ribbon for Gym Dad Ironworks on West Main Street in Dover-Foxcroft on June 9 during a Piscataquis Chamber of Commerce ribbon-cutting ceremony.

It’s hardly a startling headline that rural Maine is in crisis. In fact, the face of rural Maine has been a sporting a series of fresh bruises as a regular occurrence since the 1890s. The utter collapse of the farm economy, the demise of the ubiquitous shipyards and the sawmills that fed them, and the gradual, inexorable decline of papermaking has shaped the prospects for prosperity for which people in rural Maine tirelessly strive.

Mr. Baseball finalists include pitcher Jacob Bickford of Dexter, the Penobscot Valley Conference Class C player of the year who will attend the University of Maine in the fall;

It is not uncommon for landowners in Piscataquis County to own several acres of woodland. There are a variety of options for these residents to manage their woodlots and over the years, the Piscataquis County Soil and Water Conservation District (PCSWCD) has worked to provide educational programming on techniques and practices that can be used to better and profit from their woodlots. District staff are excited to be offering a low impact forestry workshop at the Law Farm public land, offering yet another informative session to help landowners better manage their woodlots.

Dexter Regional High School is proud to announce that the following pupils have been selected by the faculty as “Students of the Month” for March, Brett Kusnierz; grade 10: Chloe Mountain; grade 11: Victoria Leighton; and grade 12: Rebecca Batron.

Dexter Regional High School is proud to announce that the following pupils have been selected by the faculty as "Students of the Month" for February, grade 9: Avery Herrick; grade 10: Gage Stone; grade 11: Caleb Weeks; and grade 12: Olivia Webber.

The life Angelo Rizzitello leads would be too busy and out-of-the-ordinary for most of us. His work schedule is four weeks on, then four weeks off. That might sound appealing or achievable, until you consider that “work” means being sequestered on a drill ship in the Gulf of Mexico.