On Saturday, July 15 at 11 a.m. the Monson Historical Society is pleased to have as a guest speaker Craig Denekas, president and CEO of the Libra Foundation. The Libra Foundation has been investing heavily in Monson and Piscataquis County and Denekas will provide an update on the progress to date and future plans.

As Maine's legislative leaders bring us to the brink of a government shutdown, it is worth diverting our attention to some other places in the country that are shutting things down. One such place is Evergreen State College, in Olympia, Washington, where an increasingly aggressive group of student "protesters" have been on a mission to destroy the First Amendment.

We're being told the economy of the Northern Penobscot region is on the mend thanks to the new national monument. Truth is it's up a little; instead of five visitors a day to a local business, they can expect six now. If we're willing to settle for such a small improvement, let's sign up now.

Most of us believe majority rule is the basis of our democracy. However, in our state, majority doesn’t rule. “Plurality” rules, which means, for races with more than two candidates, the one with the most votes wins.

There is a therapy to be found in the woods. There is a simple, happy way of life as our early ancestors did among the streams and lakes. Maybe you should try this kind of life.

It's always a foreboding place, Maine State Prison (MSP) in Warren. Former MSP Warden Rod Bouffard described Maine's maximum security prison as home to 900 of Maine's most dangerous people. I suppose not much can be done to make this facility, surrounded by chain-link fence laced with razor wire, look more homey.

Maine Department of Labor (MDOL) is collaborating with the Maine Department of Education (DOE) for the 2017 Maine Hire-A-Vet campaign to offer free training for veterans interested in becoming a school bus driver.

A Hex, or if your Latin is good, a Hexagenia limbata, is a bomber-size Mayfly that shows up on Maine trout ponds in mid-summer, usually early July. For a trout, they are a turkey dinner with all the fixin's - a chance to get the most amount of food for the least amount of effort.

Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) volunteers, staff, supporters, and local contractors gathered June 24 for a celebratory barbecue in appreciation of the work done by local contractors on the rebuilding of AMC’s Medawisla Lodge and Cabins near Kokadjo.

Join us for the 11th annual Thoreau-Wabanaki Trail Festival July 12–15 at the Center for Moosehead History. The festival is a celebration of the Maine Woods and commemorates the history of the Wabanaki people and poet, philosopher, and naturalist Henry David Thoreau’s three trips into the Maine Woods.