Milo Police Chief/Town Manager Damien Pickel passed away unexpectedly at his home on Monday evening, March 30.  He was 51.

To provide an extra measure of protection for employees at Northern Light Mayo Hospital, and a safeguard for others working out in the community during the coronavirus pandemic, volunteers have gotten together remotely via Facebook to sew protective masks.

Grade 7 students at SeDoMoCha Middle School had the opportunity to head north to the mountain to ski and snowboard -- many for the first time -- earlier this year.

With Gov. Janet Mills having announced stricter limits on public gatherings last week, including banning gatherings of more than 10 people, the Piscataquis County Commissioners and county officials are taking steps to meet remotely and keep the public involved should the order still be in place for the next regular meeting of the commissioners at 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday, April 7.

All five school districts in the region and most across the state have extended closures for at least another month. Closures initially slated to last for two weeks until the end of March will now last through the normally scheduled week of April vacation.

For the second year in a row students from across the region wanting to make a difference in their schools and communities came together to share what they are doing and brainstorm ideas to carry forward at the Positive Action Team Summit on March 6 at Dexter Regional High School.  The day-long event featured about 100 pupils from student-led teams representing high schools and/or middle schools in Dexter, Greenville, Guilford and Milo.

With school closed through at least Friday, March 27 due to the coronavirus pandemic, RSU 68 students will be learning via distance rather than in the classroom. The RSU 68 school board approved a formal motion to change the manner of instruction to distance learning while school is not in session, during an emergency meeting on the afternoon of Tuesday, March 17 at the SeDoMoCha School.

All five of the region’s school districts will be closed through at least late in the month in response to the coronavirus.

As the state and nation copes with the coronavirus and works to limit its spread, officials in Piscataquis County are handling conditions the best they can.

RSU 68 officials are looking at an approximate 1.3 percent budget increase, in both the spending plan total and the tax commitment to the four district communities.