Food cupboards around the region, large and small, may be able to better serve residents in need once the Piscataquis Regional Food Center is up and running. The center, located in the former home of Foxcroft Agway on North Street, would help the distribution of items across the area, the Piscataquis County Commissioners learned during a Jan. 16 meeting.

In 2016 the Piscataquis County Economic Development Council (PCEDC) was awarded $120,000 for broadband internet planning from the Office of the Maine Attorney General, with the funds coming from consumer settlements the office reached with several wireless carriers. The monies helped the PCEDC work with Axiom Technologies of Machias to conduct a survey of the region to help develop a regional technology plan aimed at economic and community development.

Across the U.S. more than 40 million Americans provide care for parents, spouses, children and other relatives with disabilities or illness. Here in our state, about 178,000 Mainers care for their loved ones and help them live in their homes and communities.

Once a month students in kindergarten through grade 4 at Piscataquis Community Elementary School are honored with the presentation of HERO awards during the school-wide morning meeting on the first Friday of each month.

Communities have the ability to opt out of the retail aspect of recreational marijuana -- residents can still use recreational and medicinal marijuana within the law -- and the town of Dexter now has an emergency moratorium ordinance regarding retail recreational marijuana in place for 60 days through March 12.

With the start of the new year students at Piscataquis Community Elementary School have a pair of new weekly educational extracurricular activity options.

Dexter won by a final score of 60-44 to improve to 7-2 at the midway point of the 2017-18 season. The victory gave the Tigers a season sweep of the Wolverines (who fell to 3-7) as Dexter won in East Millinocket 56-43 on Dec. 15.

With the position of SAD 4 superintendent currently being advertised in education publications and soon in the state’s daily newspapers -- the application deadline is Friday, March 2 -- Interim Superintendent Raymond Freve presented the school board with a draft search committee proposal during a Jan. 9 meeting.

DOVER-FOXCROFT — What today is a 25-bed critical access hospital and health system with five rural health clinics across the region, provides emergency medical services for all of Piscataquis County, psychiatry and counseling services as well as various surgical specialties, in April Mayo Regional Hospital will mark 40 years since first opening its doors to patients.

DOVER-FOXCROFT — With the land use ordinance committee continuing its work to update the document to be voted on by the public later in the year on the November ballot, a summary of the group’s efforts was reviewed by the selectmen during a Jan.