Maine has become one of at least a dozen states that are beginning to ease restrictions on businesses in rural areas with fewer cases of the coronavirus while many rules will be in place in more heavily populated areas until June.

The Heart of Maine Community Stories is an online platform for collecting and sharing stories about life in the Heart of Maine region. This community-based project is a collaboration between Hartland Public Library, Newport Cultural Center, Pittsfield Public Library and Thompson Free Library in Dover-Foxcroft.

While the full extent of the economic impact that Moore -- who had expanded his business’ Maine Maple Sunday activities into a weekend-long event in recent years -- and approximately 100 other licensed sugarhouses around Maine will face from the cancellation of the open houses isn’t yet known, it’s likely to take a big bite out of maple syrup consumption this year.

Mass will be at 4 p.m. on Saturdays in the parking lot of the Holy Family Church (145 Pritham Avenue). Tune into 101.7 FM to listen to the Mass once parked.

Bath Iron Works has signed a contract with a Guilford company to deliver machines needed to ramp up its production of testing swabs used to detect the new coronavirus. The Bath shipyard will deliver 30 machines to provide sterile packaging for Puritan Medical Products’ testing swabs, according to a company statement.

Following a month and a half of remote learning for students and staff during the COVID-19 pandemic, this method of instruction will continue for about four more weeks as the SAD 46 school board approved Friday, June 5 as the final remote learning day of 2019-20 during a May 6 meeting conducted via Zoom.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the bean supper scheduled for Saturday, May 16 at the Sebec Reading Room has been canceled. The Milo Garden Club’s next regular meeting scheduled for Tuesday, May 12 has been canceled.

Gov. Janet Mills announced that she is convening an Economic Recovery Committee charged with developing recommendations to mitigate the damage to Maine’s economy caused by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and to jumpstart a long-term economic recovery for Maine people, businesses, and organizations.

Fewer Mainers have responded to the 2020 census than the national average, mainly because the coronavirus outbreak has halted U.S. Census Bureau field operations in less populated areas of the state.

Piscataquis Community High School Principal John Keane has announced that Megan McLaughlin is this year’s recipient of the MPA Principal’s Award.

In early April, the Department of Education delivered 500 internet-enabled tablets to schools in Piscataquis County made possible through donations.

Piscatquis Community High School Principal John Keane has announced the valedictorian and salutatorian for the Class of 2020, Melissa Burdin and Macee Pearl respectively.

The Center Theatre will be holding an online murder mystery party at 7 p.m. on Saturday, May 16. The party, set in the 1920s, centers around a death in prohibition Chicago and is called “Murder, Mayhem, and Moonshine.”

Democratic candidate Margarita Contreni announced her candidacy for the Maine House of Representatives for District 119. The district includes the unorganized territories of Northeast and Northwest Piscataquis; Barnard, Blanchard and Elliottsville townships; and the towns of Abbot, Beaver Cove, Bowerbank, Greenville, Greenville Junction, Guilford, Monson, Parkman, Sangerville, Sebec, Shirley and Willimantic.

Noah Bilodeau of Greenville, a senior at the Greenville Consolidated School, has been selected to receive the 2020 Principal’s Award, Principal Lee Pearsall announced. The award sponsored by the Maine Principal’s Association is given in recognition of a high school senior’s academic achievement and citizenship.

The Thompson Free Library in Dover-Foxcroft will remain closed through May due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “We are beginning the planning process to reopen in June,” said TFL Director Greta Schroeder, who will provide more information as it becomes available.

University of Maine Cooperative Extension is offering a new eight-part video series for first-time gardeners. “A Victory Garden for ME” provides an overview of vegetable gardening, from how to get started and what to plant to tending and harvesting the home garden.

A blood drive will be held from 1-6 p.m. on Monday, May 11 at the Dexter Unitarian Universalist Church, 35 Church St.