Ever want to spend a day in the field with a state fish expert? One lucky winner and a friend will win just such an opportunity in the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife’s third “Keeper of the Maine Outdoors Experience” contest.

As the town of Dexter prepares to revise its comprehensive plan, the community will receive some help. During a Sept. 12 meeting the town council agreed to participate in the Orton Family Foundation Community Heart & Soul program.

Girl Scouts of Maine announced that it will host new member sign-up events for potential members and volunteers at locations throughout the state every month, including at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 19 at the Ridge View Community School.

The Dexter Historical Society and the Abbott Memorial Library will hold a ceremony on Sunday, Sept. 22 at 2 p.m. to rededicate the memorial urn at the foot of the Dexter’s Civil War Monument.

ixteen years ago, the last time a governor-initiated group attempted to better understand a growing ATV community in the state, the machines that riders were taking into the woods were small, light and mobile. That’s not the case anymore. And that’s why an ATV task force formed by Maine Gov. Janet Mills is tackling a new slate of ATV issues related to bigger, wider and heavier machines that have simply outgrown the existing ATV trail system.

Today, let’s take a deep breath, appreciate what we have, and reflect on how quickly everything could change. Perhaps we go out in the morning, walk into our back field for a bit of exercise, or to cut some wood, or to dig around for some gemstones that we know are waiting in that sandy pile of soil. And perhaps we never come back.

With hints of autumn in the air, the temperatures cooler and the days shorter, our thoughts turn to … the Harold J. Crosby Community Band Camp. This year’s camp, the fourth annual, will run from Sept. 13-15 at the Ridge View Community School.

The American Legion 14th District -- Piscataquis County - will hold its first meeting of 2019-20 on Saturday, Sept. 14. It will be hosted by Conner-Trafton Post 119 at the Masonic Lodge, 34 Hudson Avenue.

Residents of the region looking to improve their lives through various academic and career programs can do so through the Piscataquis Valley Adult Education Cooperative, while also having the opportunity to take college courses through Eastern Maine Community College and the University of Maine-Augusta in the same building as the PVAEC main office at the Penquis Higher Education Center on Mayo Street.

Last week the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife’s advisory council approved a rule that sounds ominous, but will actually change very little for the state’s anglers. Simply stated, in the state’s north zone, the general fishing law will ban the use of live fish as bait.

U.S. Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine and Angus King, I-Maine announced that the State of Maine, Penquis and Through These Doors received a total of $1,993,850 to help stop domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking and protect victims.

A space for residents to gather during the middle of the week, and enjoy a healthy lunch starting the middle of next month, is being provided in the former Fossa’s building by the Dexter Seventh Day Adventist Church.

Help, hope, and giving to our communities -- that is what Pine Tree Hospice volunteers do. We offer non-medical support to individuals and families in Piscataquis, Penobscot and Somerset counties who are dealing with progressive, life-limiting illnesses and/or grief.

Starting in the 2020-21 school year, students from around the region will have the opportunity to take part in an early childhood education satellite program through the Tri-County Technical Center to be housed at Nokomis Regional High School in Newport. The SAD 46 school board authorized the program during an Aug. 21 meeting in the Ridge View Community School cafeteria.

Jim and Brenda Crane present a check for just over $10,000 to Events Manager Samantha Elliott of Make-A-Wish Maine. Funds were raised from the second annual Wings for Wishes on the Waterfront

Friday, Aug. 9 marked the opening of Gathering 4 Main Street, a community center in Dexter. The ribbon-cutting ceremony was followed by a lovely reception which included inspirational piano music and oral presentations. The community center, provided by the Dexter Seventh Day Adventist Church, will be a place for people in the area to meet for coffee or tea and/or a healthy vegetarian or vegan light lunch by mid-September.

One year after announcing new President & CEO Lee Umphrey, EMDC (Eastern Maine Development Corporation) continues to evolve with a brand refresh and new website at https://www.emdc.org/.

A busy summer for the town of Dexter will continue into the fall, councilors learned from Town Manager Tramps King during an Aug. 8 meeting. “I would like to thank everyone for the great welcome we gave the Workcamp,” King said.