By Judy Harrison, Bangor Daily News Staff Staff addressing concerns outlined in report on Penobscot jail culture Penobscot County Jail staff are addressing recommendations outlined in a report on the culture inside the facility while commissioners continue to pursue construction of a modern correctional facility they say would better address inmates’ mental health and substance use disorder diagnoses.

A program that launched in October 2021 has mostly reversed a major Maine hospital system’s shortage of emergency medical technicians after staffing dropped 30 percent during the COVID-19 pandemic.

EAST SANGERVILLE — A large crowd was in attendance for the annual Spring Brunch Sunday hosted by the Piscataquis County Democrats on May 7.

Photo courtesy of Dexter Regional High School STUDENTS OF THE MONTH — Dexter Regional High School is pleased to announce the April Students of the Month as selected by the faculty and staff for being exemplary students.

Northern Light Health hospitals around the state are offering $3,000 to $15,000 sign-on bonuses to registered nurses in an effort to address Maine’s health care worker shortage.

DEXTER — This year, the Dexter Post Office will celebrate Small Business Week by hosting an event to demonstrate how the U.

District meeting set for June 1 DEXTER — The SAD 46 School Board approved a proposed 2023-24 budget totaling $16,025,870 during a May 3 meeting at the Ridge View Community School.

By Pete Warner, Bangor Daily News Staff This spring, folks who enjoy journeying through the Maine woods on all-terrain vehicles will have to wait a bit longer.

WASHINGTON — U.

Maine’s education commissioner sees a proposed regional high school serving districts in Piscataquis and Penobscot counties as a model for future education.

DOVER-FOXCROFT — The Center Theatre for the Performing Arts is hosting the second annual “Dani on Deck Fundraiser.

By Judy Harrison, Bangor Daily News Staff Penobscot County has given up on expanding its aging and perpetually overcrowded jail and is seeking a marketing firm to convince taxpayers to replace it with a new facility.

By Leela Stockley, Bangor Daily News Staff A report on child welfare released by the Maine Children’s Alliance on April 25 found that the number of Maine children living in poverty decreased in 2021, but remains an issue in rural areas.

DOVER-FOXCROFT — Each month 440 households visit the Piscataquis Regional Food Center at 76 North Street, located in the former Agway building, to supplement their groceries.

By Leela Stockley, Bangor Daily News Staff Maine home sales remained lower than a year ago as buyers continued to face increasing mortgage rates and a low for-sale inventory.

DEXTER — On Friday, April 14, Dexter Regional High School students took time to recharge, connect with peers and staff, and learn about the resources available to them at a Mental Health Day coordinated by the school’s Positive Action Team.

In what may be the most visible indicator of how far we have come in the response and management of COVID-19, Northern Light Health is ending the universal masking policy statewide.

SANGERVILLE — Earlier this year Gordon Contracting of Sangerville was awarded a $17.