A Baileyville man was sentenced Monday, Sept. 24 at the Piscataquis Judicial Center in Dover-Foxcroft to seven years in prison with all but three suspended on a series of charges stemming from a January domestic violence assault.

Ernie Fitch and Arnold Nash grew up together. They met in grade school in Ellsworth and became friends. Many times during their early years, Nash would have dinner or stay overnight with the Fitch family, Fitch said.

The Coast Guard Foundation, a non-profit organization committed to the education and welfare of all Coast Guard members and their families, announced that it has awarded a record-breaking 177 new scholarships in 2018 for a combined $500,000 in support. Among the award recipients is Clayton Carroll, son of Senior Chief Petty Officer Daniel Carroll, of Sebec. The younger Carroll is a student at Maine Maritime Academy and he is a Foxcroft Academy graduate.

Partners for Peace, the domestic violence resource center serving Piscataquis and Penobscot counties, will be observing Domestic Violence Awareness Month with three End Domestic Violence Days across the two county region in October, including from 2-6 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 2 in Dover-Foxcroft.

Earlier in the month the Piscataquis County Commissioners asked County Manager Tom Lizotte to collect proposals to fund an upgrade to the radio system for the Piscataquis County Sheriff’s to replace antiquated dispatch equipment with components dating to the 1980s. During a Sept. 18 meeting the commissioners approved a lease purchase proposal from Gorham Savings Bank for a total of a little more than $127,000 to be paid over five years.

Arnold Nash, a convicted murderer who escaped from Mountain View Correctional Facility in Charleston last week, has been captured.

In partnership with the United Way of Northeastern Maine, Helping Hands with Heart (HHH) has received one of six Early Childhood Community Planning Grants in the amount of $25,000 from The Maine Community Foundation. These funds will support a rigorous study of the region’s age 0-5 population, map community resources, identify barriers to early childhood education and develop local solutions intended to help communities ensure their youngest children are ready to learn and thrive when they begin school.

The man who killed his ex-girlfriend then led authorities on Maine’s longest manhunt has asked the state’s high court to reconsider his case.

When Dover-Foxcroft residents head to the polls on Tuesday, Nov. 6 they will also be voting on three land use-related ordinances, after the selectmen signed the documentation for a special town meeting referendum during a Sept. 10 meeting.

On Sept. 7 the Piscataquis County Soil and Water Conservation District (PCSWCD) honored Alexandra Conover Bennett by presenting her with the Outstanding Educator of the Year Award at the East Sangerville Grange Farm-To-Table Suppah for her exceptional work over the years in natural resource ecology and education.

Reps. Seth Berry, D-Bowdoinham, Thomas Skolfield, R-Weld, and Norman Higgins, I-Dover-Foxcroft, have formed the House Broadband Caucus to advocate for building out Maine’s broadband infrastructure in rural parts of the state.

Once again in the 2018-19 school year SeDoMoCha Elementary School families will have the opportunity to read together as part of a shared reading experience through the ninth annual One Book, One School program. For about a month through early October students and family members will read and discuss Laura Ingalls Wilder’s “Little House in the Big Woods” and then be able to attend an ending celebration on Thursday, Oct. 4.

Quilters of all experience levels are welcome to gather at The Commons at Central Hall from 1 to 3 p.m. each Tuesday. The Adult Quilting Group, facilitated by Cathy Flockton of Dover-Foxcroft and Roe O’Toole of Dexter, began in June, but “it seems like every two weeks a new person shows up, and that’s fine. The more the merrier,” O’Toole said.

Last month the Piscataquis County Commissioners gave approval to a radio system upgrade for the Piscataquis County Sheriff’s Office to replace antiquated dispatch equipment with components dating to the 1980s. County officials heard from Dispatch Sgt. Gary Grant who mentioned how he has been working for several years to upgrade the telecommunications division of the department through grants and funding sources -- totaling about $72,000 -- outside the county budget but said more money would be needed to complete the project.

The Piscataquis County Commissioners recently filed a motion to intervene in the state’s lawsuit against the owner of Moosehead Mountain Resort in the Greenville and Moosehead Lake region. The motion to intervene is the most recent significant development in ongoing legal proceedings of consequence to the future of the ski resort and the economic health of the region.

Each year the Piscataquis County Soil and Water Conservation District (PCSWCD) recognizes a cooperator in Piscataquis County who has implemented exceptional conservation practices on their land. This year, the Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) Maine Woods Initiative will be honored for their outstanding on-the ground conservation efforts, educational outreach and overall excellence in sustainable management of the land.

On average, self-published authors sell 250 copies of their book over a lifetime. Emily Curtis -- a 2018 graduate of Foxcroft Academy -- has sold 14,000 in just over a year. Last June, Emily released her debut poetry collection “in the absence of the sun.” What started as a class project transformed into a publishing success.

Dover-Foxcroft Police Sgt. Todd Lyford was honored by the town for his response during a fiery car crash in late July, during an Aug. 27 selectmen’s meeting. Sgt. Lyford was presented with a formal award for valor recognizing his actions in getting the car driver out of the vehicle, at great risk to himself.