Greta Schroeder of Biddeford has been hired as the new director of library services for the Thompson Free Library in Dover-Foxcroft. Schroeder, who starts in her new position on May 18, will replace Helen Fogler, who is retiring after serving for 21 years in that role.

Paving on stretches of roads in Blanchard and Moosehead Junction will be done this summer by Vaughn D. Thibodeau II, Inc. of Bangor after the company’s low bid of $146,160 was approved by the Piscataquis County Commissioners during a May 1 meeting.

On the morning of Saturday, April 28 hundreds of participants took part in the Abbot-based JD Foundation’s third annual 5K Walk/Run to Wake the Silence, raising funds for the organization, honoring those who have died by suicide and supporting survivors and families impacted.

Mayo Regional Hospital has selected Cerner, a global leader in health care technology, to implement a new integrated electronic health record (HER) and revenue cycle solutions across it acute and ambulatory facilities. This agreement provides the hospital with sophisticated health care technology that will support Mayo doctors, nurses and staff as they work to streamline operations and improve patient care.

Two days before Memorial Day and the annual mid-morning parade through downtown Dover-Foxcroft, American Legion Post 29 will honor the service and sacrifice of veterans with the inaugural five kilometer (3.1 miles) Warrior Race & Fun Run at 9 a.m. on Saturday, May 26.

All seven items passed as written during the 2018 annual town meeting on the morning of April 28 in the gymnasium at the Morton Avenue Municipal Building. The articles making up the 2018-19 municipal budget will now go to a referendum vote on Tuesday, June 12.

On April 27 SeDoMoCha Middle School art teacher Bobbi Tardif of RSU 68 in Dover-Foxcroft was presented with the 2018 Maine Art Education Association's Outstanding Service Through the Profession honor during a ceremony at Lewiston Middle School.

To advance compromise on a critical issue of the legislative session, House Independents have proposed a tax conformity package combining the most practical, workable elements of each party’s proposed solution, with a view to a tax code that will provide stability and predictability for businesses and increase tax returns for low income Mainers.

“We have before us the moratorium again and the need for a public hearing,” Select Vice Chair Cindy Freeman Cyr said during a April 23 selectmen’s meeting. The board then signed the notice to hold a public hearing on an extension, which would run for another 180 days from May 26 to Nov. 21, at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, May 14.

Several years ago many Maine municipalities made a choice for waste disposal, with most opting to either remain with the Penobscot Energy Recovery Company (PERC) or go with the forthcoming Fiberight facility in Hampden. For the county facilities in Lily Bay and Orneville townships, county officials voted to continue the relationship with PERC.

The town of Atkinson, nestled between Dover-Foxcroft and Milo, is one step closer to deorganizing, now that Gov. Paul LePage has signed a bill to authorize the effort. Gov. LePage signed LD 1484 on April 12, which represents the state’s approval of the deauthorization of the Piscataquis County town. The final step will be a townwide referendum in November.

The Maine Technology Institute (MTI) recently awarded a $4,226,000 challenge grant from the Maine Technology Asset Fund 2.0 program to the Pleasant River Lumber Company. The $4.2 million will be used toward a $12 million expansion at Pleasant River Lumber’s mill on the Milo Road and a larger $20 million initiative between the Dover-Foxcroft location and the company’s Moose River Mill in Jackman.

They may not be as large or produce as much meat, milk or eggs as quickly as their mainstream counterparts, but for those farmers and homesteaders who love them, heritage breeds fill a unique niche in Maine.

For the third year in a row the Abbot-based JD Foundation invites the community to honor those who have died by suicide and support survivors and families impacted at the organization’s Walk/Run to Wake the Silence. The five kilometer event will start at 9 a.m. on Saturday, April 28, with registration beforehand, at the Piscataquis Regional YMCA on Park Street.

The selectmen signed a seven-article warrant for the annual town meeting taking place at 9 a.m. on Saturday, April 28 in the gymnasium at the Morton Avenue Municipal Building, during an April 9 meeting.

In keeping up with the changing educational world, Foxcroft Academy has big plans in the coming months regarding the science lab. A large scale renovation is planned for the third floor science center during the summer break. The overhauled lab will include new equipment and new workstations, all with science students’ needs and safety in mind.

U.S. Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine and Angus King, I-Maine announced that Maine Superior Court Justice Lance Walker, a native of Piscataquis County, has been nominated by President Donald Trump to the U.S. District Court for the District of Maine.

A look at the past four decades serving the region and a look to the future of helping the community were both features of the 40th anniversary celebration for Mayo Regional Hospital on the afternoon of Monday, April 9 in the Resource Center.