Twelve of Maine’s 16 counties are now reporting fewer than 10 active cases of the virus, including three -- Piscataquis, Aroostook and Washington counties -- with zero. The prevalence of COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, also seems to finally be dropping in more heavily populated southern Maine counties even as the state has ramped up testing in recent weeks. 

State environmental officials are looking for a way for 115 communities now sending their trash to landfills after the recent closure of a Hampden waste plant to instead send it to an Orrington facility that burns waste to create electricity. 

Our plan is to host our Zoom conference series through the summer, every Thursday from 11 a.m. to noon. Each week we will have focused topics based on what we’re hearing from our communities. Our experts in the fields of medicine, infection prevention, human resources, mental health and more offer guidance, tools and materials so people can leave the session and apply to their situation.

On the morning of June 12, the long-awaited project for creating a waterfront park at the beginning of Lakeview Street in Greenville has come closer to completion with the signing of documents between landowner EJ Richardson and Steve Levesque, president and executive director of the Moosehead Lake Region Economic Development Corporation (MLREDC), which spearheaded this ambitious project for the people of Greenville and those that visit this beautiful part of the world.

Sen. Paul Davis, R-Sangerville has received the endorsement of the National Rifle Association (NRA) in his primary election to return to the Maine State Senate in District 4.

On Thursday the Maine Department of Education released a draft framework to assist schools in planning for return to school scenarios in the fall. The framework was developed with input from multiple stakeholder groups, including the Department of Education’s Student Cabinet, community health experts and educators representing the many roles in schools.

In addition to her role as SAD 4 Superintendent, Kelly MacFadyen may be returning to the Greenville-based Union 60 but in a different capacity than before. SAD 4 officials are considering a potential service agreement between the district and Union 60 for superintendent services and other functions in the 2020-21 academic year.

While Major League Baseball and its players’ union squabble over how to salvage their 2020 season in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, a Piscataquis County bat maker is continuing to expand his footprint in the sport. Construction is under way at Dove Tail Bats on a multipurpose building that will include an indoor batting cage and full gym and workout area. The six-week building project is expected to be completed by mid-July.

The new waste plant in Hampden has had to temporarily close this month as it struggles to pay its expenses and faces a new lawsuit from a contractor that alleges it’s owed at least $1.2 million for staffing and running the facility. 

While Naisbitt was startled to find the fawn lying so close to a well-traveled trail, her experience wasn’t that unusual. In Maine, people often stumble upon baby wildlife, especially in the spring and early summer. As a result, the Maine Warden Service and state biologists field a multitude of phone calls about wild animals that people worry have been abandoned or orphaned this time of year. And their message is always the same: If you care, leave it there. 

After closing its facilities on March 17 due to safety concerns and Gov. Janet Mills’ stay-at-home order surrounding the spread of COVID-19, the Piscataquis Regional YMCA will reopen on June 12. The reopening will be conducted under the guidance of state and local health authorities and will take place in phases.

The Guilford factory that produces the nasal swabs that are sorely needed to control the coronavirus pandemic had to stall its production of the swabs all Friday, June 5 ahead of a visit by President Donald Trump, then throw away the swabs that were made during his tour, according to a report by USA Today.

An area Grange member who has been dedicated to the organization at the local and state levels, served the region in the Maine Legislature and in local government and has given back to the community in many other ways was honored by Piscataquis Pomona -- the local Grange district -- on June 4. Jim Annis of Dover-Foxcroft received the Piscataquis Pomona Award for Public Service as part of the monthly Piscataquis Pomona gathering held at the Valley Grange.

President Donald Trump spent only a few hours in Maine on Friday, but the visit told us a lot about how he views it in the national political landscape and in light of the biggest issues facing his presidency.

The anticipation that built all week in this quiet manufacturing town quickly dissipated Friday afternoon, June 5 after President Donald Trump’s motorcade passed through downtown, where hundreds of supporters and protesters lined up throughout the day.

President Donald Trump addressed a friendly crowd of around 200 at a Guilford manufacturer on Friday applauding workers for their efforts in producing swabs used in coronavirus testing in an address that often veered into a campaign speech.

President Trump will visit one of Maine's least populous towns and its most conservative county when he tours a factory producing medical swabs for coronavirus testing on Friday. Conspicuously absent during the trip will be the state's only Republican member of Congress, Sen. Susan Collins.

A federal judge on Friday denied an activist’s attempt to keep the U.S. Secret Service and Maine law enforcement from shutting down roads in Guilford during President Donald Trump’s visit to a medical swab manufacturing plant.