Recently a request was submitted to the Maine Land Use Planning Commission (LUPC) by Weyerhaeuser, a forestland owner in the Moosehead area, to dissolve the terms of the Moosehead Lake Region Concept Plan. The concept plan, which was approved by LUPC’s predecessor agency in 2009, re-zoned approximately 17,000 acres around Moosehead Lake for commercial, industrial, residential and resort development. To date, no development has occurred.

Most everyone in Greenville, when asked if they know Joe Bolf, will say something like, “Oh sure, he’s the woodcarver around here.” And they’re right. Bolf owns a woodcarver’s shop and has been a resident of the town for many years.

The Maine Legislature may be out of session at the moment but like many of his colleagues, Sen. Paul Davis, R-Sangerville is busy with important work that will help guide the next Legislative session when it begins in January. Sen. Davis has been appointed to the Working Group on Energy of the Maine Climate Change Council

It's been a year since the names of nine hospitals stretching from Presque Isle to Portland changed to reflect the new identity of their parent group, Northern Light Health.

Doors to the Piscataquis County Ice Arena on West Main Street were formally opened with a ribbon cutting on Monday, Sept. 30. The $5.5 million project, funded by the Libra Foundation and being managed day-to-day by Foxcroft Academy, had some distinguished guests including Gov. Janet Mills and Hockey Hall of Fame member Ray Bourque who played for the Boston Bruins for more than two decades.

The Piscataquis Observer will be published on Friday each week beginning with the issue of Oct. 11. The change will allow us to provide you with more timely coverage of events occurring early to mid-week.

In 1820 Maine became the 23rd state, separating from Massachusetts, and the Grand Lodge of Masons in Maine was established. The first Governor of the State of Maine, William King, was also the first Grand Master of Masons in Maine. In recognition and celebration of these historic events Chris Russell, District Deputy Grand Master of Maine’s 5th Masonic District, has organized a celebration for Saturday, Oct. 5 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Piscataquis Valley Fairgrounds.

Partners for Peace, the domestic violence resource center serving Piscataquis and Penobscot counties, will be observing Domestic Violence Awareness Month with a local End Domestic Violence Days event from 6 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 3 at Stutzman’s Farm Stand and Bakery in Sangerville.

A company that spent years trying to bring two resorts, 1,000 second home lots, a golf course and other tourist attractions to the Moosehead Lake region appears to have finally given up on those efforts amid economic challenges that started with the Great Recession.

The parent company of the Bangor Daily News is the new owner of the Penobscot Times, a small weekly newspaper that covers Old Town, Orono and surrounding towns.

Say “Highlands” and people often think bagpipes, kilts, clans, castles and the rugged green hills of northwestern Scotland.

Difficulty: Moderate. The hike, out and back, is 3.6 miles if you only visit the Middle Summit and viewpoint, and it’s another 0.4-mile if you add the short side trail to the forested North Summit of the mountain. The hike is mostly gradual but includes a few short steep sections and rock staircases.

Elaine’s Bakery is well known in Piscataquis County, not simply because their finger-licking products can be found in convenience stores, cafes and markets across the state of Maine but because of the bakery’s owner Elaine Poulin. Most would say of Elaine, “to know her is to love her.”

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.

Difficulty: Easy to challenging, depending on what campsites you select. Some campsites require longer paddles than others, and some require portaging (carrying your canoe and gear over land to reach the next body of water).

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.

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.