But on Sunday, March 4, the parish community will gather together on the same patch of land on Pritham Avenue. This time, tears of sadness will be replaced with joy as parishioners walk into the new Holy Family Church for a 10 a.m. Mass of Dedication, celebrated by Bishop Robert P. Deeley. All are welcome to attend.

Last month Gov. Paul LePage’s administration unveiled a restructuring proposal to hand oversight of the state’s 15 county jails to a new state commission and potentially close five jails -- including Piscataquis County’s -- while regionalizing the system.

Chocolate lovers will be able to satisfy their sweet tooths once again at the 14th annual Moosehead Lake Chocolate Festival from 1-4 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 18 at the Greenville Consolidated School on Pritham Avenue.

Destination Moosehead Lake has been awarded a pair of grants to provide for the hiring of professional photographers and video production staff to create images and clips for organization marketing materials showcasing the summer, fall and winter seasons throughout the region.

Through its mission of providing information and support to people of all ages affected by abuse and domestic violence throughout the region, staff at Partners for Peace work closely with area law enforcement. Often Partners for Peace personnel and police officers are together during times of crisis, so the organization hosted members of the various law enforcement agencies for a pancake breakfast at the Mechanic Street location on Jan. 26.

In 2016 the Piscataquis County Economic Development Council (PCEDC) was awarded $120,000 for broadband internet planning from the Office of the Maine Attorney General, with the funds coming from consumer settlements the office reached with several wireless carriers. The monies helped the PCEDC work with Axiom Technologies of Machias to conduct a survey of the region to help develop a regional technology plan aimed at economic and community development.

Despite the subzero temperatures and a raging blizzard, Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife (MDIFW) wildlife biologists and a helicopter-based aerial capture crew located, captured, and collared 83 moose last week and this week in northern and western Maine.

DOVER-FOXCROFT — What today is a 25-bed critical access hospital and health system with five rural health clinics across the region, provides emergency medical services for all of Piscataquis County, psychiatry and counseling services as well as various surgical specialties, in April Mayo Regional Hospital will mark 40 years since first opening its doors to patients.

The Forest Society of Maine Board of Directors named Karin Tilberg as the organization’s new executive director during the December board meeting. The Forest Society of Maine (FSM) is a land trust with a focus on conserving forest land throughout Maine’s North Woods.

The Moosehead Lake Region Economic Development Corp. (MLREDC) recently received three grant awards to assist efforts in leading the economic revitalization of the Moosehead Lake region.

A missing North Carolina man was found dead early on the morning of Dec. 13 by authorities. Willard L. Hartsock, 55, from Old Fort, N.C., has died in a snowmobile related incident near Rockwood.

A 2018 Piscataquis County budget totaling just under $4.25 million and a near $1,489,000 Unorganized Territory (UT) spending plan for the 2018-19 fiscal year were both formally approved by the county commissioners during a Dec. 5 meeting.

Representative Paul Stearns, R-Guilford has announced his intention to run for the Maine House of Representatives in District 119. Stearns is currently serving his second term in that seat.

Chief Deputy Robert Young has announced that he is seeking the office of sheriff of Piscataquis County in 2018.

Sen. Paul Davis, R-Sangerville has announced his intention to run for Maine Senate District 4 in the November 2018 election. Davis currently holds that senate seat, comprised of all of Piscataquis County and parts of Penobscot and Somerset counties.

A proposed $4,247,114 Piscataquis County budget for 2018, along with a little less than $1,489,000 in the Unorganized Territory (UT) budget for the 2017-18 fiscal year, was presented at a public hearing on Nov. 27 as part of the process by county officials for developing the pair of spending plans.

After discussing the idea of following their counterparts in Somerset County by drafting a letter in formal opposition to additional industrial-scale wind development for customers in Massachusetts overlooking Moosehead Lake, the Piscataquis County Commissioners signed a document of their own during an Oct. 3 meeting.

The Maine Warden Service is pleased to announce the hiring of a new pilot to complement the air wing division. Pilot Christopher Hilton, 32, from Brunswick, was sworn in Oct. 5 in Augusta before warden service staff and family. Pilot Hilton will serve in the bureau’s third pilot position and began working as a game warden pilot at the start of the month.