Observer photo/Stuart Hedstrom WHATEVER CAN FLOAT THEIR BOATS – The annual Anything Floats race was part of the Bicentennial edition of the Monson Summerfest on Saturday afternoon.

By Kathleen O’Brien, Bangor Daily News Staff A new simulation training lab in Bangor will give emergency care training to first responders in a life-like setting, better preparing them for situations in the field.

Contributed photo PARTY VALUES – Local Democrats from Sebec, Milo, Dover-Foxcroft, Orneville, and Bowerbank gathered in Sebec for an organizational meeting and cookout on July 10.

AUGUSTA – The Maine Connectivity Authority announced that it is going “All-In” to bring broadband internet to all Mainers.

Maine Credit Unions’ Campaign for Ending Hunger is pleased to announce it raised $121,036 as part of its 30-day, $100,000 Challenge fundraiser.

By Christopher Burns, Bangor Daily News Staff SHIRLEY – A Peru woman has died after crashing into a turning vehicle in Shirley.

BANGOR – To help provide equitable learning access and opportunities and keep local youth connected, UScellular has donated 25 wireless hotspots and two years of service to Penquis Community Action Program as part of its After School Access Project.

MONSON — Monson Summerfest will return on Saturday, July 16, with an event-packed day to help celebrate the season and the community’s Bicentennial.

MONSON – The Monson Historical Society is pleased to have two outstanding programs on Saturday, July 16 during Monson’s Summerfest activities.

Grade 12, high honors: Alan Abolnik Ribe, Jasmine Baravaglio Alves, Filip Brkic, Grace Carlson, Aine Casey, Rebekah Demers, Cheyanne Desautell, Anh Alice Doan, Pierce Fagan, Daisy Foster, Kasey Howell, Joshua Michael Lemanski, Alicia London, Kaitlyn Lord, Jasper Makowski, Kate Neville, Nguyen Nhat Leo Nguyen, Anastasia Peirce, Connor Plante, Klara Puskeilerova, Isabel Qualey, Aleshia Raymond, Jacob Reed, Ruby Rideout, Bryson Ross, Makenzie Sands, Austin Seavey, and Meghan Spooner; honors: Nathanael Brown, Marshall  Burt, Carolina Caruzo Gomes dos Santos,  Nadia Chokki, Alexis Cole, Gabriel Coutinho Cavalini, Rodrigo Diaz Arrigunaga, Emily Fuller, Cadence Gil, Emily Harmon-Weeks, James Jankunas, Benjamin Johnston, Dameon Lyford, Reece McCarty, Olivia McCorrison, Carter Merrill, Kylie Merritt, Anh Ngoc Tu Nguyen, Cameron Parlee, Anh Julia Phan, Maxwell Rosso, Max Schnetzer, Anthony Smith, Corbin Toner,  Joseph Wertz, and Seojin Sarah Yoo.

By Pete Warner, Bangor Daily News Staff Hearing the haunting call of a common loon echoing across the water can be exhilarating.

By Samantha Hogan, The Maine Monitor The availability of criminal defense attorneys is at an all-time low in Maine for defendants who cannot afford to hire their own attorney.

DOVER-FOXCROFT — Piscataquis County’s sheriff plans to hire a person with medical training to distribute medications to jail inmates — a first for a department that has used corrections officers to perform the task until now.

FALMOUTH — Did you know that loon chicks can swim right away but need parental care for their first three months? That the shape of a loon’s forehead or length of its neck can change to indicate stress? And that Maine is fortunate to be home to the largest Common Loon population in the Northeast? For nearly four decades, Maine Audubon has been studying loon behavior and engaging volunteers across Maine in conservation efforts to bolster the loon population.

By Jessica Piper, Bangor Daily News Staff Members of Maine’s congressional delegation submitted roughly 500 earmark requests at more than $900 million for the next year, with the potential to fund projects from Kittery to the Allagash.

For the second year the Center Theatre for the Performing Arts in Dover-Foxcroft has recruited a troop of talented high school students to perform around the region for the summer.

Piscataquis County Soil and Water Conservation District serves as a resource hub for Maine Lake’s LakeSmart — a free program offered state-wide, which helps waterfront property owners protect the beloved lakes and ponds they live on.

AUGUSTA – This Independence Day, law enforcement agencies in Maine will be working hard to reduce impaired driving.