Downtown Monson looks much different compared to several years ago through the efforts of the Libra Foundation, and a portion of West Main Street in Dover-Foxcroft is also undergoing a transformation thanks to the Portland-based organization.

Michael and Wendy have joined the Piscataquis Chamber of Commerce and look forward to building strong relationships with surrounding chamber business members. The Chamber will host a member-only open house at the Guilford Bed and Breakfast on Friday, May 10 from 6-8 p.m. Guests can expect light refreshments, homemade treats and door prizes. Please call 564-7533 to RSVP.

Citizens in Guilford, Parkman, Atkinson, and Sebec all voted Monday night in favor of moving forward with a merger between Mayo Regional Hospital and Northern Light Health. Guilford residents voted 48-4, Parkman residents voted 14-5, Atkinson residents voted 8-0 and Sebec residents voted 29-13, all in favor of the merger at special town meetings held Monday evening.

All 10 items passed as written during the 2019 annual town meeting on the morning of April 27 in the gymnasium at the Morton Avenue Municipal Building. The $5,470,475 municipal budget figure for the 2019-20 fiscal year approved across the financial articles will now go to referendum on Tuesday, June 11 for a validation vote

More than halfway through the process, seven of eight HAD 4 communities have given approval to the proposed merger between Mayo Regional Hospital and Northern Light Health, a statewide system comprised of hospitals across Maine.

Abbot resident Walter Boomsma of the Valley Grange, who also serves as communications director for the Maine State Grange, will appear on a one-hour program on Maine Public Radio Friday, May 3 starting at 1 p.m. The program is “Maine Calling” and will feature Boomsma and Past Master of the Maine State Grange Vicki Huff as studio guests discussing “The Role of the Grange in Maine.”

Two police officers were involved in the shooting of a 40-year-old man in Medford on Friday, according to Piscataquis County Sheriff Robert Young.

Aside from the fact that watching thousands of fish come gushing out of a tube and landing in a river is just plain cool, April 24’s uncommon stocking effort on the Piscataquis River was one worth noticing.

Baxter State Park is pleased to announce that Hunter Law, who is a graduate of Foxcroft Academy, has been selected as this year's Visiting Artist. Law's submission was selected from an extremely competitive field of very talented artists.

The impaired driving simulation event “Every 15 Minutes” comes to the Penquis Valley School on Tuesday and Wednesday, May 7-8. Every 15 Minutes is a two-day program which demonstrates to high school students the impact drinking and driving (as well as distracted driving) has on friends, family and their community.

Just two days after marijuana enthusiasts celebrated their favorite vice on 4/20, the Maine Office of Marijuana Policy posted draft rules for the state’s coming regulated cannabis market.

Each month outstanding pupils in grades 5-8 at Piscataquis Community Elementary School are honored as Students of the Month. The nine April honorees were presented with certificates in front of their peers during an assembly in the cafeteria to start the day on Thursday, April 25.

Citizens in Milo voted in favor of moving forward with a merger between Mayo Regional Hospital and Northern Light Health, voting 25-0 in favor of the merger at an April 23 special town meeting.

Piscataquis County experienced the biggest gain in unit sales, up 30 percent to 56. But the median sale price dropped 10 percent to $106,000.

Samantha Siemerling of Dover-Foxcroft was presented with the first-place prize in the high school division of the Secretary of State’s 2018 Maine Native American History and Culture Essay Contest by Sen. Paul Davis, R-Sangerville at the Maine State Museum in Augusta on April 17.

The Piscataquis County Sheriff’s Office did not have to look very far to find a new full-time deputy sheriff for the patrol division, with the hiring of Jeremy Rackliff. Rackliff, who lives in Sangerville, has been working on a part-time and fill-in basis for the department, Sheriff Robert Young told the county commissioners during an April 22 meeting.

Tractor trailer trucks needing to cross the line into the other lane in order to make the turn on and off South Street, a lack of a crosswalk by the Mill complex, deteriorating asphalt and over a half dozen major routes and sidestreets all coming together in one location are among the issues drivers and pedestrians deal with in downtown Dover-Foxcroft.

Citizens in Bradford voted in favor of moving forward with a merger between Mayo Regional Hospital and Northern Light Health. Bradford residents voted 20-1 in favor of the merger at a special town meeting on April 22.