For 71 years Rowell’s Garage has been owned by three generations of the Rowell family. In mid-August the dealership was sold by third generation owner Karen Pomeroy to General Manager Scott Moulton, who has been in the position since 2010.

Over the last 16 years more than 2,500 third-grade students from across the region have been given a dictionary thanks to the Valley Grange and the organization’s Words for Thirds Dictionary Project. Dictionaries are being handed out to pupils in four area school districts and on the afternoon of Oct. 26 about 40 students in three classes at Piscataquis Community Elementary School traveled across town to the Grange Hall to receive their dictionaries.

Three pairs of demo lights, of varying degrees, have been installed downtown. After the lights have been up for several weeks, the selectmen are scheduled to meet with representatives from RealTerm Inc. to discuss options moving forward during their next meeting on the evening of Monday, Nov. 13.

Carpe Diem Salon on North Street earned top business honors in the annual Dover-Foxcroft Halloween BooNanza decorating contest with a display inspired by the works of Stephen King.

For more than a decade Valley Grange Bookworms have been coming to Piscataquis Community Elementary School (and previously at the former Guilford Primary School) to share their love of books with second- and third-graders as the pupils spend time reading a book of their choice to the adult visitors.

With four employees working in two rooms making for cramped quarters, staff of the district attorney’s office have been looking at possible ways to have more space at their location on the first floor of the Piscataquis County Courthouse.

After a fundraising campaign of more than eight years, the first batch of bricks have been placed in front of Central Hall on East Main Street. About 200 bricks at either four by eight inches or eight by eight inches were set or are going to be positioned in the ground next to the walkway leading to the building from the sidewalk.

The national firm of Gray & Pape Heritage Management has been hired by the Maine Historic Preservation Commission to conduct an architectural survey of Monson. Surveyors Patrick O’Bannon and Kendal Anderson will be documenting houses, stores, churches, cemeteries, etc. built before 1972 in order to identify historic properties or neighborhoods.

As of the end of last month, Dr. Lesley Fernow of Dover-Foxcroft has retired from the practice of medicine after 38 continuous years in the region. Patients, family members of patients and others are invited to a community reception for Dr. Fernow -- who will be staying in town and said she looks to get more involved in the community in various volunteer capacities -- from 1-3 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 28 at the Center Theatre.

For over a decade the JD Foundation has been working as an educational tool across Maine in order to bring suicide prevention and bullying rates down through awareness and education. The organization had previously been based out of the 107 Main Road home of JD Foundation founder Cheryl Morin and her husband Vic, but now a converted carriage house on the Morins’ property will serve as the organization headquarters. The office space was formally opened during a ceremony on Oct. 14.

A father and son in Sangerville plan to be very busy over the next few months, fixing up bicycles to give to children who otherwise may not be able to have a model of their own.

Three years ago residents approved an ordinance concerning private distribution corridors, including paved highways, pipelines and high-tension transmission lines. The moratorium enacted in 2014 -- meaning permits for these types of development projects cannot be granted during the timeline -- was in effect for 180 days. The moratorium has since been renewed six times with the current extension in place through Nov. 26.

Numerous social media posts and signs around town have been encouraging the community and beyond to vote for Foxcroft Academy boys soccer and wrestling coach Luis Ayala in the U.S. Cellular Most Valuable Coach program. The efforts have paid off so far, as Ayala -- who also coaches soccer and wrestling for various age groups -- is one of 15 nationwide finalists now eligible for the Most Valuable Coach honor.

Rep. Norman Higgins of Dover-Foxcroft has announced that he has unenrolled from the Republican Party and will represent his district as an independent.

During an Oct. 12 council meeting, Town Manager Jim Chandler said he and Police Chief Kevin Wintle attended the recent MMA convention in Augusta with a number of sessions there concerning marijuana.

For the first month of school students and families at the SeDoMoCha Elementary School had the opportunity to read “Lost on a Mountain in Maine” at home together during the eighth annual One Book, One School program -- copies of the book were provided by the school. The shared reading program concluded with a celebration on the evening of Oct. 5 with dinner, a nature walk, crafts and games.

During an Oct. 4 meeting of the SAD 41 school board, Superintendent Michael Wright said a week and a half prior the capital improvement committee met with Jim Lucy of Honeywell -- which has worked at the complex for a number of decades and would likely apply -- to discuss putting out request for qualifications to decide on a firm to help implement the QZAB funds before the end of year deadline.

The RSU 68 superintendent’s office will be relocated from the second floor of the SeDoMoCha School complex to a former Head Start building off of Autumn Avenue next to campus, as a $38,000 offer on the property was accepted by the owners of the structure. The move will be made to help deal with space issues.