By Aislinn Sarnacki I’ve been finding strange things along hiking trails recently.

MONSON — Marilou Ranta never considered herself or her restaurant elite like the culinary gems of Portland, Boston and New York that typically receive national recognition.

JMG, a leading organization in Maine committed to empowering Maine students, is delighted to announce that it has been awarded a $10,000 State Farm Good Neighbor Citizenship Company Grant.

Observer photo/Jeannette Hughes TORCH RUN — Officers from Dover-Foxcroft Police Department, Piscataquis County Sheriff’s Office, Milo Police Department, Maine Warden Service, Maine State Police, and some younger runners all took turns carrying the torch 8-plus miles from Guilford to Dover-Foxcroft in a Special Olympics Torch Run on June 8.

GUILFORD — Local educators Olivia Dow and Jessica Buckingham will join Pine Tree Camp staff this summer when Pine Tree Society brings “Camp on the Road” to Guilford.

The Brownville Junction High School Alumni Association has given out scholarships annually for the last 40 years.

By Judy Harrison, Bangor Daily News Staff A new study concluded Maine’s court system needs nine additional judges and 40 more clerks to efficiently deliver justice to Mainers.

By Billy Kobin, Bangor Daily News Staff AUGUSTA — Maine could restore the original state flag after lawmakers took their first favorable vote on the idea late on June 6.

MILO — With SAD 41/AOS 43 Superintendent Michael Wright retiring at the end of the academic year, the school units did not have to look far to find his successor.

Photo courtesy of Senate Republican Office EDUCATOR HONOR — On June 6 Sen.

“Behind the rock walls in Sebec we have been working on an amazing project,” says Joi Stevens of Rockwall Doodles.

DOVER-FOXCROFT — Piscataquis County has never had a logo of its own, instead various emblems and icons have been used over the years.

By Emily Burnham, Bangor Daily News Staff A restaurant in the Piscataquis County town of Monson won a James Beard Award on Monday night for Outstanding Hospitality, making it the seventh restaurant or chef in Maine to be honored with the award.

AUGUSTA — Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife in conjunction with the City of Augusta will hold the annual moose lottery at Mill Park this Saturday, June 10.

DOVER-FOXCROFT — Eastern Maine Community College and Northern Light Mayo Hospital recently recognized five individuals who successfully completed their coursework to become nurses.

BROWNVILLE — Brownville Elementary’s 2023 Career Day was a huge success.

Jobs for Maine’s Graduates is pleased to announce that the organization and scholarship partners have awarded scholarships to 10 exceptional individuals.

Photos courtesy of Three Rivers Kiwanis DAY OF FISHING — On May 16 Three Rivers Kiwanis hosted “Hooked on Fishing, Not Drugs” for Brownville Elementary School fourth-graders.