Two local long-term care facilities now have the opportunity to connect residents and their families who have been restricted from visiting due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Thanks to a gift from The Commons, the Hibbard Skilled Nursing & Rehabilitation Center and Hilltop Manor have new iPad 4 tablets to help residents see and talk to family using Zoom or other technology platforms.

Piscataquis County may not be at the epicenter of Maine’s battle against the COVID-19  pandemic -- as of Sunday there is only one positive test among its 16,800 residents. That’s not to say the impact of the coronavirus stops at the county line, including the food insecurity that comes with rapidly expanding unemployment around the state.

More and more, the government’s nationwide COVID-19 mitigation measures are resembling a fictional nightmare from the pages of “1984,” George Orwell’s dystopian novel about oppressive government run amok.

All 16 of the state’s counties have confirmed cases with the first case confirmed in Piscataquis County on Sunday. It was last Maine county to report a case.

Harry Oakes started life as a shy, small town kid, growing up in the 1870s and 80s in the Piscataquis County towns of Sangerville and, later, Dover-Foxcroft, the third of five children. His life ended in 1943, as one of the wealthiest men in North America, and as the victim of a mysterious, violent murder that remains unsolved.

While the initial phase of the plan included work packet distribution from day one, and collection in the following weeks, SAD 4 concurrently began moving into the online classroom. We sent iPads home with all students in grades 3-8 on day one, and with students in grades pre-K-2 as appropriate, to provide greater opportunity to access learning. 

Just three weeks after Renys closed all of its 14 stores because of the coronavirus outbreak, the iconic Maine retailer said it will offer curbside pickup for a limited number of purchases.

Gov. Janet Mills said on Friday that her administration was devising a plan to gradually reopen Maine’s economy, though she reiterated that stopping the spread of the novel coronavirus in Maine was the key to allowing business activities to resume.

The club’s Prevent Child Abuse America Chairman Minnie McCormick thought spinning pinwheels might brighten some spirits so she decided to take the old ones and put them on her lawn in Dover-Foxcroft.

The proposed RSU 68 budget for the 2020-21 academic year is up slightly to a figure of $11,970,877, as presented by Superintendent Stacy Shorey during an April 14 school board meeting at the SeDoMoCha School streamed live on Youtube. The $11.97 million figure represents an increase of 1.58 percent from the current year’s budget of $11,784,238.

That effort received a boost this month as The Commons was one of five historic Maine buildings -- two in Dover-Foxcroft --  to receive a Northeast Heritage Economy Program grant to continue the restoration of the 138-year-old edifice.

Full Plates Full Potential, Maine’s only statewide child hunger organization is proud to announce the Piscataquis County 2019 16 County Summer Grant Competition winner. The town of Milo will receive a $500 Summer Meals Program Grant to support the 2020 summer program.

The U.S. Census Bureau would like to remind parents and families who are staying at home amid the COVID-19 crisis to remember that the 2020 Census is here, and it is important to count their children.

University of Maine Cooperative Extension is offering Maine farmers a chance to connect online from 7-8 p.m. on Fridays to ask questions, get answers and share information.

Pine Tree Hospice’s volunteers make up a large group of women and men in Piscataquis, Penobscot, and Somerset counties, giving 4,399 hours of their time last year. They come from every walk of life and bring with them life experiences that make them perfect matches for the many clients with life-limiting illnesses.

SAD 4 and other districts across the state are now educating students remotely through the end of the academic year. School board members learned more about the current methods of instruction during an April 14 meeting held via video conference and conference call.

Baxter State Park will be closed to camping, vehicle access and travel above tree line until further notice, with a target opening date of July 1.

Paul Zimmerman and Martha Ward already had planned an improvement project for the Red Maple Inn in Guilford again this year. They’ve invested in their Piscataquis County restaurant and lounge annually since moving the business across the street in 2013 to its current location -- the former Braeburn Hotel annex on North Main Street. Little did Zimmerman and Ward know how much free time they’d have for renovation this year after the Red Maple Inn and other restaurants around the state were closed to dine-in customers as of March 18 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.