It was my honor to present to retired First Sgt. Jeff Weatherbee the Maine Honorable Service Coin,” Sen. Paul Davis, R-Sangerville, left, said.

This past deer season a 7-year-old deer hunter made the front page of the Bangor Daily News – above the fold! She had a reason to  smile. With the help of her grandfather, the young girl had bagged a trophy buck that will earn her the right to wear a Biggest-Bucks-in-Maine patch.

Maine State Police and Maine Drug Enforcement Agency agents charged three people with drug trafficking and seized $130,000 worth of drugs Wednesday night, Dec. 11 following a traffic stop on I-95 near Bangor.

Business owners and other stakeholders from around the Moosehead Lake region gathered at the Trailside Restaurant on Dec. 10. Attendees at the Destination Moosehead Lake annual meeting got updates on the relatively new organization’s progress. Guests also heard from Steve Lyons, director of the Maine Office of Tourism, and keynote speaker Carolann Ouellette, director of the state’s new Office of Outdoor Recreation.

The SAD 41 school board learned more about PVAEC programs during a presentation by PVAEC Director Thelma Regan during a Dec. 11 meeting at the Penquis Valley School. Next month the directors are set to vote on continuing district membership in the cooperative for another year.

The town of Monson has received a $7,000 grant from the Broadband Initiative of the Maine Community Foundation to bring downtown Wi-Fi to Monson to continue the recent growth.

U.S. Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine and Angus King, I-Maine announced that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has awarded $635,688 in funding to Sebasticook Family Doctors and another $1,492,719 to Greater Portland Health.

A Milo man is facing multiple charges after he allegedly killed a cat and shot at his wife and children as they fled the family home in Milo. Frank C. Foss Jr., 25, was arrested Sunday, Dec. 7 and charged with four counts of domestic violence reckless conduct with a dangerous weapon and one count each of domestic violence terrorizing with a dangerous weapon, operating under the influence of intoxicants and cruelty to animals.

Eastern Maine Community College is proud to announce the hiring of the new Director of Workforce Development Chris Winstead. He comes to the college having most recently served as the executive director for Piscataquis County Economic Development Council since 2015.

Fisheries conservationists from around the country will converge on Bangor in August, as Trout Unlimited will stage its national annual meeting in the Queen City of the East Aug. 19-23, 2020. Hundreds of volunteers are expected to attend, learn about conservation efforts that have succeeded in Eastern Maine and discuss coldwater conservation issues with their peers, as well as staffers, scientists and partners from state and federal agencies.

With the current academic year nearing the halfway point, RSU 68 district officials have started work on developing the budget for 2020-21.

A $4.8 million-plus Piscataquis County budget for 2020, along with a $1,804,670 Unorganized Territory budget for the 2020-21 fiscal year, were both formally approved and signed by the county commissioners during a Dec. 10 meeting.

U.S. Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine and Angus King, I-Maine announced their nominees to the United States military academies. Among the nominees is Greenville High School senior Halle Pelletier to the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado

The 2019 riding season has come to a close for the Piscataquis County United Bikers of Maine. As usual, members have had a very busy year. Each winter, they plan their rides for the spring, summer and fall. Along with many fun rides, they also plan several rides to benefit local charities and individual people in the county.

The Greenville Fire Department will be recognized for receiving the Maine Department of Labor’s Safety and Health Award for Public Employers (SHAPE) at a selectmen’s meeting at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 18. The award will be presented to Chief Matthew St. Laurent at the town office, 7 Mindon St.

Piscataquis Community High School students Faith Ohlson, Sam Maines, Caleb Bailey and Tyler Libby, mentored by Thomas College student Megan Cousins, won the 2-foot trophy on Saturday. This is the first time students from PCHS have won this competition.

Each year about this time, the Maine Warden Service urges us to use extreme caution before venturing out onto any ice that may be covering Maine’s waterways.

When the former Guilford Primary building went up for sale last summer, the organization operating a fitness center at that location decided it was time to act.