Moose are Maine’s largest big game animal by far. Bulls have been known to top the scales in excess of 1,000 lbs! Because of their sheer size and body mass, they can be difficult to put down, even with a high-powered rifle -- if shot placement is not good. For ethical, as well as practical reasons, moose hunters need to zero in their rifles carefully and practice their marksmanship at various distances long before the fall hunt of a lifetime. Shot placement is key, even more important, really, than the caliber of choice!

Gabe Irwin, grandson of the famous blind hiker Bill Irwin who moved to Sebec later in his life, completed the Appalachian Trail on Sunday, Sept. 8, reaching the trail’s northern end atop Katahdin. The long journey brought to life the family story he’s heard since he was a child, and opened his eyes to the enormity of his grandfather’s accomplishment.

During a Sept. 10 school board meeting in the Piscataquis Community High School library, Superintendent Kelly MacFadyen said a strategic planning information night is set for 6 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 23 in the PCHS library (more information is available at www.sad4.org).

Girl Scouts of Maine announced that it will host new member sign-up events for potential members and volunteers at locations throughout the state every month, including at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 19 at the Ridge View Community School.

A kickoff for Erma’s Books on the Bus at the SeDoMoCha School will be at 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 12 as the free program will provide over 800 books for kids on their rides.

A pair of extrication tools and a half dozen airbags for the Dover-Foxcroft Fire Department will expand the capabilities of firefighters responding to various accident calls, such as cutting through hard material and lifting heavy debris.

The Dexter Historical Society and the Abbott Memorial Library will hold a ceremony on Sunday, Sept. 22 at 2 p.m. to rededicate the memorial urn at the foot of the Dexter’s Civil War Monument.

ixteen years ago, the last time a governor-initiated group attempted to better understand a growing ATV community in the state, the machines that riders were taking into the woods were small, light and mobile. That’s not the case anymore. And that’s why an ATV task force formed by Maine Gov. Janet Mills is tackling a new slate of ATV issues related to bigger, wider and heavier machines that have simply outgrown the existing ATV trail system.

On Saturday, Sept. 21 Hippy Chick Natural Solutions will celebrate the grand opening of McAllister,’s newest endeavor “The Pineapple Boutique,” a bakery-style shop carrying items such as hemp-infused teas and cocoa, cookies, scones, muffins and breads as well as a number of frozen infused meals like perogies, stews and casseroles and apple-crisp. The boutique will also carry non-food items such as salves, soaps, bath bombs, infused elderberry syrup and more.

Michael and Wendy Denney, innkeepers at the Guilford Bed and Breakfast, will host a harvest-themed Chamber Business After-Hours from 5-7 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 19. Business After Hours events are gatherings designed to give member businesses the opportunity to open their doors to surrounding business owners that may not otherwise visit, for a night of casual networking and socializing.

Once again in the 2019-20 school year SeDoMoCha Elementary School families will have the opportunity to read together as part of a shared reading experience through the 10th annual One Book, One School program. For a month through early October students and family members will read and discuss “The One and Only Ivan” by K.A. Applegate, which tells the story of a silverback gorilla who lives in a cage at the mall

Aroostook County has always had an allure for me. Not just because of the great trout fishing, of which my family and I have partaken often over the years, but for many other reasons, too.

Today, let’s take a deep breath, appreciate what we have, and reflect on how quickly everything could change. Perhaps we go out in the morning, walk into our back field for a bit of exercise, or to cut some wood, or to dig around for some gemstones that we know are waiting in that sandy pile of soil. And perhaps we never come back.

During a Sept. 4 school board meeting in the library Director of Building and Grounds Donnie Richards said the majority of three dozen heaters arrived earlier in the day. “The piping’s going well, most of the middle school classrooms are done and they’re working through the night,” he said about the contractors.

The Dover-Foxcroft Police Department is working with the Piscataquis County District Attorney’s Office to determine if charges will be filed in connection with the report of a man in a car pointing an assault rifle at a man Tuesday in the Dover-Foxcroft Shopping Plaza parking lot on West Main Street.

Students in RSU 68 had been attending classes for a week at the SeDoMoCha School for elementary and middle school and at Foxcroft Academy for high school when the school board heard updates on the start of the 2019-20 academic year during a Sept. 3 directors meeting at the SeDoMoCha School.

Children in and around Dover-Foxcroft have the opportunity to get more comfortable and confident with their word skills thanks to “READing with Erma.” Erma is a 7-year-old German shorthaired pointer and her handler April Taylor is a resident of Lakeland, Florida who summers in Sebec.

With hints of autumn in the air, the temperatures cooler and the days shorter, our thoughts turn to … the Harold J. Crosby Community Band Camp. This year’s camp, the fourth annual, will run from Sept. 13-15 at the Ridge View Community School.