With the summer travel season just around the corner, the Maine Office of Tourism anticipates another good year for the tourism industry in Maine.

On Tuesday, June 13 residents of the SAD 41 communities of Atkinson, Brownville, LaGrange and Milo will be voting on an approximate $474,000 loan from the state’s school revolving renovation fund for sprinkler and elevator system upgrades at the Penquis Valley School. Under the program the state would cover 70 percent of the costs, meaning a little more than $142,000 would be paid back by the district over five years at zero percent interest.

It is a rare Mainer who isn't fascinated, or at least curious, when it comes to tales from the Maine Warden Service.

For several months seventh- and eighth-graders at the SeDoMoCha Middle School have been developing projects -- either on their own or in pairs -- for the annual science fair. On the evening of May 18, the students presented their findings to the public with projects on display in the cafeteria and adjacent multipurpose room.

More than 200 people walked or ran a little more than three miles through the streets of Dover-Foxcroft on the morning of May 20 in the Abbot-based JD Foundation’s second annual Walk/Run to Wake the Silence. Those participating in the five kilometer walk and ceremonies raised an estimated $8,500 for the nonprofit organization dedicated to curbing suicide and bullying through education and support.

Maine election officials are readying for an election in just over three weeks that you already may have forgotten about — if you knew about it at all. Mainers will vote June 13 on a $50 million bond issue for economic development, $45 million of which would be earmarked for infrastructure, equipment and technology upgrades in seven targeted sectors, including aquaculture, forestry, agriculture and composite materials.

After looking into a pair of bids that were more than $28,000 apart, the Piscataquis County Commissioners awarded pre-paving ditching and culvert work for a 1.8-mile stretch of the Elliottsville Road to Bennett Construction of Guilford for the lower price of $10,350.

Husband and wife business owners who have given back in numerous ways since coming to the area a half dozen years ago have been honored by the Valley Grange with the 2017 Community Citizens of the Year honor. Will and Melissa Wedge, owners of Will’s Shop ‘n Save in Dover-Foxcroft, received the recognition on the evening of May 19 at the Grange Hall.

Amazon's EchoDot looks like a hockey puck. But this small, voice activated device, "connects to Alexa, a cloud-based voice service that is always getting smarter. Just ask and Alexa will provide information, play music, read the news, set alarms, control smart home devices and more," according to Amazon.

Those of us who winter over in the South get spoiled in a lot of ways. For one thing, we tend to take the sun for granted. Day after day that big bright orb comes up in the eastern sky in the morning and then drops below the western horizon late in the day.

For the equivalent of four full days from May 11-15 the more than 58,300 Americans who lost their lives during the Vietnam War were honored as Shirley B. Carter VFW Post 4298 hosted the Moving Wall at Bud Ellms Field.

While the two districts are in the midst of the application process for an integrated, consolidated grade 9-16 educational facility, SAD 4 and AOS 94 -- which includes the Dexter-based SAD 46 and the towns of Athens and Harmony -- are also looking into ways to save money and share resources in the more immediate future. During a May 9 meeting of the SAD 4 school board, the directors voted to send a written request to AOS 94 to enter into a one-year cost sharing agreement with the neighboring school unit.

With the most recent monthly meeting starting at 4 p.m. on May 10, the selectmen opted to remain with a regular session schedule of the second Wednesday of the month at 4 p.m. at the town hall -- with additional meetings taking place as needed.

The four classes of kindergarteners at the SeDoMoCha Elementary School had some special visitors on the afternoon of Friday, May 12 as many of the students had their mothers, and/or some other family members, stop by for the annual Mother’s Day Tea in the school cafeteria.

Public hearings for both a proposed corridor moratorium ordinance extension and the June 13 referendum will be part of the next selectmen’s meeting on Monday, May 22 at 6:30 p.m. at the Morton Avenue Municipal Building.

Legislation to allow hunters to wear red if their religion prohibits them from wearing orange earned support in the Maine House on Thursday, May 11. The bipartisan vote was 120-27.

Despite a cool start to the spring season, planning is well underway for summertime as the Dexter Town Council gave its approval to closures on public ways for three events across July and August during a May 11 meeting.

This is one of my memories of living during the Vietnam War. When my older brother, Craig, told me Gary had been killed in Vietnam -- I thought of the skates, the shadows, and the ice.