Hearings were held at the State House Monday on a number of bills that would make changes to Maine’s social services programs, particularly Temporary Assistance for Needy Families. There were at least 10 bills related to TANF on the public hearing docket and they covered a broad spectrum of proposals.

In my column two weeks ago we met Foxcroft Academy’s music director Joshua Guthrie, and highlighted the exceptional music classes available there to high school students. Mr. Guthrie spoke of how the internet is changing the music profession, and how FA music students, in Guthrie’s words, “are right at that perfect time to take advantage of that.” How do Piscataquis County musicians — aspiring or professional — take advantage of this perfect time in the music industry?

Let's get one thing straight from the start: I love dogs. Sally, probably the last dog I will ever have, needed to be put down a few years back, after she was mauled by my neighbor's unleashed Saint Bernard. I wrote about it at the time. It was a dreadful experience.

Charles A Dean Memorial Hospital is pleased to announce the completion of the expanded Northwoods Clinic in Sangerville. A ribbon-cutting ceremony is scheduled for Tuesday, April 25 from 5 to 6:30 p.m. at Northwoods Healthcare at 22 Haley Court.

The following cases were heard under the Piscataquis Criminal Docket at the Dover-Foxcroft Courthouse during the months of January through March, 2017

The community will now be able to utilize AARP resources as an application to the AARP/World Health Organization Network of Age Friendly Communities has been approved. “We are officially an Age Friendly Community, I got that word this week,” Town Manager Shelley Watson said during an April 13 town council meeting. She said a kick-off event will be scheduled for Friday, May 19, time and location to be announced.

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 an April 11 meeting of the SAD 4 school board, the directors voted to send a written request to AOS 94 Superintendent Kevin Jordan to explore a one-year cost sharing agreement with the neighboring school unit.

The selectmen signed a 10-article warrant for the annual town meeting on Saturday, April 29 at 9 a.m. in the gym at the Morton Avenue Municipal Building complex, during an April 10 meeting.

After facing a number of referendums last November with questionable constitutionality, one state senator is looking to prevent such questions from being posed to Maine voters. Republican Sen. Eric Brakey, R-Androscoggin, submitted legislation last week that would amend the Maine State Constitution and prevent unconstitutional referendum questions from appearing on Maine ballots.

Suppose you’re a young, aspiring musician living in Piscataquis County. Or a young musician whose family is relocating to Piscataquis County. What kind of music scene will you find there?

The Maine Warden Service celebrated its 137th anniversary on April 14 at the Winslow VFW. This year’s Legendary Game Warden Award was presented to Retired Game Warden Don Annis of Monson.

When it comes to Maine sportsmen and wild turkeys, there are two distinct groups: those who hunt ‘em and those who hate ‘em. Count me among the former. Having hunted them with a shotgun and a bow, it’s beyond me why anyone who loves to hunt is not enjoying this spring opportunity. There is a mysterious allure to these homely critters whose primordial sounds in the turkey woods still give me goose bumps even to this day. And, if cooked properly, they are tasty table fare as well.

Members of the General Federation of Women’s Clubs (GFWC)/Miosac Club placed about 120 symbolic pinwheels at the entrance to the Dover-Foxcroft United Methodist Church on April 12 in observance of Prevent Child Abuse America Month, part of the GFWC Signature Project of Domestic Violence Awareness

Piscataquis Community Elementary School fifth-graders Jacob Duncan, right, and Isaac Worster hop over a pair of ropes as classmate Dominic Cookson twirls the jump ropes during the school’s annual Jump Rope for Heart program on April 7. Students at the school in Guilford took part in healthy activities, such as jumping rope, hula hooping and basketball, and also raised money for the American Heart Association.

With the finance committee having finished its work, a draft budget for the 2017-18 academic year was brought forward from the group to the full school board during an April 4 meeting. The directors are scheduled to vote on the spending plan during the May meeting

At last month’s annual town meeting, residents -- by a count of 131 to 43 -- voted to defund the Brownville Police Department after March 31 and rely on the existing coverage from the Piscataquis County Sheriff’s Office for the region as of April 1. During a selectmen’s meeting April 5 at Brownville Elementary, attendees learned that town officials are consulting with legal counsel on how to proceed. A special town meeting may be held in the future, with potential warrant articles concerning whether to formally dissolve the police department and the sale of police vehicles and equipment

The Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry (DACF) is tracking Maine lake “Ice-Out.” This annual effort provides boaters, anglers and other outdoor enthusiasts with information, data and resources to help plan outdoor adventures on Maine lakes. It is available for spring 2017 and for previous years on an Ice-Out webpage maintained by the Department. The public is invited to assist this effort by reporting ice-out dates for water bodies throughout the state.

Deer yards, or deer wintering areas, are a critical component of deer survival in Maine. Nearly 15 years ago, in an article about the status of Maine’s deer yards, I wrote this: As state biologists prepare Maine's next 15-year plan for deer management, which is due to be approved early this year, deer wintering habitat (deer yards) has become the focal point. Over the past decade, there has been a marked decline in deer wintering areas, especially in Northern and Eastern Maine where deer populations are down.