The City of Rockland will hold a Public Hearing on Monday, July 14, at 5:30 p.m., in Council Chambers at Rockland City Hall, located at 270 Pleasant Street in Rockland, to discuss an application being submitted to the State of Maine CDBG program for a Public Service Grant.

The purpose of the grant application is to expand services provided by the Rockland Police Department’s Youth Diversion Team and Youth Mentoring Program.

Lake Stewards of Maine (LSM) will host a Live Plant Identification workshop, July 9, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., at Coastal Rivers’ Denny Conservation and Education Center in Damariscotta.

In this indoor class, participants will learn how to identify a number of common native and invasive aquatic plants. This program will cover basic botany, plant structure, and life cycles of approximately 40 aquatic plants.

The Rockland City Council invites all Rockland renters and landlords to an important public forum on rent stabilization. The forum will take place on Wednesday, July 9, 2025, at 5:30 p.m., at City Hall, 270 Pleasant Street. 

"This will mark the beginning of a vital community-wide discussion regarding rent stabilization within Rockland," said the City of Rockland, in a news release.

ROCKPORT — MaineHealth Pen Bay Hospital welcomes Christopher Edwards, MD, to its Neurology department.

Dr. Edwards comes to MHPBH from Ochsner Medical Center in New Orleans, Louisiana, where he was a neurologist and senior staff physician for the past eight years. He also served as co-director of the Ochsner ALS Clinic for the past seven years. Dr. Edwards specializes in neuromuscular disorders, nerve conduction and electromyography.

The Friends of the Friendship/Cushing Food Pantry is sponsoring a Silent Auction to raise funds to support the food pantry, Friday, July 25, from 5 to 7 p.m., and Saturday, July 26, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at the Main Meeting House of the Cushing Historical Society, 17 Hathorne Point Road, in Cushing. The Friendship/Cushing Food Pantry is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable organization, run entirely by volunteers.

Admission to the auction is free, and there will be no bidder’s fee. All proceeds from the auction will go to the Food Pantry.

Jake Barbour has been honored as Rockland Rotary Community Person of the Year 2025 by Rockland Rotary. 

Jake Barbour is president of JBI, which is a full-service earthworks contractor based in the Midcoast area. He is also the Parks and Recreation director for the City of Rockland. Barbour has done many things for the community over the years with monetary and “In Kind” assistance.

Ken Gricus has been named 2025 Rotarian of the Year by Rockland Rotary. 

Gricus joined Rockland Rotary in 1972 at the age of 35. At that time, Rev. William Robbins was the president and Rotary was a suit-and-tie association made up of professional men.

Maine State Credit Union is bringing its Shred-It event to the Rockland community, Friday, July 25, 2025, at its branch located at 168 Camden Street. From 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., Shredding On-Site will be securely disposing of personal and sensitive documents — free of charge.

BAR HARBOR — St. George MSU Superintendent Mike Felton was honored for his outstanding educational leadership and dedication to Maine’s children at the 2025 Maine Department of Education Commissioner’s Conference for Superintendents on Monday, June 23.

Janet Morecraft and Eastern Tire and Auto Service (Eastern Tire) will be honored at this year’s Summer Soiree Benefit.

“Their unwavering commitment and financial support for PAWS deserves to be honored and recognized,” said Casey Baugher,  Executive Director, PAWS Animal Adoption Center, in a news release.

Janet Morecraft is a founder of PAWS and a lifelong animal activist.

On Sunday, July 20, from 10 - Noon, the Washington Lakes and Watershed Association is holding its annual Invasive CMS Snail Round-Up and Awareness Derby. 

The round-up will be held at the Washington Pond Boat Launch located on Razorville Road, Washington. 

Text 207-692-7326 for more information about the derby.

It’s hard not to be impressed by the Ioniq 5. Even EV haters are captivated by its silent swoosh of torque—one of the things everyone likes about electric cars. As a hatchback with its wheels shoved out to the corners, the batteries dropped into the floorpan and nicely weighted steering, the Ioniq 5 is also nimble and responsive but firmly planted and reassuring. Especially in Limited trim, it’s well equipped, too.

Join Georges River Land Trust and the Maine Forest Service, July 25, at 4 p.m., for a tree-focused walk at Appleton Preserve. Woodland appreciators will leave this program with a knowledge of Maine’s native trees, practical tree identification skills, and insights into forest stewardship.

Maine Forest Service District Forester Allyssa Gregory will lead this program and provide tree identification. Participants will learn to identify tree species by looking at form, branching arrangement, buds, bark, and present foliage.

ROCKPORT — MaineHealth Pen Bay Hospital welcomes its newest volunteers: Mango, a pet therapy dog, and his handler, Cristina Lindsay.

Mango, a four-and-a-half-year-old American black Labrador, began training as a therapy dog at just 10 weeks old in Oregon, offering comfort to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. With a calm demeanor, sharp instincts and a friendly presence, he quickly earned the title of “Employee Morale Specialist.”

Trekkers, a Rockland-based nonprofit youth mentoring organization, welcomes four new members to its Board of Directors, reinforcing its commitment to engaging community and youth voices within its leadership.

ROCKLAND — The community paid its final respects to K9 Marek, member of the Rockland Police Department since 2023, on Wednesday, June 25, 2025, in a solemn ceremony at a Rockland funeral home. Marek retired officially at the end of December 2024. He passed away at home June 16 at home, surrounded by family.

HOPE — “The entire department is going to go through enormous change,” said Hope Town Administrator Samantha Mank. “I think it’s really important to acknowledge that not one man is having a challenge to rise to, but everybody is going to have to band together for the same challenge, and that it’s going to be a very huge team effort.”

A Grand Opening will be held for Stone Coast Weaving School, a new educational organization in Midcoast Maine dedicated to preserve, promote, and teach the craft of hand-weaving to all ages. The event takes place Saturday and Sunday, June 28 and 29, from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., at 18 Spring Street, Belfast.

Karin Cole, M.D., has been named Caregiver of the Year by the Maine Hospital Association, “in recognition of outstanding commitment to patient care.” Dr. Cole is a surgeon at Northern Lights Mercy Hospital in Portland. The award was presented June 18, 2025, at the MHA’s Summer Forum at the Samoset Resort, in Rockport.

This June, Girl Scouts of Knox delivered just over 150 cases of cookies to five towns throughout the Knox Service Unit, delivered by their Product Program Supervisor and girls from multiple troops.