Deer Isle outbreak / Louis Sockalexis / Game warden suspension

Today is Friday. Temperatures will be in the low to high 20s from north to south, with partly sunny skies throughout the state. Here’s what we’re taking about in Maine today.

Here’s the latest on the coronavirus in Maine

A record-high 619 new coronavirus cases and nine deaths were reported in Maine on Thursday, according to the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention. There are now 6,937 active confirmed and “probable” cases in the state, and the death toll stands at 276. Check out our COVID-19 Tracker for more information.

Businesses that fail to enforce the governor’s mask mandate could find themselves charged with crime and faced with a stiff fine, according to the Maine attorney general’s office.

Virus outbreak at Deer Isle nursing home has become Maine’s 4th largest

In this March 19, 2020, file photo, a man walks by the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention on Water Street in Augusta. Credit: Troy R. Bennett / BDN

Sixty-two residents and 31 staff members at Island Nursing Home have tested positive for the coronavirus in just more than three weeks, since the first case was detected. Twelve residents have died.

What Mainers need to know about Moderna’s new coronavirus vaccine

In this July 27, 2020, file photo, a nurse prepares a syringe during a study of a possible COVID-19 vaccine, developed by the National Institutes of Health and Moderna Inc., in Binghamton, New York. Credit: Hans Pennick / AP Credit: Hans Pennick / AP

In Maine, the new vaccine means that capacity will nearly double. More rural hospitals are expected to get their first dedicated doses next week as pharmacies mobilize to vaccinate staff and residents at skilled nursing and other residential facilities. Here’s what you need to know.

PLUS: Gov. Janet Mills is considering getting inoculated against the coronavirus in public to show confidence in the new vaccine, but she will wait until health experts determine her place in line.

Maine’s COVID-19 vaccination plan for nursing homes plagued with doubts

In this May 4, 2020, file photo, a patient enrolled in Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine clinical trial gets a dose at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore. Credit: Courtesy of University of Maryland School of Medicine via AP

Maine’s nursing homes are preparing to vaccinate staff and vulnerable residents by next week, but the rollout is plagued with questions as homes report start times into January amid concerns about vaccine volume and the pharmacy giants leading the effort.

This Penobscot baseball player inspired the Cleveland Indians name ‘for all the wrong reasons’

Louis Sockalexis, in an undated photo taken during his professional baseball career between 1897 and 1907. Credit: Public domain

It was a historic day in 1897 when Louis Sockalexis, a 26-year-old member of the Penobscot tribe, became the first Native American Major League Baseball player, taking the field for the Cleveland Spiders. But Sockalexis was met with shouted racial slurs, demeaning “war whoops” and fans doing “war dances” every time he took the field.

Warden temporarily loses license for groping woman during Bangor concert

Maine game warden Jeremy Judd leaves the courtroom after he pleaded guilty Wednesday to a disorderly conduct charge from an incident in July 2019 at a Bangor concert and in exchange for his plea, charges of assault and unlawful sexual touching filed against Judd were dismissed. Credit: Linda Coan O’Kresik / BDN Credit: Linda Coan O'Kresik / BDN

The discipline is part of a civil agreement reached last week between Jeremy Judd of Mechanic Falls and the Maine Criminal Justice Academy Board of Trustees. The academy’s decision prompted the Maine Warden Service to place Judd on administrative leave for the second time in 18 months.

Watch these 2 bobcats play in this trail camera video

Two bobcats were caught playing on a trail camera. Credit: Courtesy of Christopher Almy

Well, at least one of the cats is having fun. One just looks annoyed because its buddy gave it a shove.

UMaine men’s hockey players in quarantine, series called off after positive COVID-19 test

J.D. Greenway (middle) of the University of Maine men’s hockey team skates the puck away from Boston University players during a March 2020 game at Alfond Arena in Orono. Credit: Courtesy of Pete Buehner Credit: Peter Buehner / UMaine Athletics

The student-athletes are in quarantine, but contact tracing done by the University of Maine Emergency Operations Center deemed that the coaching and direct support staff of men’s hockey team were not considered close contacts requiring mandatory quarantine as outlined by guidance from the University of Maine System and the Maine CDC.