Today is Wednesday. Temperatures will be in the low to high 30s from north to south, with clouds parting to give way to mostly sunny skies in the south. Here’s what we’re talking about in Maine today.
Here’s the latest on the coronavirus in Maine
Another 11 deaths and 715 more coronavirus cases were reported across the state on Tuesday, according to the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention. The death toll now stands at 449. Check out our COVID-19 Tracker for more information.
Thirty-nine residents and 17 staff have tested positive for the virus at the Barron Center, a city-operated senior-living facility, according to the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention. The cases have accrued in the past two months as community transmission has spiked this winter.
Belfast protesters test the limits of free speech after deadly Capitol riot
An anti-mask demonstrator pushed a man into traffic following a tense exchange that was captured on video and posted online.
Angus King backs impeachment for Trump’s role in the Capitol riot
Sen. Angus King joined the growing chorus of lawmakers calling for President Donald Trump’s impeachment on Tuesday, saying last Wednesday’s insurrection at the U.S. Capitol showed he was a “danger to the Republic.”
PLUS: U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree is throwing her support behind a resolution to condemn and investigate more than 140 lawmakers who backed a failed bid to overturn the results of the Electoral College.
PLUS: With a sudden force, the wall of Republican support that has enabled Trump to weather a seemingly endless series of crises is beginning to erode.
New Bangor pharmacy is playing a key role in vaccinating against COVID-19
Today, the pharmacists from the St. John Valley — Charles Ouellette runs St. John Valley Pharmacy in Fort Kent and John Hebert runs Hebert Rexall Pharmacy in Van Buren — are playing a key role in vaccinating long-term care facility residents and staff members against COVID-19.
Janet Mills signals she will advance older, vulnerable Mainers on vaccine priority list
The change in strategy has been considered for weeks, and Maine health officials have mostly declined to speculate on what the state would do if it occurred. But Mills said Tuesday that it was “appropriate” for the first vaccines to go to older residents and that she would be announcing updates to the plan soon.
Judge says GOP lawmaker’s bid to block Maine referendum law unlikely to succeed
The lawsuit led by state Rep. Billy Bob Faulkingham, R-Winter Harbor, his political action committee and a national group backing the referendum bid asked a U.S. District Court judge to put a law on hold requiring people who circulate petitions to get questions on the ballot be registered to vote in the towns they circulate in.
Piscataquis County’s real estate market sees highest sales since 2007
Maine’s least populated county saw robust home sales in 2020.
State lawmaker’s Bangor convenience store burglarized
Two men broke into Joe Perry’s Garland Street market early Tuesday, stealing nearly $1,300 in cash and products.
Bangor hopes this change will reduce sprawl and improve housing stock
Many Bangor homeowners can now add onto their homes or make significant renovations without flouting city codes.
Winter is play time for the otters and this Maine photographer is there for it
When ice starts forming along Maine’s rivers and streams in the late fall, Sheila Wakefield knows it’s time to start looking for river otters. Visiting waterways throughout northern Penobscot County, she and her husband, Tim Wakefield, search for these playful, aquatic animals all winter long.
They call the activity “ottering.”
Bobcat takes a plump gray squirrel home for dinner
Now, the rest of us wouldn’t go tromping through the woods with a pretty chubby-looking gray squirrel in our mouths, but who are we to pass judgment on this hungry cat? A kitty’s gotta eat, after all.
In other Maine news …
Bangor neighborhood complaint against Versant Power dismissed after tree-trimming
Hate mail sent to Portland-area residents began as early as October, police say
Last fall’s moose hunters enjoyed highest success rate since 2012
Ellsworth police chief will serve as city’s permanent manager