Maine GOP misinformation / Trump impeached / Stimulus checks

Today is Thursday. Temperatures will be in the low to high 30s from north to south, with mostly cloudy skies throughout the state. Here’s what we’re talking about in Maine today.

Here’s the latest on the coronavirus in Maine

Another four deaths and a record-high 824 more coronavirus cases were reported across the state on Wednesday, according to the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention. The death toll now stands at 453. Check out our COVID-19 Tracker for more information.

Gov. Janet Mills formally moved Mainers 70 and older and those with health conditions or in vulnerable jobs into the next coronavirus vaccination phase on Wednesday.

Trump impeached after Capitol riot in historic 2nd charge

President Donald Trump arrives on the South Lawn of the White House, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2021, in Washington. The president was returning from Texas. Credit: Gerald Herbert / AP

With the Capitol secured by armed National Guard troops inside and out, the House voted 232-197 to impeach Trump.

PLUS: What rising GOP acceptance of Trump’s impeachment means for Susan Collins

Up to 200 Maine National Guard members to join Biden inauguration security effort

Troops move inside the Capitol Visitor’s Center on Wednesday to reinforce security at the Capitol in Washington. The House of Representatives is pursuing an article of impeachment against President Donald Trump for his role in inciting an angry mob to storm the Capitol last week.

Gov. Janet Mills, a Democrat, authorized the deployment after the National Guard Bureau requested states assist with security operations. The specialities of Maine’s guardsmen and role they would play in Washington were not immediately clear on Wednesday afternoon.

PLUS: Joe Biden forgoing Amtrak trip to Washington over security fears

Maine Republicans continue spreading disinformation in wake of Capitol riot

Trump supporters try to break through a police barrier last Wednesday at the Capitol in Washington.

Many declined to recognize Joe Biden as the winner of the election or parroted claims of voter fraud that fueled the Capitol rioters’ grievances.

PLUS: Mix of extremists who stormed Capitol isn’t retreating

2nd stimulus checks may not boost Maine economy

Dave Sheperd, owner of Major’s Furniture & Appliance in Farmingdale, said consumers are coming in to buy appliances with their second stimulus check, but not at the hectic pace of the first check last April, when pent-up demand from homebound consumers during the pandemic fueled sales.

The stimulus checks aim to unlock pent-up demand to bolster the economy. But that’s not likely the second time around.

Fewer Maine high schoolers are applying to college

Cooper Bennett, a senior at the University of Maine, raises his hand to ask a question during an on-campus hybrid class. Credit: Linda Coan O'Kresik / BDN

High school seniors are applying to Maine’s public universities in lower numbers than they did before the pandemic, as the coronavirus has disrupted most elements of the traditional college search and application process.

PLUS: Pandemic’s toll shows up on students’ college applications

Hampden wants a community center to grow its downtown

The Hampden Recreation Department currently operates from the gymnasium of the old Hampden Academy, now called the Skehan Recreation Center. Credit: Linda Coan O'Kresik / BDN

The modern facility could include a gym with basketball courts, kitchen, walking track, senior and teen centers, a conference room and small meeting rooms. Those were priorities residents identified in a recent survey.

Bangor airport traffic falls 70 percent in first 8 months of the pandemic

Masked people cross the street to go into Bangor International Airport on Wednesday. Credit: Linda Coan O'Kresik / BDN

Bangor International Airport saw 332,000 fewer passengers in the first eight full months of the pandemic, compared with the same period in 2019 as fewer Mainers flew for work and leisure during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Acadia plans to charge $6 per car to drive up Cadillac Mountain this summer

Cars and pedestrians crowd the parking lot at the summit of Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National Park in this September 2015 file photo. To help reduce congestion at the summit, Acadia officials are planning to require vehicle reservations and a $6 per-vehicle reservation fee to drive up the mountain this summer. Credit: Bill Trotter / BDN

The change is part of the park’s plans to require reservations for cars as a way of reducing congestion at the summit of the park’s highest peak.

5 Maine colleges plan basketball games despite cancellation of league season

In this 2017 photo, Husson University women’s basketball coach Kissy Walker calls out a play during a game at Newman Gym in Bangor. Credit: Courtesy of Monty Rand

The North Atlantic Conference, which includes Maine schools Husson University of Bangor, Thomas College of Waterville, the University of Maine at Farmington, the University of Maine at Presque Isle and Castine’s Maine Maritime Academy, announced Tuesday that it had canceled the winter sports season.