Trump pardons Maine developer / $75M Moosehead ski resort / Border town woes

Today is Wednesday. Temperatures will be in the mid-20s to mid-30s from north to south, with cloudy skies throughout the state and a chance for isolated snow showers. Here’s what we’re talking about in Maine today.

Here’s the latest about the coronavirus in Maine

Five more Mainers died and another 386 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 519. Check out our COVID-19 Tracker for more information.

Approximately 4,400 Moderna coronavirus vaccines sent to Maine are being replaced after they were potentially spoiled after exceeding a maximum temperature, health officials said Tuesday.

PLUS: Nearly 600 of you provided valuable feedback that has helped us revise our approach to the daily reports, and guided us as we built new digital tools to track and analyze statewide trends.

Older Mainers anxious as crush of demand for COVID-19 vaccines exceeds supply

In this Dec. 15, 2020, file photo, super-cold air spills from a freezer as Richard Meinking, Director of Pharmacy at Maine Medical Center, stores a package of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine a temperature of minus 75 degrees Celsius. Credit: Ben McCanna / Portland Press Herald via AP

State health officials cite supply as the main challenge. After states expanded their vaccine plans to include a wide group of older people last week upon promises that the federal government would be releasing a reserve of vaccines, it was revealed that the reserve did not exist. Maine is expecting mostly flat weekly vaccine shipments for the foreseeable future.

Maine border town that relied on Canadian customers is feeling the pandemic’s economic fallout

A sign on Route 1 entering the town of Houlton, with the Canadian town of Woodstock located just 15 miles away. Credit: Alexander MacDougall / Houlton Pioneer Times

The closure of the border and subsequent loss of business comes at a time when Houlton, which once had twice the population of Woodstock, seems to be diminishing in comparison.

Trump pardons former Maine developer who illegally donated to Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign

In this March 14, 2019, file photo, former Portland real estate mogul Michael Liberty leaves a federal courthouse in Portland.

Michael Liberty, who was once dubbed “Donald Trump with a Maine accent,” served prison time for violating federal campaign finance laws to conceal illegal contributions to Mitt Romney’s presidential primary campaign in 2011.

Maine lawmakers call for Capitol Police chief to be placed on leave for ‘reprehensible’ comments

A chain blocks the sidewalk entrance to the front steps of the Maine State House on Wednesday. Credit: Robert F. Bukaty / AP

Maine lawmakers are calling for the Capitol Police chief to be placed on leave after he promoted conspiracy theories about the 2020 election and the pandemic.

Piscataquis commissioners cut off protest over Zoom as they sign COVID-19 resolution

Piscataquis County Commissioners Chair James White shuts off an electronic device that had been broadcasting opponents of a resolution condemning Gov. Janet Mills’ COVID-19 policies. Those attending the meeting on Zoom were no longer able to see the meeting after this occurred. Credit: David Marino Jr. / BDN

Piscataquis County’s three commissioners all signed their names to a resolution Tuesday that objects to Gov. Janet Mills’ COVID-19 prevention measures, contains misinformation about mask-wearing and repeatedly refers to the coronavirus as the “Wuhan Virus.”

A $75 million ski resort could bring hundreds of jobs to Moosehead region

Views of Mountain View Pond and Moosehead Lake from the ski trails of Big Squaw Mountain near Greenville in 2019. A Knox County developer and Louisiana nonprofit are proposing to build a year-round resort on the property. Credit: Linda Coan O'Kresik / BDN

The investment would create 300-400 jobs and result in $2.9 million annually in property taxes in Piscataquis County, the least populous and one of the poorest in Maine.

Bangor schools abruptly go remote as bus contractor reports COVID-19 cases

Students board the bus at Vine Street School in Bangor in 2014. Credit: Ashley L. Conti / BDN

Five bus drivers and staff who assist drivers on school buses have tested positive for COVID-19 and two more are showing symptoms, Bangor Superintendent Kathy Harris-Smedberg said. Hundreds of students who recently rode the bus to or from school are considered close contacts.

The Bangor Band misses its first season in 162 years

The Bangor Band is pictured here on Memorial Day in 1898. Credit: Courtesy of Bangor Band

Like nearly all performing arts groups, the Bangor Band — the longest continually playing community band in the country — has stayed mostly silent during the pandemic, as restrictions on gatherings continue. But that doesn’t mean that the venerable community band, now in its 162nd year, hasn’t been staying busy during its involuntary downtime.

This trail cam photo shows a doe and fawn wandering in idyllic scene

Two deer walk down a dirt road toward a farm field in this trail camera image. Credit: Courtesy of Arthur Ahrens

It’s a cold winter day here in Maine, and this scene from a bluebird morning last June looks awfully nice to me. And fawns that are still sporting all of their spots are always cuter than cute.

Why these US birding hotspots are on my bucket list

The great gray owl is a rare visitor from the north. It is considered the tallest owl in the world, with a wingspan of up to five feet. But it’s all fluff and feathers, weighing only half as much as a snowy owl. Credit: Courtesy of Bob Duchesne

There’s a book on my bookshelf that I haven’t looked at since it was published in 2001. Maybe it’s time to pour a glass of chardonnay, and curl up by the fire with “Fifty Places to Go Birding Before You Die.”