GameStop stock / UMaine won't require vaccinations / Rent relief

Today is Friday. Temperatures will be in the high teens to low 20s from north to south, with 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 five Mainers have died as 284 more coronavirus cases were reported across the state on Thursday, according to the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention. The death toll now stands at 567. Check out our COVID-19 Tracker for more information.

Gov. Janet Mills will end a 9 p.m. curfew in place since November for certain businesses effective Monday, she announced Thursday.

Maine legislative leaders tightened mask requirements in the State House and other official spaces on Thursday after a brief controversy that began after a small group of Republicans filmed themselves meeting maskless.

Mainer who made $14,000 on GameStop stocks vows to fight Wall Street backlash

Peaks Islander Donovan Black, 35, stands near the ferry terminal on Thursday Jan. 28, 2021. Black, a landscaper, recently made $14,000 investing in Game Stop stocks. Credit: Troy R. Bennett / BDN

Like a lot of behavior that originated on the internet, buying GameStop stock started as a joke…kinda. But those Wall Street bets have paid off and then some. Donovan Black of Peaks Island made a handsome sum from his investments over the last year. But the short-term financial gains aren’t as fun as watching day traders and Wall Street institutions sort through the wreckage.

Federal aid will fund up to a year of rent for thousands of Mainers

A Community Connector bus drives past an apartment house on Ohio Street in Bangor in this June 4, 2020 photo. Credit: Natalie Williams / BDN

A new federal rent relief program could provide a significant boon to both struggling Maine renters and landlords, but stricter requirements could slow the distribution of $200 million to those in need as the coronavirus pandemic remains far from over.

Maine universities won’t require COVID-19 vaccinations

Nursing student Kristen Vellieux receives the COVID-19 vaccine from fellow student Ning Lou. Credit: Courtesy of University of Maine

Maine’s public universities will encourage students and employees to get vaccinated against COVID-19 as vaccines start to become more widely available. But they won’t make it a requirement.

A midcoast restaurant that opened months before the pandemic is ‘just trying to survive’

Tamika Adjemian, owner of the Unity Kitchen in downtown Unity, checks out customer Lyn Grotke last week. When the pandemic hit, the small eatery, like so many businesses in Maine, suddenly was looking at a financial cliff. Adjemian hoped to get one of the Maine Economic Recovery grants but she was turned down. “We’re slipping through the cracks,” Adjemian said. Credit: Linda Coan O'Kresik / BDN

Even though Tamika Adjemian, who opened Unity Kitchen on Dec. 13, 2019, never doubted her ability to make good food or create a welcoming space, she doesn’t know if she can withstand the financial hardships that have come with the past 11 months of the pandemic. Right now, things are so dire that she can’t even afford to buy more takeout boxes. “We’re slipping through the cracks,” she said.

COVID-19 outbreak at Waldo County church linked to 23 cases

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

The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention has linked 23 COVID-19 cases to an outbreak at Crossroads to Calvary Apostolic Church in Morrill. Those who have attended services at the church since Jan. 10 should be tested, church officials recommended.

PLUS: A coronavirus outbreak at Oxford Street Shelter has infected 10 guests and five staffers. Positive cases have nearly doubled there since Tuesday when Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention Director Nirav Shah said his agency had opened an outbreak investigation there.

Firm says it won’t provide addiction coaches at Hancock County Jail

The Hancock County Jail in Ellsworth, Maine, on Jan. 14, 2020. Credit: Bill Trotter / BDN

Despite having had “a series of talks” with county officials, Groups Recover Together has decided it can’t move forward with reviving the jail’s recovery coaching program, said Cooper Zelnick, the company’s chief strategy officer.

BDN sues Maine State Police for records detailing officer misconduct

Maine is one of only a few states where law enforcement discipline records are public. But that doesn’t always result in transparency. Credit: Illustration by Natalie Williams / BDN

The Bangor Daily News filed a lawsuit on Thursday against the Maine State Police to force it to unredact discipline records detailing the misconduct of its officers. The BDN is asserting that the redactions defy Maine’s public disclosure law. The records offer one of the few windows into police misbehavior and accountability, and they have been key to recent BDN investigations into police oversight.

A trio of moose is spotted in this trail camera photo series

A cow moose and a calf browse as they walk through the woods. Credit: Courtesy of John Purcell

The small town of Prospect, which sits on the Penobscot River not far from Winterport and Orland, is not among the places you’d expect to see a single moose, let alone three.

Acadia’s easy Ocean Path leads to some of the most famous landmarks in the park

Derek Runnells and his dog, Juno, walk along the Ocean Path on Jan. 26, in Acadia National Park on Mount Desert Island. Credit: Aislinn Sarnacki / BDN

“Tracing the scenic, rocky coast of Mount Desert Island, the Ocean Path is a popular easy hiking trail in Acadia National Park that spans from the famous Sand Beach to Otter Point,” writes BDN Act Out Editor Aislinn Sarnacki. “Along the way are several short side trails to viewpoints where you can sit on pink granite bedrock to picnic or simply enjoy the ocean views.”