Today is Monday. Temperatures will be in the low 20s to low 30s from north to south with cloudy skies and a chance for snow throughout the state. Here’s what we’re talking about in Maine today.
Here’s the latest on the coronavirus and Maine
Another two Mainers and 110 more coronavirus cases were reported across the state on Sunday, according to the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention. The death toll statewide is now 649. Check out our COVID-19 Tracker for more information.
The state gave schools in all 16 counties a green light to reopen full time in person this week, marking the first time since September that all Maine schools have had that designation.
Gov. Janet Mills announced Friday that houses of worship will be able to allow more people to congregate and instituted new rules allowing for masked and distanced singing at indoor entertainment venues.
Susan Collins joins 6 other Republicans to back convicting Trump for role in Capitol riot
U.S. Sen. Susan Collins voted to convict Donald Trump at the close of his second impeachment trial on Saturday, though the former president was acquitted of a Democratic charge related to his role in the deadly Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol.
PLUS: Read Collins’ full speech on her vote to convict Trump
AND: After impeachment acquittal, Trump remains dominant in GOP
Maine county commissioners have ‘huge incentive’ to pass extreme resolutions
Their relative lack of direct influence coupled with the public’s general lack of interest in the positions make county commissions ripe for overt partisanship.
Janet Mills is being lobbied for early COVID-19 vaccine access
The coronavirus vaccine is so scarce that a disparate group of interests have lobbied the governor to grant priority access.
Retired Maine newspaperman still chronicling his community with bestselling zine
Jim McCarthy’s long run came to an end a decade ago when an out-of-state company bought his newspaper and put him out to pasture. But he didn’t give up.
In Biden era, immigration advocates want a plan before next wave of arrivals to Maine
The Biden administration’s undoing of restrictive Trump-era immigration policies, coupled with a recent change in Mexico’s policy that makes it harder for the U.S. to expel migrants, has forged new pathways for arrivals to the United States.
Head of Maine’s most prominent mental health group resigns after allegations of toxic workplace
Jenna Mehnert’s resignation comes more than two months after the state’s largest mental health organization hired a lawyer to conduct an investigation into allegations from former employees that she fostered a toxic work environment.
Canceled basketball tournament leaves deep void for players, coaches and fans
The cancellation of the tourney means a big loss for cities, businesses and venues, but it also leaves a void for the hundreds of players, fans and coaches who look forward to it each year.
Meet the team that thinks up those funny Maine highway signs
Maine DOT has turned those big orange flashing highways signs into an ever-evolving creative writing project — a platform for its outpourings of goofy, public safety-inspired poetry.
Bucksport moves to condemn ‘sketchy and dangerous’ Route 1 former motel
Luke Chiavelli, the town’s code enforcement officer, said he is not eager to force out people living at the Fountain Inn, formerly known as the Spring Fountain Motel, but he thinks it likely is just a matter of time before the building catches fire.
In other news:
Maine sportsman George Smith dies after 4-year ALS battle
Man charged with murdering Turner couple
Clifton man pleads guilty to murdering girlfriend in 2019, drawing 30-year sentence
Maine’s richest scallop fishing grounds closed for year
UMaine men’s basketball program halts season due to COVID-19 challenges
Water rights activists worry about potential sale of Poland Spring