Today is Monday. Temperatures will be in the low teens to mid-20s from north to south, with mostly sunny skies throughout the state. Here’s what we’re talking about in Maine today.
Here’s the latest on the coronavirus in Maine
Another 169 coronavirus cases were reported across the state on Sunday and no new deaths, according to the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention. The statewide death toll remains at 724. Check out our COVID-19 Tracker for more information.
All Maine adults will be eligible for COVID-19 vaccines in May after a new federal directive, but Gov. Janet Mills is not otherwise accelerating her timeline or altering current vaccination plans.
What we saw on a road trip through Maine 1 year into the pandemic
To varying degrees and in different ways, it’s been a year of loss for Mainers. Through it all, the loss — whether it was the loss of a relative or the loss of a job — has been a unifying theme regardless of where in Maine you live.
We wanted to capture how different parts of Maine are responding a year after the pandemic started. We stopped in 15 towns, and different approaches to the pandemic were immediately apparent in each place.
- Life is much quieter in Maine’s largest city
- In the Maine county with highest infection rate, precautions and outdoors let people feel safe
- Western Maine saw early coronavirus defiance, then people from away seeking refuge
- In Skowhegan and Newport, a sense that the pandemic hasn’t hit hard
- In Ellsworth, it’s been ‘easy to overlook’ COVID-19
- In Patten and Houlton, COVID-19 has residents relieved they live where they do
In Aroostook County, the closed border and canceled events leave gaping holes
The closure of the U.S.-Canada border hasn’t only inflicted economic pain in Aroostook County border communities. It’s also taken an emotional toll, as residents have been unable to visit friends and family across the border.
Neighbors set themselves apart from Steuben after town passes anti-mask resolution
The Washington County town set itself apart in late December when its selectmen passed a resolution objecting to Gov. Janet Mills’ recently tightened face covering requirement that eliminated most exemptions from wearing masks in public.
14 charts that show the magnitude of the pandemic in Maine
Many of the losses of the past year are immeasurable. But some of the biggest effects of the COVID-19 pandemic are quantifiable.
Maine has weathered the virus better than virtually everywhere else in America
The state’s rural geography — it was one of the last states to report a first case — and low population density helped limit transmission in the early going, experts said.
A network of regular people is helping Mainers make vaccine appointments
Last week, Gunjan Gilbert helped 20 people get vaccine appointments. But she’s not a health care worker. She just wants to help.
A guide to the $6B coming to Maine in the massive stimulus bill
Some of the more immediate benefits to Mainers are the extension of the $300 weekly unemployment benefit set to expire March 14, direct payments to Americans starting at $1,400 and major tax changes benefiting low-income people.
Aroostook County man will speak at NRA convention after his Second Amendment sanctuary push
Fort Fairfield Town Councilor Bob Kilcollins has rapidly gained national notoriety.
Vote for your favorite Bangor-area pizza place in our March Madness-style competition
Good luck, and may the best slice win!
Salamanders and frogs will soon embark upon a mass migration in Maine
On damp nights in early spring, after the ground has thawed, thousands of salamanders and frogs emerge from their winter slumber in Maine to crawl and hop across the land. If you time it just right, you can witness this natural phenomenon.
In other Maine news …
Top Democratic lawmakers blast Maine Medical Center for opposing nurses union
There’s little Maine towns can do to regulate cellphone towers
2 fires damage Bangor apartment buildings
Frequent power outages in Old Town-Orono area plague businesses and homeowners
Millions of baby eels are caught in Maine each year, but the fish remains an enigma
Maine Legislature moves closer to allowing racial impact statements on some bills