The administration of Gov. Janet Mills announced that, effective immediately, Maine lodging providers can begin accepting future reservations for stays with an arrival date of June 1 and beyond for Maine residents and for non-residents who comply with the state’s 14-day quarantine requirement.

Teachers from all 16 of Maine’s counties were honored May 14 in a virtual announcement that was broadcast live on the Maine Department of Education Facebook page. Piscataquis Community High School English instructor Jessica Gregory was named the 2020 Piscataquis County Teacher of the Year.

University of Maine Cooperative Extension and the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry will offer two free webinars Thursday, May 21, in support of National Invasive Species Awareness Week. Invasive plant biologist Nancy Olmstead will teach “Invasive Plant Ecology and Identification” from 9–10 a.m. and “Invasive Plant Management” from noon–1 p.m.

With all the uncertainty and safety concerns surrounding the coronavirus outbreak, would you consider voting by mail in the July 14 primary election, using an absentee ballot? Imagine the satisfaction of having time to consider the issues, ask and research questions and vote from home.

With schools closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, spring sports canceled and the future uncertain, the Maine Principals’ Association has ventured into the virtual world for a new activity to sponsor. The organization, which regulates high school athletics in the state, is adding esports to its list of MPA extracurricular activities beginning in the fall through a partnership with PlayVS.

Maintaining your health is about more than just not contracting a deadly disease — even during the pandemic. But as the stay-at-home orders have dragged on, many of us have let our daily physical activity slide, which compromises our physical health in other ways. It’s time to change that.

Just a year ago, the BDN ran a pair of OpEds where I sketched three big resilience challenges facing Maine woods tourism: changing climate, changing markets and changing general economic conditions. The second piece highlighted farsighted initiatives by the Maine Woods Consortium and Northern Outdoors, anticipating and adapting to shocks and uncertainties.

Tuesday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi unveiled her vision for the next round of congressional action to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, and it is a vision of mountains of cash. Pelosi's plan would spend $3 trillion, which would make it far and away the largest coronavirus relief spending package to date from Congress. For context, federal receipts in the 2019 fiscal year were $3.46 trillion.

Bissell Brothers Brewing had a product to sell in late March but suddenly lacked the most direct method of distribution -- its taprooms in southern and central Maine.

University of Maine Cooperative Extension is launching a food preservation webinar series at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, May 26. The weekly series continues through Oct. 27.