4 years ago What you need to know to protect yourself from disease-carrying ticks in Maine Maine recorded its worst year for Lyme disease in 2019, with 2,079 reported cases statewide. Experts in infectious disease weren’t surprised. And there’s no indication that the upward trend won’t continue this year.
4 years ago Maine expands testing to anyone suspected of having COVID-19 Maine reached a milestone in its pandemic response on Monday by opening up COVID-19 testing to a greater range of people.
4 years ago Senate bill would provide $2 billion for state and local governments in Maine A new bill in the U.S. Senate could provide more than $2 billion to state and local governments in Maine to help offset lost revenues due to coronavirus-related economic shutdowns. The proposal, co-sponsored by Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, includes $500 billion for state and local governments nationally and also frees up $1.25 billion previously allocated as part of a stimulus package that passed at the end of March.
4 years ago Why Maine experts anticipate a surge in tick samples this year This spring, tick experts at the University of Maine Tick Lab have noticed a big increase in the number of ticks that the public is submitting for testing. They think this upward trend might be linked to people spending more time outdoors than usual during the COVID-19 pandemic.
4 years ago Wondering where the pandemic stands in Maine? Here are some numbers to watch. Now that the coronavirus has been circulating around Maine for more than two months, the ever-growing mass of numbers, anecdotes and other information about the pandemic may be dizzying to anyone without a very strong interest in biology or disease surveillance. So the BDN has reached out to a few public experts for their advice on the best metrics to pay attention to that demonstrate the severity of the coronavirus pandemic.
4 years ago Mills Administration secures Wi-Fi, learning devices for 100% of students reporting a need in face of COVID-19 Gov. Janet Mills and Maine Education Commissioner Pender Makin announced that the Maine Department of Education has secured internet access and devices to facilitate at home learning for 100% of Maine school children for whom there was a reported need.
4 years ago Penobscot County seeks $6M bond to upgrade communication towers for 911 calls Penobscot County will ask voters on July 14 to approve a $6 million bond to upgrade equipment on towers that relay signals to emergency responders and in the Penobscot County Communications Center. The current equipment on the towers is more than 20 years old and parts are no longer available when it breaks down, director Christopher Lavoie said Friday.
4 years ago Albino baby porcupine a bright spot in the pandemic gloom On the list of "least welcome critters," many Mainers would put the porcupine somewhere between ticks and skunks. Dan Crocker of Exeter said he's never had much use for them, either. That's beginning to change, at least a little bit for him though, thanks to a baby albino porcupine that he's been seeing on his property.
4 years ago Mills administration allows lodging reservations for future stays 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.
4 years ago Staying healthy is more important than ever. Here’s how to bring exercise back to your life. 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.
4 years ago Mills extends coronavirus state of emergency for another month For the second time, Gov. Janet Mills extended her civil state of emergency proclamation for another month on Wednesday, giving her more time to access federal funding and use certain powers to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
4 years ago New partnership supports Maine dairy farmers and helps hungry Mainers In a unique arrangement, four diverse Maine organizations are teaming up to address hunger relief and support Maine dairy farmers. Good Shepherd Food Bank, Pineland Farms Dairy Company, Libra Foundation and Dairy Farmers of America, will distribute thousands of pounds of cheese to food insecure Mainers through Maine’s emergency food distribution network.
4 years ago After lower-than-expected revenues, Hampden waste plant needs to borrow $10M The group representing 115 Maine communities that send their waste to a new plant in Hampden has made a loan of $1.5 million to the facility to help it make improvements after its first six months of regular operations brought in lower-than-expected revenues.
4 years ago Here’s how you can arm yourself against those pesky black flies Jokingly referred to as the “Maine State Bird,” black flies are one aspect of the Maine outdoors that most people would prefer didn’t exist. Dotting the air in early spring, these tiny bugs have an annoying habit of flying into people’s eyes and ears. And their bites can be especially itchy.
4 years ago Maine DOE to announce the 2020 Maine County Teachers of the Year on Facebook Live Thursday The virtual announcement will be streamed live on the Maine Department of Education Facebook page. The pictures and a recording of the presentation will also be available after the announcement.
4 years ago Dexter police arrest five on drug charges The Dexter Police Department and Maine Drug Enforcement Agency have announced the arrest of a Dexter couple for Class A aggravated trafficking in scheduled drugs and three others for unlawful possession of scheduled drugs.
4 years ago Maine Sporting Camp Association says Governor’s rural reopening plan fails According to a group representing sporting camps around Maine, Gov. Janet Mill’s rural reopening plan falls short of providing relief to commercial sporting camps, employees, guides and rural neighbors because it bans visits from non-residents. Non-resident fishing trips over the next six weeks generates almost 90% of the annual revenue for many of the camps operating across the state.
4 years ago Maine joins small group of states in reopening some regions before others Maine has become one of at least a dozen states that are beginning to ease restrictions on businesses in rural areas with fewer cases of the coronavirus while many rules will be in place in more heavily populated areas until June.