4 years ago Maine hospitals and the state prepared for a much more intense COVID-19 pandemic As health care systems in coronavirus hot spots are stretched thin, Maine hospitals and the state prepared for a much larger onslaught of coronavirus cases than the one that has materialized so far here.
4 years ago Grocery shopping program a healthy alternative amid virus concerns Just as Buie has adapted her musical pursuits, she has made other changes to protect her health amid the ongoing outbreak as she approaches her 70th birthday. That includes utilizing a new local program -- Community Pulling Together -- that shops and delivers groceries for people who are self-isolating at home or otherwise concerned about their medical well-being.
4 years ago Monson chosen for Community Entrepreneurship Program A check for $10,000 arrived at the town of Monson last week from the Maine Community Foundation with the community being chosen as one of three communities participating in the Community Entrepreneurship Program. This first check is for planning purposes and will be followed by another for $25,000 for implementation purposes and a further $25,000 in 2021. The National Main Street Center will provide workshops, training and local assessments worth a further $10,000 so the total investment will be $70,000.
4 years ago Some Maine businesses can reopen Friday, but many could stay closed deep into summer Certain Maine businesses can reopen on Friday as part of a gradual plan to lift coronavirus-related restrictions, though many hospitality businesses could remain closed deep into the summer, Gov. Janet Mills said Tuesday.
4 years ago After delay, Maine says self-employed workers can file for unemployment on Friday Self-employed workers and independent contractors will be able to apply for federally funded unemployment benefits starting on Friday, the Maine Department of Labor announced on Tuesday.
4 years ago Dover-Foxcroft officials looking at revised budget timeline Months ago the annual Dover-Foxcroft town meeting had been planned for the morning of Saturday, April 25 with residents later heading to the polls to vote on the 2020-21 municipal budget -- along with the RSU 68 budget and state ballot -- at the June 9 referendum. Among the countless changes brought about by the COVID-10 pandemic is an alteration to the budget schedule in Dover-Foxcroft but town officials have a plan for a revised timeline.
4 years ago Gov. Mills teases loosening of virus restrictions, but tells Maine to ‘stay the course’ Gov. Janet Mills suggested on Monday that she might reduce restrictions on businesses when a stay-at-home order expires at the end of April, but she told Mainers to “stay the course” on public health measures aimed at slowing the coronavirus.
4 years ago Thompson Free Library to host Bicentennial speaker online Thompson Free Library will host Mary Freeman, assistant professor of history at the University of Maine, live via Zoom at 6 p.m. on Thursday, May 7 as the first speaker in a series celebrating Maine's Bicentennial.
4 years ago Northern Light Health merger provides new resources for Mayo While Mayo had established historical relationships with some system members, like Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center, the close of the merger opened up vast new resources, Vienneau says. Leaders at Mayo are now included in daily COVID-19 incident command meetings, where they can tap the expertise of the system’s healthcare professionals all over Maine. In addition, subgroups focused on clinical and support areas including infection control, facilities management, pharmacy services and many others are meeting as needed during the week.
4 years ago Bishop Deeley announces retirement of Our Lady of Snows parochial vicar Bishop Robert P. Deeley has announced that Fr. Mark Nolette, parochial vicar of Our Lady of the Snows Parish in Dover-Foxcroft/Dexter will retire from full-time active ministry effective July 1 for medical reasons. For the foreseeable future, he intends to continue celebrating Mass, on a limited basis, in his current parishes where he will continue to reside.
4 years ago UMaine library to document pandemic life through community archive project Libraries in other parts of the state have started similar projects to document the evolving coronavirus pandemic, too. The Heart of Maine Community Stories is taking submissions for its online emergency archive, created by the Hartland Public Library, Newport Cultural Center, Pittsfield Public Library and Thompson Free Library in Dover-Foxcroft.
4 years ago More than 400,000 Mainers got stimulus checks. Here’s what to do if you haven’t. More than 400,000 Maine residents have already received economic impact payments from the federal government, according to data released jointly by the Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service on Friday.
5 years ago What every business should know We have heard the word “unprecedented” more than we care to acknowledge since COVID-19 invaded our planet. We have seen pandemics before, yes we have had economic crises before as well but the impact of COVID-19, coupled with the federal and local government’s response and controversial remedy, has ushered in a season unlike this generation has ever seen before in this country.
5 years ago Long-term health care residents stay connected to loved ones through donated iPads Self-distancing and other stay-healthy-at-home mandates in response to the COVID-19 pandemic have made for an unusual level of isolation, even for the most outgoing Mainers. But consider the lot of those additionally isolated by declining health, particularly those residing in the state’s nursing homes.
5 years ago Mills teases gradual reopening of Maine’s economy, but life ‘will not return to normal soon’ Maine will take a gradual approach to lifting restrictions aimed at slowing the spread of the coronavirus, but things “will not return to normal soon,” Gov. Janet Mills said Thursday.
5 years ago 3-D printers making comfortable hospital mask holders When 25-year-old Dennis Allen saw that other 3D printing enthusiasts across the world were lending their skills to the fight against COVID-19, the lifelong Dover-Foxcroft resident thought “well, why not put my Christmas gift to good use?” So in early April he began donating 3-D printed plastic facemask holders to his hometown hospital, Northern Light Mayo Hospital.
5 years ago A model says Maine can ease coronavirus restrictions by mid-May, but CDC isn’t using it A widely used model that projects the path of the coronavirus outbreak in each state estimates that Maine could start relaxing its social distancing rules by May 13. But that prediction includes a number of conditions that have yet to be met.
5 years ago Maine hospital system has more critical care beds and ventilators free now than before pandemic Many Maine hospitals have more critical care beds and ventilators available right now than before the coronavirus pandemic began, positioning medical providers to be able to handle an increase in critically ill patients if a surge occurs, a top hospital administrator said Wednesday.