Today is Friday. Temperatures will be in the mid 70s throughout the state, with partly sunny skies from north to south. Here’s what we’re talking about in Maine today.
Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center reported that it had surpassed last winter’s record of 55 patients hospitalized with coronavirus, with 58 people in the facility with COVID-19 on Thursday. Maine continues to be a hotspot for the virus, and Maine CDC data show that the state has had the nation’s highest case growth rate over the past two weeks.
Travelers are putting stress on Maine’s testing system, and Penobscot Community Health Care announced on Thursday that it would no longer provide rapid or PCR tests for those seeking travel exemptions, as the supply of tests is running low.
The Maine Department of Corrections plans to announce major leadership changes at Maine’s troubled youth prison in the wake of reports that guards use dangerous tactics against kids.
The coalition wants Bangor-area governments to devote some of the millions they’re receiving in federal relief funds to addressing addiction, homelessness and a lack of mental health treatment.
While the USDA said it is likely deer in other states have also been exposed to the virus, the discovery is not being actively investigated by the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.
The upgrades were made possible by a $90 million gift from the Harold Alfond Foundation that will ultimately improve fields and facilities for all 17 university sports.
The land abuts an existing conservancy preserve to the immediate north of Tunk Mountain and the northwest corner of the state’s Donnell Pond Public Land.
The bipartisan commission is tasked with redrawing Maine’s congressional and legislative districts after most of the state’s population growth over the past decade occurred in a few southern counties.
A July survey of more than 2,600 unemployment insurance claimants and active job seekers found that 34 percent cited job and skill mismatches and 31 percent cited COVID-19 concerns.