Today is Monday. Temperatures will be in the mid-30s to mid-40s from north to south, with cloudy skies across the state and a chance for snow in the north and rain in the south. Here’s what we’re talking about in Maine today. Four more Mainers have died as 333 new coronavirus cases were reported on Sunday, according to the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention. The death toll stands at 323. Check out our COVID-19 Tracker for more information. An outbreak of COVID-19 at a Bangor rehabilitation and skilled nursing facility is being investigated by the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention. As of Saturday, Eastside Center for Health and Rehabilitation was reporting that 23 residents and 13 staff members have tested positive for the virus. In this March 18, 2020, file photo, Marc Cooper takes a call while directing workers packing toilet paper at the Tissue Plus factory in Bangor. Credit: Robert F. Bukaty / AP Credit: Robert F. Bukaty / AP Tissue Plus was just ramping up its production of toilet paper, napkins and other paper products in March when the coronavirus pandemic swept across the country, and demand for toilet paper skyrocketed overnight. Credit: Natalie Williams / BDN Credit: Photo illustration by Natalie Williams / BDN As educators scrambled to adapt their curriculums to remote learning for the school year, one Maine learning program set a standard for how to write and think about art in the pandemic era — through the eyes of kids. Brianna Roberge and Eric Hendrickson strike a pose after hiking to Table Rock in Grafton Notch in the fall of 2020. Credit: Courtesy of Brianna Roberge Credit: Courtesy of Brianna Roberge Throughout Maine and beyond, countless people turned to the outdoors for exercise and entertainment during the COVID-19 pandemic. With large social gatherings forbidden, theaters closed and festivals canceled, people were left with more time for outdoor pursuits. And many tried activities that were entirely new to them such as hiking, mountain biking and kayaking. In this Oct. 9, 2020, file photo, people line up outside of Theory Wellness before opening to the public for the first day of recreational marijuana sales in Maine in South Portland. Credit: Brianna Soukup / Portland Press Herald via AP Credit: Brianna Soukup / Portland Press Herald via AP High prices and a lack of supply are driving many Maine cannabis consumers back to the streets, where weed remains much cheaper and plentiful. The state stands to lose millions in cannabis revenue in the coming years before the recreational supply here catches up with demand and retail prices finally begin to drop for consumers. Paige Emerson of Old Town strikes a pose at Table Rock in Grafton Notch State Park during the summer of 2020. Credit: Courtesy of Paige Emerson Paige Emerson thought she needed to be in better shape before pursuing the activity. Now she knows that’s not true. Commissioner Kirsten Figueroa of the Maine Department of Administrative and Financial Services is pictured near the State House in Augusta on Sept. 10. Credit: Natalie Williams / BDN The situation escalates tension between Maine’s largest state employees’ union and the state. The $2.2 trillion relief bill Congress passed in March that Maine used to provide a range of hazard pay to some of its employees expires on Dec. 30. The state committed $157 million of that funding to state personnel costs, a category that includes hazard pay. Wearing a “Make America Great Again” hat, James Holmberg (left) argues with a protester, who only gave the name Tara, in front of the Portland Police Station on Sept. 5 Holmberg, along with a handful of other counter protesters, showed up at the racial justice rally and mostly taunted the protesters. Credit: Troy R. Bennett / BDN Bangor Daily News photographers Linda Coan O’Kresik, Troy R. Bennett, Natalie Williams and Aislinn Sarnacki share the backstories of some of their favorite shots and why they like them. In other Maine news … Madawaska man dies after being struck by car 2-mile stretch of Route 1A in Hampden reopens after being closed since April Ellsworth negotiating with police chief to become permanent city manager Maine Medical Center worker had anaphylactic reaction to COVID-19 vaccine Maine CDC unsure when vaccine will reach inmates Maine’s economy had a strong rebound over the summer |