Today is Friday. Temperatures will be in the low 30s to low 40s from north to south with partly sunny skies in the south and cloudy skies in the north. Here’s what we’re talking about in Maine today. Another 406 cases were reported in Maine on Thursday, according to the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention. There are now 4,221 active confirmed and “probable” cases in the state. The death toll stands at 246. Check out our COVID-19 Tracker for more information. An example of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine vial is visible on a desk before FedEx Regional President of the Americas and Executive Vice President Richard Smith, left, and UPS President of Global Healthcare Wesley Wheeler, right, testify at a Senate Transportation subcommittee hearing on transporting a coronavirus vaccine on Capitol Hill, Thursday, Dec. 10, 2020, in Washington. Credit: Andrew Harnik / AP There are many moving parts to vaccine distribution. Health care providers will focus first on vaccinating first responders before the general population is vaccinated and the entire process will take months. Misinformation can muddy the water. Life will not return to normal immediately after vaccination. Here is what Mainers need to know. A member of the National Guard assisting at a COVID-19 mobile testing location fills out paperwork for a motorist arriving for a test Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2020, in Auburn, Maine. Credit: Robert F. Bukaty / AP The difficulty of closely tracking how people caught the coronavirus is yet another sign of how much more it is circulating in Maine now, even compared to just a few weeks ago, and beginning to overwhelm various parts of the state’s response. Investigators so far have attributed a fifth of November’s 5,311 confirmed cases, or 1,155, to known outbreaks, and an even smaller slice of December’s, although the numbers for both months could grow as new links are found. The National Alliance on Mental Illness office in Hallowell is pictured on Oct. 29 (left) and Jenna Mehnert is pictured in this undated photo. Credit: BDN composite photo Fifty-two former employees, board members, current and past volunteers and community members sent a letter to the NAMI Maine board of directors last week to express their strong disapproval of the nonprofit’s leader, mounting pressure for the board to address allegations that Jenna Mehnert’s “abusive” management style has caused rampant turnover at the agency. In this 2014 file photo, Thornton Academy football players raise the gold ball after beating Windham High School in Portland for the Class A state championship in Portland. The BDN is asking readers to help select Maine’s greatest high school football coach of all time. Credit: Troy R. Bennett / BDN What began as a reader-initiated list of 32 nominees has been pared to 16. Voting continues Friday and will run through midnight, setting up the much-anticipated quarterfinal matchups on Saturday. This otter doesn’t seem to mind the snow. Credit: Bud Utecht / Game Camera Artistry Sometimes all it takes is a photo (or two) from the natural world to make everything else seem a little bit simpler, and better. These are some of the marijuana plants authorities seized in Washington County in September 2009. Credit: Courtesy of the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency Attorneys for Malcolm French, 59, of Enfield and Rodney Russell, 57, of South Thomaston, who have been free since April 1 on $5,000 unsecured bail, are arguing that the men are too sick to return to prison and at greater risk for COVID-19 than other inmates. Jesse Lewis waves good-bye to Chief Chris Greeley after he surprised him with a box of nonperishables and other items on Tuesday as a part of the department’s 25 Days of Kindness. Credit: Linda Coan O'Kresik / BDN Each day until Christmas, Holden police officers deliver surprises to some of the town’s less privileged residents, hoping to lift their spirits and help them out during the holiday season. In other Maine news… New film about Acadia made by Maine cyclists to premiere on PBS Rockland could change property rules to add more affordable rental units Chellie Pingree: Investigate suspicious loan to mystery farm New Maine jobless claims hit 5-month high as extended benefits end Portland elementary school goes remote amid COVID-related staff shortage Pedestrian killed in Bar Harbor crash Bangor School Committee approves winter sports |