Today is Monday. Temperatures will be in the low 40s to mid-50s from north to south, with a chance for rain in the north and sunny and breezy to the south. Here’s what we’re talking about in Maine today. Another 164 more coronavirus cases were reported across the state on Sunday, according to the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention. No new deaths were reported, leaving the statewide death toll at 772. Check out our COVID-19 Tracker for more information. An outbreak investigation has been opened at the Women’s Center within the Maine Correctional Center in Windham after five residents tested positive for the coronavirus. Four Maine counties were downgraded from green to yellow on Saturday by the Mills administration, meaning that schools in those counties should consider hybrid learning models to limit the spread of the coronavirus. In this April 13, 2021, file photo, Quynh Tran, a pharmacist with The Public Health Commission Corps, prepares a vial of Moderna vaccine at a mobile vaccination unit that was stationed at the Oxford Casino. Credit: Andree Kehn / Sun Journal via AP Maine saw a 20 percent decrease in weekly COVID-19 vaccinations this week, a development that will challenge public health officials as they pursue more flexible options. ALSO: U.S. health advisers on Friday urged resuming COVID-19 vaccinations with Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose shot, saying its benefits outweigh a rare risk of blood clots — in line with Europe’s rollout. James Jarvis, senior physician executive of Northern Light Health’s COVID-19 response, speaks during a Feb. 1 press conference. Credit: Natalie Williams / BDN COVID-19 hospitalizations at Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center are at their highest in two months, with most of the people hospitalized at the Bangor facility coming from rural communities. In this July 13, 2011, photo, a capitol security officer makes his way past an entrance to the State House in Augusta. Credit: Pat Wellenbach / AP As most states around the country have passed police oversight legislation in the wake of George Floyd’s murder by former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, Maine’s legislative decisions are still to come. Munye Mohamed, better known as Shine, stands on the basketball court in Portland’s Riverton Park public housing project where he grew up on Tuesday. His latest Youtube video garnered more than a million views in its first week. Credit: Troy R. Bennett / BDN The father of three is focused on showing his children, as well as his community, that dreams are worth chasing. A view of the border crossing station in Houlton. Credit: Alexander MacDougall / Houlton Pioneer Times With the world’s longest border having been closed for more than a year, the challenge now is how to safely reopen without exposing people to further infections of COVID-19. Natasha Irving is the district attorney for Waldo, Knox, Lincoln and Sagadahoc counties. Credit: Linda Coan O'Kresik / BDN Natasha Irving who serves the midcoast is seeking an investigation into Lincoln County government after she claims the county administrator told her employees she wasn’t their boss, kept her out of the hiring process for staff members and improperly handled a personnel matter that resulted in an employee’s two-day suspension. Siobhan Sindoni of the Roll Call food truck serves up a roast beef sandwich outside the Belleflower Brewing Co. on Cove Street in Portland on Friday. Credit: Troy R. Bennett / BDN After a year of dismal headlines and lost tourist dollars during the coronavirus pandemic, the city’s widely praised food scene may lean more heavily on food trucks than ever. ALSO: In the Bangor area, there are several old favorites returning to the scene, a few that won’t be coming back, and a new addition arriving later on in the summer. Credit: Stock image / Pixabay Changes in people’s activities during COVID-19, such as spending more time outdoors to avoid close contact with other people, led to more opportunities for tick encounters, according to UMaine’s 2020 annual report from its Tick Surveillance Program. ALSO: The University of Maine is looking for forest landowners to assist with its survey of tick populations in the state. Two videos from a trail camera show wood ducks jumping and swimming in Kennebec County. Credit: Courtesy of Garrett Murch Of all the critters that have shown up in this ongoing trail camera feature, we’ve seen a few bird submissions — owls and eagles, mostly — but not very many ducks. Until today. In other Maine news… New simulation center in Aroostook County offers best EMS training in Maine Ex-DJ Dana Wilson faces new charge for allegedly not completing sex offender counseling Auburn lifts its COVID-19 emergency declaration Motorcyclist accused of pointing loaded gun at driver in Thomaston Maine bill to expand health care for noncitizens passes 1st hurdle Piscataquis County officers cleared in shooting at Medford home 2 years ago |