Today is Monday. Temperatures will be in the low 40s to low 50s from north to south, with partly sunny skies throughout much of the state. Here’s what we’re talking about in Maine today. Two more Mainers have died and 151 new coronavirus cases have been reported across the state, according to the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention. There are2,098 active confirmed and “probable” cases in the state, while the death toll now stands at 165. Check out our COVID-19 Tracker for more information. COVID-19 patients had an in-hospital death rate two times higher than that of influenza patients, according to a study published Friday. The study is believed to be the first in the United States to directly compare clinical features, laboratory results and health outcomes between COVID-19 patients and flu patients. Shoppers comply with the mask regulations to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus at Bridgton Books on Friday in Bridgton. Credit: Robert F. Bukaty / AP The virus has been spreading most actively in recent weeks in the privacy of people’s own homes and beyond the reach of regulations. Richard Evans is the fifth Black legislator in Maine. Credit: Linda Coan O’Kresik / BDN Richard Evans, 73, ran on making health care more affordable, helping Maine’s neediest people and a desire to bridge political divides. The Twin Rivers paper mill sits in the middle of downtown Madawaska at one end of the international bridge connecting the community with Edmundston, New Brunswick, seen in the background. The town in the St. John Valley has shifted significantly toward Republicans in the last three presidential elections. Credit: Linda Pelletier / St. John Valley Times The movement is not entirely unique to the outgoing Republican president — Maine’s two congressional districts have been moving further apart in presidential elections since the 1990s. But this year saw the widest gap between the two since Maine began splitting its electoral votes in 1972. Amber Boutiette, a University of Maine graduate and co-founder of Marin Skincare, holds up a lobster in this undated photo. The South Portland-based company has developed and is selling a skin cream that contains proteins from lobster hemolymph, or blood. Credit: Courtesy of Marin Skincare The active ingredient is a protein from lobster hemolymph, a circulatory fluid that functions like blood. The Monson Finnish Farmers Club’s 2019 schedule remains on the chalkboard inside the organization’s Finn Hall. The club canceled its 2020 slate due to COVID-19. Credit: Ernie Clark / BDN The bulla — or pulla — hasn’t been in evidence this year. Nor have the dances and potlucks, as the Monson Finnish Farmers Club’s event schedule was canceled due to the novel coronavirus. The latest rendering of the Rockport Harbor Hotel, which is being proposed for downtown. Credit: Courtesy of the town of Rockport The group, Friends of Rockport, is seeking to overturn the Rockport Planning Board’s approval of the project, or at least force the developers to reduce the number of guest rooms in the proposed Rockport Harbor Hotel from 26 to 20. In this December 2016 file photo, various types of Christmas trees line the field at Nutkin Knoll Farm in Newburgh. Credit: Ashley L. Conti / BDN As farmers and others around the state prepare for winter, many are still hoping for more rain and snow to fall to recharge irrigation ponds, irrigate tree roots and otherwise get Maine in a better position for next year. In other Maine news … LL Bean withdraws support from Freeport development following residents’ opposition Joe Biden considering Angus King for top intelligence position, report says Star Bangor High jumper to accept scholarship from University of Connecticut Augusta man dies in Wales crash BIW and union are getting back on same page after strike UMaine women’s basketball team lands versatile recruiting class |