$240M university gift / Return of theater / History of pot in Maine

Today is Thursday. Temperatures will be in the high 40s to the high 50s from north to south with partly sunny skies throughout the state and a chance for scattered showers in the north. Here’s what we’re talking about in Maine today.

Here’s the latest on the coronavirus in Maine

Another 48 coronavirus cases were reported in Maine on Wednesday, according to the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention. There are 582 active confirmed and “probable” cases in the state and the death toll remains at 142. Check out our COVID-19 Tracker for more information.

Bangor students will not have snow days this school year, even when inclement weather makes it unsafe for them to travel to school.

Takeaways from Wednesday’s vice presidential debate: Pandemic looms over a more civil fight

In normal times, vice presidential debates don’t matter much. But in an election year as wild as 2020, everything is magnified. Here are key early takeaways from the only vice presidential debate ahead of the Nov. 3 Election Day.

$240M gift to Maine university system the largest ever given to New England public educational institution

The University of Maine System said Wednesday it will receive $240 million from the state’s largest philanthropy, the largest investment ever made in a public educational institution in New England.

The $240 million gift is also the largest one out of $500 million in gifts the Harold Alfond Foundation pledged on Tuesday to a variety of higher education and research institutions around the state as part of a long-term initiative to create future jobs and improve Maine people’s skills.

PLUS: The Harold Alfond Foundation is providing the University of Maine athletic department with an unprecedented gift of $90 million. It will be the largest single gift to athletics at a public university in New England and among the largest gifts ever, nationwide.

Few theaters anywhere are attempting what Penobscot Theatre is with its all-digital season

Look at the website for Bangor’s Penobscot Theatre Co., and it shows that the company is busier than it’s ever been, with three productions in October alone, and a whopping 13 productions planned through April 2021 — far more than the six mainstage shows it would normally have produced.

“I could just see everyone’s spirits withering, faced with this giant obstacle, and the fact that no one would be able to create anything for a long, long time,” said Bari Newport, the company’s artistic director. “We just had to say, ‘Nope, that’s not gonna happen.’”

Susan Collins ‘very optimistic’ about stimulus deal as jumbled negotiations restart

U.S. Sen. Susan Collins said she was optimistic about the possibility of a pre-election stimulus deal after she talked with lawmakers of both parties on Wednesday as President Donald Trump seemingly reversed his position a day after ending talks.

How Maine pot went from legal, to illicit to available without a prescription

Maine has been at the forefront of both the prohibition and legalization of marijuana from the 19th through the 21st century. It was one of the first states to outlaw recreational sales and possession more than 100 years ago. But it was also a leader in decriminalizing pot in the 1970s.

Now, Maine is about to become the 11th state with fully realized retail sales of cannabis.

GOP lags Democrats in spending, polling with tough path to power in Maine Legislature

Republicans have seemed to gain little traction even as Mills unilaterally steers the state through the coronavirus pandemic after the Legislature adjourned in March.

After 40 years in medicine, here’s what a Maine addiction expert has learned about alcohol, opioids and public health

When The New York Times, the Washington Post and news agencies across Maine have needed to understand the opioid epidemic and the policies emerging in response to it, they have often turned to a specialist in addiction medicine working in Portland, Dr. Mark Publicker.

In other Maine news…

Driver killed after crashing into Swanville grocery store and setting it on fire

Man accused of killing sister and brother-in-law was part of a family feud over stepdad’s estate

Bangor City Council candidates differ on how to keep up services with less money coming in

Someone hid razors in pizza dough at a Maine Hannaford, police say