Bruce Poliquin reelection / MDI housing costs / Deadly porcupine disease

Today is Tuesday. Temperatures will be subzero in the north and the low teens in the south, with sunny skies throughout the state. With the wind today, temperatures may plunge as low as minus 34 degrees in parts of the state. Here’s what we’re talking about in Maine today.

The latest on the coronavirus in Maine

The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention will release the latest data on COVID-19 cases from the weekend by 9:30 a.m. Check out our tracker for more information.

Following guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released last month, a Lewiston hospital has allowed health care personnel that are asymptomatic or have mild coronavirus symptoms to continue working, as St. Mary’s Hospital continues to battle staffing shortages and a COVID surge that has sent hospitalizations soaring.

On Monday, a record 403 Mainers were hospitalized across the state with coronavirus. The state’s previous record of 399 was set Saturday.

The Biden administration on Monday ordered that insurance companies to cover the cost of up to eight at-home COVID-19 tests, as the nation battles a surge brought by the omicron variant.

Maine halts 2 antibody treatments with omicron now the dominant COVID-19 strain

The decision highlights the challenges that omicron poses for Maine’s stressed health care system, as the highly contagious variant spreads rapidly.

Bruce Poliquin needs to excite the Republican base to recapture Maine’s 2nd District

In its 2018 post-mortem, the Maine Republican Party attributed Bruce Poliquin’s loss, in part, to his inability to “generate a ‘Trump-like’ energy.”

Residents are begging a Bangor hospital not to knock down century-old buildings

Residents are organizing to stop St. Joseph Hospital from demolishing four buildings on Broadway that are more than a century old.

Geaghan’s breaks ground on Bangor waterfront brewery expansion

The Geaghan Brothers Brewing Co. plans to close its present brewing site in Brewer once the Bangor facility is fully functional.

Even MDI town managers can’t afford to live there

There’s few offerings on Mount Desert Island for real estate listings available for less than half a million dollars — well out of most people’s budgets.

A mystery disease is killing porcupines in Bar Harbor

What they saw was a disease that could wreak havoc on Maine’s porcupine population.

Winter swimming makes these Maine women feel more alive

Sarah Havener Brown is one of the few but growing number of hardy folk in Hancock County who bravely dip into Maine’s frigid waters come winter.

Maine school lunch trays are being taken over by locally grown foods

Thanks to a $225,000 federal grant, the farm-to-school movement will put more local food on more school lunch trays throughout the state.

Maine rappers get rare chance to perform onstage in a city with few hip-hop opportunities

Mayo Street Arts, situated in a 19th-century church, is well known for its family-friendly music, dance and puppetry programming.

Bangor’s homeless residents scramble to find a warm place to stay during cold spell

A wind chill advisory is in effect in Bangor until mid-morning Tuesday, with the wind chill expected to dip to 30 degrees below zero.

11 ways to stay warm while outside this winter

With this cold weather, it can be a bit of a challenge to enjoy the outdoors, but it’s not impossible.

In other Maine news …

State trooper shoots at vehicle after North Yarmouth man allegedly drove at him

Waldo man arrested after alleged shootout with police

CMP would spend $700K to end probe into solar connection problems

Colder weather and increasing homeless population straining resources in Aroostook County

Lee Academy suspends basketball and moves to remote learning during COVID surge

After qualifying for Olympic luge team, Maine native’s new goal is to not get COVID

Fort Kent’s Austin Theriault is mentoring a teenage racing phenom with Maine roots