Today is Thursday. Temperatures will be in the mid-50s to the mid-70s from north to south, with decreasing clouds giving way to sunny throughout the state. Here’s what we’re talking about in Maine today. A woman in her 70s from Cumberland County has died while another 162 coronavirus cases were reported across the state on Wednesday, according to the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention. That marked a steep jump in new cases after two straight days when they fell below 100 for the first time in months. The statewide death now stands at 825. Check out our COVID-19 Tracker for more information. The Maine Principals’ Association announced a reopening of all interscholastic activities in the state late Wednesday afternoon. That means high school sports as they existed before the COVID-19 pandemic will again be the norm this fall. Ellen Kunkel, a sixth grader at Camden-Rockport Middle School, gets her first shot of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine at an in-school clinic on May 18. Credit: Courtesy of Arthur Durity For Camden-Rockport Middle School students, the start of summer break won’t be the only reason to be excited on June 21. It’s also when they will be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. In this May 12, 2021, file photo, Jennifer Conary looks away as she receives a COVID-19 vaccination in Auburn. But the state will support private businesses that want to request coronavirus vaccine verification. AND: Yes, your employer can require a COVID-19 vaccination. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has allowed companies to mandate the flu and other vaccines, and has indicated they can require COVID-19 vaccines. In this Aug. 17, 2019, file photo, the “Kind of Blue” album cover is on display at Bull Moose record store in Portland, Maine, which has since closed. Credit: David Sharp / AP Bull Moose workers at the Salem, New Hampshire, store had faced “a lot of tension” from customers about the store’s policy requiring masks, which had gone into effect weeks prior after coronavirus cases surged late last summer. State Rep. Chris Johansen, R- Monticello, wears a face shield as he takes the oath of office at the Augusta Civic Center on Dec 2, 2020. It promises a standoff with Democratic leaders, including House Speaker Ryan Fecteau, who stripped seven members of their committee assignments and replaced them with Democrats after they were videotaped entering the building without masks on Monday. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, arrives as senators rush to the chamber for votes ahead of the approaching Memorial Day recess at the Capitol in Washington on Wednesday. Republicans looked poised to block the legislation despite the bipartisan effort led by the Maine senator to salvage the bill and another by the mother of Brian Sicknick, the Capitol Police officer who collapsed and died after the siege. PLUS: Senate Republicans are ready to deploy the filibuster to block the commission, reviving pressure on Democrats to do away with the procedural tactic that critics say has lost its purpose. Rep. Nicole Grohoski, D-Ellsworth, (right) watches the Bangor/Brewer Veterans Day Parade on Nov. 11, 2014, alongside her parents, Jackie and Edward Grohoski. Rep. Nicole Grohoski, D-Ellsworth, has sponsored a bill that would make companies pay a fee when they sell packaged products in Maine. Those funds would then be paid out to communities to help them recycle. A hummingbird enjoys a treat from a watermelon left on Darlene Kelly Dumond’s porch in Allagash. Credit: Courtesy of Darlene Kelly Dumond The crown of Maine is a place where hunters can bag a giant moose, visitors photograph deer and hungry hummingbirds drink from watermelon. Nick Sinacola has emerged this season as the ace of the pitching staff for the University of Maine. The sophomore is coming off a record-tying 17 strikeouts in a recent game against Maryland Baltimore County. Credit: Tyler Neville / UMaine athletics University of Maine ace Nick Sinacola, who was chosen as the league’s Pitcher of the Year on Wednesday, has lost his last two starts after going 8-1. In other Maine news … Hampden man indicted for throwing Molotov cocktails at Bangor apartment building Canadian border crossing in Limestone to close for construction LaGrange man indicted for manslaughter in July crash that killed passenger Man who threatened ‘to shoot up’ Skowhegan school and service agency pleads guilty Families of 4 fishermen lost at sea hope for closure after discovery of Emmy Rose wreckage Portland approves construction of Maine’s tallest building Cady, Kiah, Patterson, Greenlaw, Snell among MPA Hall of Excellence honorees | 