GOP’s 2022 strategy / Biddeford’s vibrant food scene / Drug-resistant fungus

Today is Monday. Temperatures will be in the low 60s to low 50s from north to south, with sunny skies to the north and increasing clouds in the south. Here’s what we’re talking about in Maine today.

The latest on the coronavirus in Maine

Another 1,018 COVID-19 cases and three more deaths were reported Saturday according to the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention. That brings the statewide death toll to 2,286. Check out our tracker for more information.

Maine’s hospitalizations have hit another recent high Sunday, with 156 Mainers hospitalized with the virus. Of those, 36 are in critical care and five are on ventilators.

The Food and Drug Administration has set three days in mid-June to meet with Pfizer and Moderna representatives to discuss whether to authorize COVID-19 vaccinations for the youngest children.

Maine GOP’s 2022 strategy relies on tricky balance between economy and culture wars

Paul LePage has focused on more fiscal issues, but the Maine GOP’s 2022 platform has gained attention for its focus on culture-war issues.

Takeaways from the Maine GOP Convention:

Paul LePage tells GOP convention he will ‘fix the broken budget’ in Augusta

Maine GOP platform calls for limits on LGBTQ discussions in schools

Susan Collins backs Paul LePage and hammers Democrats at GOP convention

The climate is changing much faster than fishing regulations are evolving

The Gulf of Maine recently reported its warmest year on record, pushing fishery managers to reimagine management for the future.

The vibrant food scene in this former mill town shows no signs of slowing down

Biddeford was recently named one of four small cities with big food scenes to keep an eye on by Food and Wine magazine.

A wave of companies say they’ll use Maine wood to make eco-friendly fuel and fertilizer

The companies propose that using waste wood to create sustainable products would be beneficial to Maine’s forest management.

Business piles up for Maine company that rids yards of dog poop

There’s a business for almost everything — including helping you tackle your spring cleanup list that includes removing old dog poop.

Mainer who helped design classic 1950s cars in Detroit still creating 70 years later

Allen “Rod” Williams was 23 and fresh out of the U.S. Navy with zero formal training when he was hired by Ford to design cars in 1954.

Broadband expansion painfully slow for many Mainers despite upgrades

Michele Richards has a problem that will resonate with other Mainers who live even just slightly off the beaten path: the internet at her house is so slow that it’s affecting her ability to do her job.

A former church turned into a modern home in Rockport is for sale for $2.8M

The four-story home boasts more than 9,500-square-feet of living space, which includes four bedrooms, four full bathrooms and two half-bathrooms.

A drug-resistant fungus is infecting gardens and compost bins

Aspergillus is a spore-producing mold crucial to the composting process.

Where to find flowers to liven up your garden in the Bangor area

Visiting a greenhouse and picking out plants to liven up your garden is one of the joys that come with warmer spring days.

Advocates prepare for Supreme Court to overturn Maine’s religious school funding ban

But money won’t start flowing to Catholic and evangelical schools without changes to other state laws that advocates for religious schools are now eyeing.

Aroostook County is turning to Canada to help save its native Atlantic salmon

Atlantic salmon native to northern Maine and Canada are genetically distinct from their more southern cousins.

Dover-Foxcroft residents are wary of proposed downtown opioid addiction treatment center

Residents are wary that a proposed substance use disorder treatment facility for downtown would hurt area businesses and future investments.

In other Maine news …

Cyclist dies after Portland crash

Versant to install more than 100,000 smart meters

UMaine hockey coach ready for sweeping changes up for consideration by NCAA

UMaine System will divest from all direct fossil fuel investments by the end of May

After 37 seasons coaching Bucksport softball, this year’s team is his least experienced yet

Aroostook leading the charge in addressing state shortage of dental assistants

Icy conditions stymied this year’s Meduxnekeag Canoe Race competitors