Bates College has sent home an undisclosed number of students for violating the school’s pandemic restrictions. Student offenses included repeatedly missing COVID-19 tests, ignoring face mask and social distancing requirements and bringing outsiders into dorms.
Puritan Medical Products announced Monday that its plans to build a new manufacturing facility in Pittsfield where it will produce flocked swabs used in COVID-19 testing. The facility will join another Puritan swab production facility in Pittsfield (shown here) that opened in July. Credit: Charles Eichacker / BDN
The Piscataquis County company that’s one of the world’s two largest makers of COVID-19 testing swabs said Monday that it’s opening a second Pittsfield factory with $51.2 million in federal pandemic relief funds. Renovation of the latest plant began last month, and it will open by Jan. 1, according to the contractor doing that work, Cianbro. It is expected to employ another 200 workers and produce 50 million swabs per month.
Amanda Demusz, wildlife biologist, Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, measures the spread of antlers on a moose at the tagging station at Gateway Variety in Ashland on opening day of the 2020 Maine moose hunt. Credit: Linda Coan O'Kresik / BDN
This year’s moose seasons are bucking traditional wisdom, according to the state’s moose biologist, who said he was a bit surprised that 81 percent of hunters in the first six-day season, which was staged two weeks ago, filled their tags during a hot week of hunting.
A security guard looks out the window of the State House during a quiet afternoon in Augusta in this May 6, 2020 file photo. Credit: Natalie Williams / BDN
The coronavirus-induced economic slowdown will dominate Maine politics next year as the state faces a projected $1.4 billion revenue shortfall over three budget years. Lawmakers will immediately have to sign off on $130 million in proposed curtailments by Gov. Janet Mills to partially plug a $528 million shortfall in the budget year ending next June.
Martin Novom is an undecided voter. Credit: Natalie Williams / BDN
Martin Novom of Clifton describes himself as being “seriously torn” on whether to vote for U.S. Sen. Susan Collins or House Speaker Sara Gideon. It is not about the competence of the two frontrunners, who he believes will do a “fine job” for Maine. He likes “the candidate with heart” and evaluates them based on their interest in the common good.
