Today is Thursday. Temperatures will be in the high 40s to mid-50s from north to south, with partly sunny skies throughout the state. Here’s what we’re talking about in Maine today. Another 195 coronavirus cases were reported across the state on Wednesday, according to the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention. No new deaths were reported, leaving the death toll statewide at 723. Check out our COVID-19 Tracker for more information. Americans will soon receive another round of stimulus payments after Congress approved the $1.9 trillion relief bill. It just awaits President Joe Biden’s signature. Here’s how much you can expect to receive in your next stimulus check and when it will hit your bank account. The University of Maine System announced its preliminary fall semester plans on Wednesday, focusing on a return to a traditional, pre-pandemic college experience. Lisa Baugher wears a mask while making a pair of dark and stormy drinks at DiMillo’s floating restaurant in Portland. Many seats at the bar are currently roped off. Credit: Troy R. Bennett / BDN It was not the economy-wide disaster that many feared early on, but it devastated the hospitality sector. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif., walks from the House floor, during the vote on the Democrat’s $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill, on Capitol Hill, Wednesday, March 10, 2021, in Washington. Credit: Alex Brandon / AP A Congress riven along party lines approved a landmark $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill Wednesday, as President Joe Biden and Democrats claimed a triumph on a bill that marshals the government’s spending might against twin pandemic and economic crises that have upended a nation. PLUS: Rep. Jared Golden, who has represented Maine’s 2nd Congressional District since 2019, was the only lawmaker from either party to break ranks on the bill. AND: The milestone political victory would provide $1,400 checks for most Americans and direct billions of dollars to schools, state and local governments, and businesses. Here’s a look at some highlights of the legislation. Assistant House Minority Leader Joel Stetkis, R-Canaan, speaks in the Maine House of Representatives chamber in this 2016 file photo. Credit: Troy R. Bennett / BDN The measure, sponsored by Rep. Peter Lyford, R-Eddington, would repeal the state of emergency declared by Mills nearly a year ago after the first virus case was detected in Maine. Law enforcement members walk up Knapp Street on Tuesday in Livermore Falls following a hostage situation at a residence on the street a day earlier. Credit: Donna M. Perry / Sun Journal via AP A TV reporter contacted by the hostage taker handed his phone to police, who continued to talk to him like they worked for the media. Tool fans watch during their show at the Darling’s Waterfront Pavilion in Bangor in May 2017. Maine has relaxed its limits on outdoor gatherings, but concert promoters still aren’t hopeful there will be a summer concert season this year. Credit: Ashley L. Conti / BDN As it stands, Maine’s new gathering limits won’t be enough to allow big concerts in Bangor or Portland. People use an outdoor fitness center in Beattie Park in Santa Barbara County developed by GameTime, the same model that will be installed in Brewer this summer. Credit: Courtesy of City of Brewer The fitness park will be at the northern end of the city’s popular waterfront walking trail along the Penobscot River. It is expected to be in place by July 4. American Aquafarms plans to acquire the Main Fair Trade Lobster plant in Gouldsboro and to invest between $50 million and $100 million to redevelop the site as a salmon hatchery and processing plant, but the sale is contingent upon getting state approval to grow salmon at 30 pens in the ocean off Bar Harbor, according to a company official. Some groups oppose the proposal, saying such a large-scale operation would be inappropriate for Frenchman Bay. Credit: Courtesy of Maine Fair Trade Lobster But American Aquafarms will need to overcome organized opposition to its plans. A bear walks past a bird feeder in Maine. Credit: Courtesy of Larry Jewett This is what can happen if we leave tasty snacks out where a bear can find them. The basic design of an outhouse has not changed much over the years. But to build one now in Maine, an engineered plan and permit are needed. Credit: Courtesy of Mary Jandreau Landry There was a time when all it took to construct an outdoor privy in Maine was a shovel, some wood and a bit of sweat. Not anymore. In other Maine news … Man shot by police after hostage standoff died by suicide, autopsy shows Fire at Jackson Lab damages storage room on Bar Harbor campus Revived Johnny’s Restaurant closes in Old Town after 3 months in business Budget compromise emerges in Maine Senate after GOP member wins veterans’ funding 6-year-old Belmont boy honored for helping save his mother Groups vow to stop Maine bill to ban trans youth from sports | 