School mask mandates / COVID-19 case backlog / Frost quakes

Today is Tuesday. Temperatures will be in the low teens to mid-20s from north to south, with partly to mostly sunny skies throughout 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 update the latest COVID-19 cases by 9:30 a.m. Check out our tracker for more information.

Maine’s COVID-19 hospitalizations are continuing to fall at a steady pace, with a nearly 37 percent decline in the past month.

Maine will report inflated COVID-19 counts this week while clearing huge backlog

The state had reported artificially low case numbers over the past few weeks because the Maine CDC struggled to keep up with positive tests following the arrival of the omicron variant.

Maine school districts are discussing how to wind down mask mandates

So far, only one school district in the Bangor area — Hampden-based RSU 22 — has concrete plans to revisit its universal masking policy.

Trump attacks Susan Collins again after she says no Republican should fear him

Donald Trump called the Maine senator “atrocious” and claimed she only won in 2020 because he didn’t say anything bad about her.

What you need to know about the battle over tribal sovereignty in Maine

A sweeping tribal sovereignty effort will be heard again by Maine lawmakers on Tuesday with Gov. Janet Mills preparing a counteroffer later this week.

105-year-old Bar Harbor breakwater will get $6.3M makeover

Better late than never; the breakwater was left unfinished when work abruptly stopped in 1917.

Climate change will harm Maine’s coastal infrastructure without revamp, EPA chief says

Calamity could arrive if the Saco wastewater treatment facility was overloaded and had to shut down.

Bangor Region YMCA hopes its food pantry will give people a convenient resource

The food pantry has everything from nonperishable items to some more perishable goods in refrigerators.

It’s tulip season in this Waldo County greenhouse where 40,000 bulbs are in bloom

If you desire a bit of spring in the waning months of winter, one of these tulips from Seek-No-Further Farmstead in Monroe may be what you need.

Is it a falling bowling ball? Is it an exploding car? No, it’s a frost quake

Those frost quakes can be powerful enough to crack a paved driveway and sound like an exploding car.

In other Maine news …

Portland Pie co-founder dies at 52

2 more players leave UMaine men’s hockey team

Maine lobstermen’s 2021 catch was valued at record $725M

Police: Auburn man arrested after ramming multiple cruisers during chase

Brunswick man found dead in driveway

Country star Jason Aldean to play 5th Bangor concert this summer

Hermon superintendent will step down at end of March

Portland art museum fundraises for expansion