Today is Friday. Temperatures will be in the low to mid 20s from north to south with mostly sunny skies throughout the state. Here’s what we’re talking about in Maine today.
A bus driver wearing a mask pulls away from a stop in Portland on Wednesday Feb. 10, 2021. Credit: Troy R. Bennett / BDN
Maine health officials announced Wednesday that a new coronavirus strain that originated in the United Kingdom was detected here. The variant has worried scientists, as early data suggest it is both more contagious and more deadly than the version circulating in the U.S. for a year.
Nirav Shah, director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, identified the strain as one of the main causes for concern as Maine’s virus trajectory as cases, hospitalizations and virus deaths continue to decline.
A woman wearing a mask walks by an empty storefront in Portland on Wednesday Feb. 10, 2021. Credit: Troy R. Bennett / BDN
McKinsey & Co. helped the state pay out claims more quickly, combat fraud and improve communication with unemployed workers, the Maine Department of Labor said. But the $6.3 million no-bid contract, which was recently extended through March, highlights the high cost of fixing Maine’s unemployment system, which has faced challenges since a revamp a few years ago.
Rep. Michele Meyer, an Eliot Democrat, said Kyle Fitzsimons followed her into a Kittery parking lot in the spring of 2019, parked his truck behind her vehicle so she could not exit and asked her how she planned to vote on a gun safety bill.
Philip Bartlett, chairman of the Maine Public Utilities Commission, speaks with reporters at the University of Southern Maine in Portland in this July 2019 file photo. The commission plans to investigate grid interconnections following complaints that Central Maine Power would raise connection fees for solar projects. Credit: Troy R. Bennett / BDN
Millinocket’s interim town manager, Richard Angotti, is pictured at a town council meeting over Zoom Thursday. Credit: Josh Keefe / BDN
The Millinocket Town Council voted 7-0 to approve a settlement agreement with former Millinocket Police Department Chief Deputy Janet Theriault on Thursday. Terms of the agreement have not yet been made public.
Rob Porter joined the Waldo County Sheriff’s Office last year as a community liaison to help with calls that are not criminal in nature, such as family disturbances, mental health crises and requests to check on the well-being of family members. Porter said he is a community resource. “I have always had faith in my ability to de-escalate and be able to communicate with someone.” Credit: Linda Coan O'Kresik / BDN
Deputies responding to 911 calls in Waldo County sometimes find themselves mediating property line disputes or child custody battles, mental health crises and family fights. There is a wide range of social issues outside the realm of what law enforcement is trained to deal with.
That’s why the department relies on Rob Porter, Waldo County’s first-ever community liaison. Porter, 56, is not a police officer. He doesn’t wear a uniform or carry a gun. But what he brings to the role is important: training in mental health, substance abuse and the willingness to listen.
In this 2014 file photo, steel pipe slated to become part of a natural gas pipeline in Lincoln is shown. Credit: Nick Sambides Jr. / BDN
Summit Natural Gas of Maine hopes to break ground on the main pipeline system for the project by the fall. When the first phase of the pipeline project is completed, commercial and residential customers in Belfast, Camden, Rockport, Rockland and Thomaston can sign up for service.
A homeowner thought he had a problem with feisty raccoons, but when he put up a trail camera, he learned that the culprit that had been raiding his bird feeder was a hungry black bear. Credit: Courtesy of Arthur Ahrens
Arthur Ahrens was a bit surprised to learn exactly who — or what — was causing the problems at his Branchport, New York, home.
Jamie Russell poses with members of the Central High School girls basketball team after he earned his 400th career coaching victory on Tuesday. Credit: Courtesy of Jared Foster
Central High School girls basketball Jamie Russell took a lighthearted look at his accomplishment of reaching the 400-win plateau after his team’s 48-36 victory over Foxcroft Academy of Dover-Foxcroft on Tuesday night in Corinth.
