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200,927 Cumulative vaccinations (An increase of 5,682 from Monday)

145,894 First doses administered (An increase of 3,569 from Monday)

55,033 Second doses administered (An increase of 2,113 from Monday)

41,630 Total cases (An increase of 211 from Monday)

639 Deaths (An increase of 3 from Monday)

211 New daily cases (An increase of 10 from Monday)

117 Currently in hospital (A decrease of 6 from Monday)

Dozens of workers braved temperatures in the low teens in rural Somerset County Tuesday morning, anticipating the first pole to be hoisted for a $1 billion hydropower project nearby.

The 100-foot-tall pole near Moxie Pond is part of the New England Clean Energy Connect, a 145-mile project of a Central Maine Power-affiliated company and Hydro-Quebec to bring up to 1,200 megawatts of hydropower from the Canadian border to a converter station in Lewiston.

The corridor has been embroiled in controversy for the past three years as environmentalists question its benefit to Maine and potential harm to the environment. It has been the target of two referendum efforts and multiple lawsuits, most recently one that halted construction on the last 53 miles of the corridor until at least mid-February. READ MORE

Many Mainers would like to think that the paper, plastic and other materials they consume each week will find a new life once they leave it at the curb or transfer station — maybe reborn as plastic rings that hold together their next six-pack, or as a cardboard box that carries an upcoming delivery from Amazon.

The state even has a decades-old law that’s meant to encourage more recycling and composting of household trash, with the goal of diverting at least half of that waste away from the more environmentally damaging options of the landfill or incinerator.

But in reality, Maine has never hit that statutory goal since it was enacted in 1989 — and, if anything, it has been losing ground in recent years. LISTEN TO THIS REPORT

Another three Mainers have died as health officials on Tuesday reported 211 more coronavirus cases across the state.

The number of coronavirus cases diagnosed in the past 14 days statewide is 3,922. This is an estimation of the current number of active cases in the state, as the Maine CDC is no longer tracking recoveries for all patients. That’s down from 4,373 on Monday.

That marked a slight increase over the past two days, but remains dramatically below the highs new cases climbed to only a month ago. Over the past 10 days, Maine has seen eight when new cases sunk below 300. While the holiday surge appears to have passed, Maine’s present caseload remains well above where it was in the late fall.

A Cumberland County resident, an Oxford County resident and a Washington County resident have succumbed to the virus, bringing the statewide death toll to 639. READ MORE

Maine is not among the 26 states that have publicly released plans to vaccinate teachers against COVID-19, although Gov. Janet Mills said last week that the state’s teachers are “highly valued.” READ MORE

Gov. Janet Mills is proposing to extend a tax break on Paycheck Protection Program loan proceeds that would benefit all smaller borrowers but exclude full relief for the largest loans. READ MORE