Educators are hoping that the Mills administration will prioritize teachers as part of Maine’s vaccination plan after President Joe Biden called on states to vaccinate all educators by the end of March.
Maine Education Association President Grace Leavitt says vaccinations would help reduce stress on educators, as she says many are at higher risk of COVID-19 and continue to work in close contact with many students.
“How do you help a four-year-old with a zipper, without coming within six feet of them? It’s certainly very, very helpful, and very, very hopeful. We just hope this all can be worked out as quickly as possible,” she says. READ MORE
Another two Mainers have died as health officials on Wednesday reported 147 more coronavirus cases across the state.
The number of coronavirus cases diagnosed in the past 14 days statewide is 2,219. 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 up from 2,176 on Tuesday.
In recent days, Maine has seen new coronavirus cases stabilize in the low triple digits. That comes after Maine saw an accelerating decline in confirmed virus transmission from mid-January when cases reached a record-high 830 through mid-February when they slipped below 100 for the first time in months.
Since then, Maine has seen active cases tick up, the seven-day average climb and a rise in its positivity rate.READ MORE
A proposed detention facility for immigrants suspected of violations has drawn mounting opposition from residents since a planning board approved it last fall.
Now it’s the subject of a lawsuit from Maine civil liberties and immigrant advocacy groups.
The ACLU of Maine, Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project and the Refugee and Human Rights Clinic at the Maine School of Law filed a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit in federal court Wednesday against Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE.
The lawsuit seeks transparency and more consultation with residents, who argue that the detention facility contradicts a recent anti-racism resolution passed last fall by the Scarborough Town Council. READ MORE
By Mark LaFlamme and Christopher Williams of the Sun Journal
Former Auburn lawyer and one-time district attorney candidate Seth Carey was arrested Tuesday in Florida on multiple charges, including attempted gross sexual assault, after a three-year investigation, according to a Maine State Police spokeswoman. READ MORE
A bill that would ban the aerial spraying of glyphosate and other toxic herbicides used by the forest products industry is getting strong support from environmental and health groups, organic farmers and guides familiar with the North Woods.
But along with large landowners, the Maine Forest Service is opposed, characterizing glyphosate as an essential tool to help grow trees.
The debate over glyphosate comes at a crucial time in the effort to combat climate change. The Mills administration’s Climate Action Plan identifies the state’s forest and agricultural lands as a place to sequester and store carbon, protect biodiversity and increase ecological resilience. READ MORE
