Federal vaccine deliveries are expected to increase. Is Maine ready for them?
The state is still exploring options to expand capacity, but the 2 biggest health care organizations say they are prepared to accelerate vaccinations.
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Mills administration officials say their focus is on adding high-volume vaccination sites and launching additional initiatives in rural communities to reach Mainers who cannot travel to clinics.
Among Mainers 70 and older, 69% have now had one shot of vaccine and 24% have gotten both.
Maine’s 7-day average of new cases was 170 on Wednesday, up from 142 two weeks ago but far less than the average of nearly 300 at this time last month.
Mainer charged in Capitol riot case was known for racist beliefs, denial of election results
Kyle Fitzsimons of Lebanon, who is charged with assault on a federal officer and other crimes, appeared in federal court Friday.
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A Lebanon man held racist beliefs and espoused the baseless view that former President Donald Trump lost the 2020 election because of voter fraud, even offering on social media to lead a caravan to Washington, D.C., for what became the deadly riot at the U.S. Capitol last month, according to an affidavit filed in federal court this week.
“If a call went out for able bodies, would there be an answer?” read a December Facebook post signed with the name “Kyle Fitzsimons.”
Maine businesses fear for employee safety if made to enforce mask mandate Share Updated: 5:20 PM EST Dec 14, 2020 Share Updated: 5:20 PM EST Dec 14, 2020
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Show Transcript KEITHLEY SPOKE WITH A FEW RETAILERS TODAY TO SEE WHAT THEY PLAN TO DO. THIS COULD BE DESCRIBED AS A TEXT-BOOK EXAMPLE OF AN ESCALATING SITUATION. OWNERS OF A LOCALLY-OWNED áSHOP N SAVEá IN CORNISH LAST WEEK ASKING A CUSTOMER TO PUT A MASK ON OR LEAVE.. THE MAN 63-YEAR- OLD ROBERT SANBORN OF HIRAM GETS ANGRY TOSSES HIS GROCERY CART .THE STORE OWNERS - TWO BROTHERS FOLLOW HIM OUT TO GET A LICENSE PLATE NUMBER - THE SURVEILLANCE VIDEO SHOWS THE CAR GUNNING FORWARD AND HITTING ONE OF THE BROTHERS - MARK CALL. I COULDN T BELIEVE IT HE PUT IT IN DRIVE AND JUST DROVE STRAIGHT AT ME. SANBORN CHARGE WITH FELONY RECKLESS CONDUCT. ON FRIDAY GOVERNOR JANET MILLS WAS ASKED ABOUT THE RISKS OF HER MORE STRICT MASK MANDATE. IT SHOULDN T FALL ON A CLERK WHO IS WORKING A
“If you have integrity, courage, commitment … let’s talk,” the Maine Department of Corrections beckons on its website’s career opportunities section.
As of early December it had 45 vacancies, including 37 correctional officers but also an English teacher at the Long Creek Youth Development Center in South Portland a good indication of the range of jobs in the state’s prison and juvenile detention system. It’s currently responsible for 1,750 inmates and 6,700 individuals on probation.
The department’s workforce of 1,075 people consists of 456 correctional or juvenile officers and more than 100 supervisory staff. The remaining jobs range from intelligence and clerical positions to food service, plumbers and vocational instructors.
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The head of Maine’s retailer association said he, too, was hoping that “citizens will get the message now.”
But the new order mandating face coverings to enter any business or public space left a lot of questions, chief among them, what if people still don’t mask up?
“I have a lot of empathy for business owners who are hearing this mandate on Friday, trying to determine, on one of the busiest shopping weekends of the year, who in their store is going to enforce it, what’s that going to look like and what’s going to be the impact to their business?” Shanna Cox, president of the Lewiston Auburn Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, said. “Every business owner is thinking that right now.”