AUGUSTA, Maine Expanded federal unemployment programs are set to expire early next month, and economic policy analysts said it will negatively affect nearly 86,000 Mainers facing financial uncertainty. Those enrolled in the state unemployment program will still be able to receive some benefits. James Myall, economic policy analyst at the Maine Center for Economic Policy, said the reason many folks are enrolled in the federal programs in the first place is because they ve exhausted the state s rule of 26 weeks in a year. .
COLUMBUS, Ohio Ohio s homebound residents interested in receiving the COVID-19 vaccine have a new option, which can come right to their door. Columbus-based health-care company OFFOR Health has teamed up with the Ohio Department of Health as part of the state s Regional Rapid Response Assistance Program, which identifies Ohioans in need of health care who cannot easily leave their home. Jamie Wilson, director of clinical operations for OFFOR Health, said with statewide collaboration, they are able to reach a larger swath of homebound residents who lack transportation or have comorbidities. .
MISSOULA, Mont. Got a grizzly problem? A Defenders of Wildlife program is helping folks deter bears from their property, by reimbursing landowners and businesses for half the cost, up to 500 dollars, for the cost of an electric fence. Now in its 11th year, the Electric Fence Incentive Program helps people install fencing to protect a range of bear attractants, including livestock, gardens or dumpsters behind businesses. .
UNION, W.Va. West Virginia researchers are utilizing old-school radio technology to study the migratory patterns of wildlife in remote areas of the state. West Virginia s Division of Natural Resources (DNR) recently installed a radio telemetry system at Hanging Rock Raptor Observatory in Monroe County, which collects data on migratory animals that pass in the vicinity of the tower. .
PORTLAND, Ore. Janitors have been on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, more than 2,000 in the Portland area have been rewarded with a new union contract. .