The season’s must-have accessory is making waves on the social (and socially distanced) scene. No, it’s not sweatpants with extra stretchy waistbands. That’s so 2020. It’s a Band-Aid affixed to the upper arm with all the panache of a beret tipped just so. One newly vaccinated Hancock County resident emerged from the Cross Center Insurance Center in Bangor last week sporting a Bugs Bunny bandage. Très chic.
As the global coronavirus pandemic continues, another pandemic is raging: a mental health crisis.
Mainers take voting seriously. Voters can register up until the day they vote and can vote absentee without an excuse. Public financing is available to candidates who want it, and Maine was among the first in the nation to adopt ranked–choice voting for every general election candidate. In short, Maine goes out of its way to make sure everyone has their voices heard on …
They say to the winner go the spoils. Maine Democrats, who secured the majority in both state House and Senate last election, also got their way with the budget last week. The two-year $8.3 billion budget passed by a majority vote. The final vote on the bill in the House was 77-67. The final vote in the Senate was …
After a long wait, Maine’s adult-use recreational marijuana market got up and running this past fall. Things seem to be going smoothly enough, although it’s hard to judge with so much else going on. Money is certainly rolling in. There were $1.4 million in legal sales in the industry’s first month, the Portland Press Herald reported in November. The state earned almost $141,000 in tax revenue from the sales. NPR recently reported data …
It seems that every couple of years, well-meaning lawmakers introduce bills to curtail or eliminate Maine’s vehicle inspection laws and then a conversation about safety ensues. We are here again. A senator from Camden, David Miramant, has introduced a bill that would change Maine’s vehicle inspection law, eliminating the need for inspection of all vehicles until they are 20 years …
It has been nearly a year since the Coastal Resources of Maine facility in Hampden went offline, and negotiations with a potential buyer have stumbled. The deal is still expected to close by June 30. We’ll see. From the technology (innovative but unproven) to the ownership structure (convoluted) to the timeline for opening (delayed), nothing has been …
Millions of dollars are beginning to trickle into Maine for state and local government, individuals and households and the unemployed. The aid comes from the Biden administration’s American Rescue Plan, which was signed into law in mid-March. Within days of the signed legislation, $1,400 checks to individuals began to hit bank accounts. Mainers are expected to see a boost of about $1 billion from these stimulus payments alone. For some, …
For the most part, Mainers have been cautious throughout the pandemic. They have kept their distance, were among the first in the nation to mask up and have embraced (albeit reluctantly) the changing social norms that have kept us from our friends and family in order to keep the larger community safe. Maine has consistently been out front in terms of its …
Trouble’s brewing in Trenton, where a group of citizens say they want out of the Mount Desert Island Regional School System (AOS 91). They have submitted a petition seeking to ask voters at Town Meeting in May to consider initiating a withdrawal process. Opposing the effort are members of the Trenton School Board and most of the staff of the …
Never miss a beat! Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get top stories sent straight to your inbox.
