Maine

A group of lawmakers responsible for overseeing the rules of Maine’s two legislative chambers are reviewing pandemic protocols in response to complaints about members not wearing effective masks.  In a subcommittee meeting Thursday, legislative leaders from both parties discussed changing the Legislature’s pandemic rules to mandate that face coverings comply with the state’s public health recommendations, the Portland Press...

Birds often found in tropical places like the Caribbean and Florida are appearing in Maine. Over the past week, people from Gray, outside Portland to the Acadia region have reported what scientists have identified as purple gallinules. “If you see photos of them, they’ve got these incredibly long toes,” said Doug Hitchcox, a naturalist at Maine Audubon. How did...

Some birds seem to have gotten lost, making their way to Maine instead of the tropics.

Thousands of doses of coronavirus vaccine exceeded temperature requirements during their shipment to Maine, public health authorities said on Tuesday.

More than 4,000 doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine bound for Maine healthcare providers has been deemed unusable after shipping containers reached the wrong temperature.

A Maine couple is getting ready to start selling an invention that they dreamed up out of pandemic necessity. Over the past four months, Jocelyn Olsen and Colin Greig have developed a battery-powered, heated seat cushion and created their own company to sell them. Their business is named Hüga, which is a spin on the Danish word “hygge” which...

A couple in Portland, Maine, thinks they invented the answer to comfortable outdoor dining during the winter: heated seat cushions.

Maine’s health care providers have started scheduling COVID-19 vaccines for those 70 and older, despite a short supply of doses. Gov. Janet Mills’ office has published a list online showing where people in that category can schedule an appointment. MaineHealth was flooded with more than 18,000 calls Monday, the first day people could request an appointment, John Porter, spokesperson for…

Maine’s governor and public safety commissioner said they are troubled by the State House police chief’s social media posts deriding mask mandates, questioning the results of the presidential election and supporting a police officer who called for violence against Black Lives Matter protesters. Gov. Janet Mills and Public Safety Commissioner Michael Sauschuck issued a statement Friday in which they...

Maine’s Capitol Police chief has apologized for posting comments online in support of some conspiracy theories. An expert says the consequences could be serious, if he’s found of wrongdoing.

A shortage of nurses, aides and other staff at nursing homes in Maine that already existed before the pandemic is getting worse. More than one third of the state’s nursing homes reported shortages of both nurses and aides at the beginning of this month, and more than 20% were short on other staff, according to reports filed with federal regulators….

A couple of Maine lawmakers are proposing a COVID-19 patient bill of rights which would last beyond the state of civil emergency declared by Gov. Janet Mills.

Some Maine lawmakers are proposing a COVID-19 patient bill of rights that would mandate insurance companies provide free coverage for health care services like testing.

Maine Gov. Janet Mills received her first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine Friday morning.

Maine is sending National Guard troops to Washington, D.C., for inauguration security, focused on protecting the Capitol rather than managing a large crowd.

As Maine reaches a record 824 new COVID-19 cases confirmed in one day, the state is making adjustments to its vaccine rollout plan. On Wednesday, Gov. Janet Mills announced the state would join others that are vaccinating people ages 65 and older in a more expedited way than originally outlined. Instead of having people in those age groups wait for…

Police in Maine said two people died in a crash that stemmed from a police chase on Interstate 95. The crash happened after a man lead police on a high-speed pursuit from Kennebunkport to York on Tuesday, police said. The pursuit caused traffic to slow on the northbound side of the highway, police said. With traffic slowed, a tractor-trailer struck…

Two new concerning data points are illustrating the damage Maine’s economy is feeling from the coronavirus pandemic.

Food banks in Maine are seeing a surge in demand while the state’s economy is feeling the devastating impact from the coronavirus pandemic.

A proposal to prevent surprise medical bills that was promoted by Maine’s Republican senator has been signed into law. Sen. Susan Collins said the proposal was crafted because “the last thing patients should have to worry about while they are sick or recovering is receiving an unexpected bill because they were unaware they were receiving out-of-network care.” The proposal...