Today is Wednesday. Temperatures will range in the mid 50s to high 60s from north to south with sunshine and clouds. Here’s what we’re talking about in Maine today. Another 26 coronavirus cases were reported in Maine on Tuesday, according to the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention. There are 631 active confirmed and “probable” cases in the state and the death toll remains at 143. Check out our COVID-19 Tracker for more information. The state has launched an online tracker of COVID-19 cases reported at all of Maine’s pre-K through grade 12 schools within the last 30 days. Feeling sick? As winter approaches, here’s a reminder of what symptoms to look for when you’re trying to figure out if you have a cold, the flu or coronavirus. A woman wears a mask to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus while walking on a rainy day, Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2020, in Portland, Maine. State health officials reported 26 new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, and no additional deaths. Credit: Robert F. Bukaty / AP Though case numbers continue to be lower in Maine than in most of the the country, new and active cases of the virus have been climbing since mid-August — as they have been across much of the Northeast, which had kept the virus under relative control during the summer. The state’s seven-day average of new daily COVID-19 cases more than doubled from 15 in mid-August — its lowest point since the start of the pandemic — to around 35 in recent days. AdriAnne Cole Curtis holds her daughter, Ivy, 2, outside their Sanford home on Tuesday. In August, Curtis found a metal shard poking out of a ball of pizza dough she was about to cook for her family. Credit: Troy R. Bennett / BDN Pizza night is usually a treat for the Curtis household, but it has been trickier to pull off since AdriAnne Cole Curtis went to prepare dinner with her daughter on Aug. 17 and found scraps of sharp metal sticking out of the package. Curtis bought the dough at the Hannaford in Sanford on Aug. 14, she said, making her case the earliest incident that investigators have on record, according to Saco Police Sgt. Chris Hardiman.
Nicholas Mitchell, 38, was arrested Sunday night in Dover, New Hampshire, for tampering with the products. Skiers and snowboarders make their way down a trail at New Hermon Mountain ski area in this 2015 file photo. Credit: Gabor Degre / BDN While details are still being ironed out, many ski areas have already posted COVID-related safety rules on their websites, as well as updates on what changes skiers can expect at their facilities. For example, skiers will not be allowed to change gear or store bags at the Sugarloaf ski lodge, and the number of people in the lodge will be strictly monitored. The Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Office in Auburn pictured in August. Credit: Callie Ferguson / BDN Prisoners of two minimum-security housing units refused meal trays from Monday morning to Tuesday afternoon in an effort to draw attention to their concerns about the availability of testing for COVID-19, prompting the sheriff to say he would test every inmate as soon as possible. In this May 2016 file photo, track and field official Mary Cady (center) watches runners compete in the 1,600-meter run during a meet at Cameron Stadium in Bangor. A municipal bond for $2.73 million to replace the football field and the all-weather track at J. Henry Cameron Stadium is on the ballot in Bangor. Credit: BDN file photo A project that would provide a multipurpose artificial turf playing field and an eight-lane all-weather track at J. Henry Cameron Stadium is the only bond issue awaiting Bangor voters on this year’s ballot. If approved, the money would enable the city to replace the decades-old grass football field and the deteriorating six-lane track. Credit: Stock photo Raccoons can wreak havoc on your yard and house if they settle in. If you can resist the charms of these skyscraper-scaling “trash pandas,” there are a few simple steps you can take to preventing raccoons from coming to your yard, and then handling them when they do. A bird chirps from a branch at Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument. Credit: Bob Duchesne / BDN In search of birds and fall colors, BDN bird expert Bob Duchesne spent three days exploring the Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument in early October. With camera in hand, he traveled throughout the 87,500-acre property, situated just east of Baxter State Park, and produced a short video to share with BDN readers. In other Maine news… Hiker found dead on Katahdin summit identified Unity residents launch petition against proposed Dunkin’ site on Main Street Maine could lose 16K jobs by 2028, though remote work could spur migration GOP longshot in Maine’s 1st District questions mask use in debate with Chellie Pingree Organizers cancel Millinocket Marathon Political spending tops $100M in Maine’s 2020 federal races | 