Today is Monday. It will be in the high 80s and low 90s across Maine with lots of sunshine. Here’s what we’re talking about in Maine today. Another 78 coronavirus cases were reported across the state on Sunday, according to the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention. The statewide death now stands at 839. Check out our COVID-19 Tracker for more information. A federal judge Friday dismissed an Orrington church’s year-old lawsuit that challenged Gov. Janet Mills’ COVID-19 restrictions on gatherings, calling the church’s case moot following the governor’s gradual loosening of limits before she eliminated them late last month. Former Gov. Paul LePage waves before leaving a rally against the executive orders by Gov. Janet Mills to keep some Maine businesses closed to help prevent the spread of coronavirus on May 16, 2020 near the Blaine House in Augusta. Credit: Robert F. Bukaty / AP Former Gov. Paul LePage is not yet officially running for his old seat, but he has been on something resembling a campaign trail recently, rallying faithful Republicans and visiting businesses under the radar while mapping out a return bid. The former Great Northern Paper mill is seen in Millinocket in this 2017 photo. Credit: BDN file Nautilus Data Technologies plans to locate its new 60-megawatt data center on 13 acres at the 1,400-acre former site of the Great Northern Paper Company. The site is now owned by the nonprofit volunteer group Our Katahdin. PLUS: Local leaders hope data center will reinvigorate Millinocket and Katahdin region A quarter century after Laura “Lollie” Winans, left, and Julianne “Julie” Williams were murdered at their backcountry campsite in Shenandoah National Park, the Federal Bureau of Investigation is seeking tips for the still-unsolved crime. Credit: FBI It’s been a quarter century since Unity College student Laura “Lollie” Winans, 26, and her girlfriend, Julianne “Julie” Williams, 24, were brutally slain at their backcountry campsite in Shenandoah National Park in Virginia. The ability to use heat-treated milk in cheese production is unique to Maine cheeses. Credit: BDN file In Maine, as long as a dairy producer has a valid Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry dairy license, a simple heat treatment process can be used to pasteurize milk. It’s a less expensive process than the federal pasteurization standards used in the other 49 states. Credit: Stock image So far, reported cases are clustered in the eastern part of the province, The Canadian Press reported, but there is no hard evidence yet that the disease is directly connected to geography. Mark W. Moran, family support services and pediatric forensic clinic coordinator at Northern Light Health’s Eastern Maine Medical Center. Credit: Linda Coan O'Kresik / BDN But Moran, the family services coordinator at Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor, increasingly heard from families stressed by the coronavirus pandemic, dealing with job losses and challenges of managing school or child care at home. The social connections that help protect children likely eroded and have not yet recovered, Moran fears. Fort Kent Police Chief Tom Pelletier, left, joined demonstrators who took a knee in memory of George Floyd at a “United We Stand, Divided We Fall” gathering in Fort Kent in June 2020. Credit: Jessica Potila / St. John Valley Times The decline in applicants to police departments is a problem throughout the country due to low pay and lack of benefits for a job that the public often views negatively. No pet owner wants to ever think about the day when their companion may have to be euthanized. In Maine it is legal to euthanize your pet at home by gunshot. Credit: Julia Bayly / BDN Reasons pet owners might face such a decision include owning an animal that suffered a serious traumatic injury, an illness that is impossible or too difficult to treat, and simple old age. Credit: Dreamstime / TNS Ronald Harding, 36, is charged with manslaughter in the infant’s death. In other Maine news … Painting with ties to Vincent van Gogh surfaces in Maine thrift store Woman stabbed multiple times in Lewiston 2nd Mainer charged in Capitol riot is a veteran and father of 5, lawyer says Attorney for man convicted of killing neighbor with machete argues police violated his rights Rockland man pleads guilty to making fake distress call Unity College is abandoning plans to sell its campus |