Today is Wednesday. Temperatures will be in the low to high 40s from north to south, with sunny skies throughout the state. Here’s what we’re talking about in Maine today. An additional 189 coronavirus cases were reported across the state on Tuesday, according to the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention. No new deaths were reported, leaving the statewide death toll at 725. Check out our COVID-19 Tracker for more information. Seven inmates and one staff member at the Maine State Prison have tested positive for COVID-19. Northern Light Health, the largest health care provider in eastern Maine, is planning to open a large-scale COVID-19 vaccination clinic in a strip mall in Ellsworth by April 1. As Maine reached a year since the first coronavirus case was detected in the state, we asked you what you’re looking forward to most when life returns to normal. Here’s what you had to say. Lynne Whyte of Blue Hill was happy to receive her second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine on Tuesday at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor. “This is freedom,” Whyte said. The Northern Light Health vaccination clinic had a steady flow of people arriving to get vaccinated. Credit: Linda Coan O'Kresik / BDN The vaccine represents the end of an emotionally difficult year, and the eventual return of the things that make life worth living. Abdikhadar Shire, executive director of AK Health, puts his coat back on after getting his COVID-19 vaccine on Saturday at the B Street clinic in Lewiston. Amy Morgan, St. Mary’s medical assistant finishes up Shire’s paperwork on the right. Credit: Andree Kehn / Sun Journal via AP The accelerated timeline could mean the introduction of more ways to get vaccinated. The house at 676 Main Road North in Hampden is pictured March 16. Credit: Linda Coan O'Kresik / BDN That comes after the town wrestled for 18 months with how to address dangerous structures. Vote for your favorite Bangor-area pizza place in the Savory Sixteen round of our March Madness-style bracket competition. Credit: Linda Coan O'Kresik / BDN We knew you had opinions on pizza, but wow, what a turnout! Here are your Savory Sixteen competitors for round two. University of Maine at Presque Isle geologist Chunzeng Wang, left, along with Maine State Geologist Robert Marvinney study various rock formations and fossils in the Fish River chain of lakes area. It may perhaps be Chunzeng Wang’s biggest discovery. Jay Peterson, a freehand sign painter, musician and artist, sits in front of a portrait of Maine country music star Dick Curless he painted at Lenny’s Pub in Westbrook on Monday. The picture is part of a new outdoor mural at the pub, featuring Maine country music pioneers. Credit: Troy R. Bennett / BDN Jay Peterson, 66, has done more than just survive the pandemic. The Troy Howard Middle School Seed Co. has a brightly-colored display rack at the Belfast Co-op. Last year, the middle school students, who save seeds from the plants they grow, sold 400 seed packets at the co-op. This year, they expect to sell 800 packets. Credit: Abigail Curtis / BDN Last spring, as grocery store shelves were emptied, it seemed just about everyone in Maine wanted to start a garden. But seeds were hard to come by, as suppliers were crushed with unprecedented demand. Great Moose Lake in Hartland is shown in this 2013 photo. The Somerset County town, which lost a major employer last year when Tasman Leather Group shut down its Hartland leather tannery, is set to vote on whether to expand a landfill the tannery long used. Credit: Alex Barber / BDN The town landfill has long been a thorny issue for the Somerset County town of Hartland. Next month, residents will help decide the decades-old landfill’s fate in a referendum. A person carrying groceries turns the corner onto State Street in downtown Ellsworth on March 3. Credit: Natalie Williams / BDN The rejection in Ellsworth follows the recent approval of similar resolutions in a handful of small Maine towns taking stances against federal gun control measures that have yet to pass Congress. A fox and a raccoon have a late-night meeting in this backyard trail camera photo. Credit: Courtesy of Craig Sharp We may never know exactly what kind of mischief this fox and raccoon are plotting. In other Maine news… Bangor man poised to challenge Jared Golden in Democratic primary Maine has a long way to go to complete its economic recovery Judge who met priest properly presided at Hampden man’s murder trial, Maine high court says British diplomat looks to advance offshore wind collaboration on virtual Maine visit Camden considering partnering with a private marina to develop its harbor Hampden among notable programs likely to move for next classification cycle |