VIRUS OUTBREAK-MAINE
Renewed indoor mask guidance applies to only 1 Maine county
BELFAST, Maine (AP) — New federal guidance that everyone wear face coverings indoors in areas of high or substantial transmission applies to only one county in Maine. Maine officials announced earlier in the week that the state will align with the new guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Cases of the virus have risen in Maine and around the country. The CDC rates counties as “low,” “moderate,” “substantial” or “high” based on their level of community transmission. Every county in Maine was listed as moderate on Friday except Waldo County, which was listed substantial.
HYDROPOWER TRANSMISSION CORRIDOR
Single question OK for power line referendum, court says
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Maine’s supreme court has rejected an attempt to separate a referndum proposal to stop a 145-mile transmission line into three questions, instead of one. The referendum question that’ll be on the ballot this fall asks voters if they want to stop the project, require legislative approval of similar projects retroactively and require approval by a two-thirds vote for those projects that use public land. The wording of the single question was approved by the office of Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows. The $1 billion New England Clean Energy Connect is intended to serve as a conduit for Canadian hydropower to reach the New England power grid.
OPIOID CRISIS
$2M for training, jobs in Maine locales hit by opioid crisis
AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — The federal government is hoping to help Maine create jobs in parts of the state that have been hit hard by the opioid use disorder epidemic. The state is on pace to potentially surpass the record number of drug overdose deaths that occurred in 2020. There were more than 500 overdose deaths in Maine last year. The U.S. Department of Labor said Wednesday that it is awarding the Maine Department of Labor more than $2 million to create jobs and provide employment services to residents in nine counties that have been significantly affected by the crisis.
FATAL CRASH-RURAL MAINE
Man dies in collision with logging truck in rural Maine
CRAWFORD, Maine (AP) — Police in Maine say a man died in a crash with a tractor-trailer in the Washington County town of Crawford. Police say the crash killed 63-year-old Bruce Pierce of Calais. They said Pierce was driving a vehicle that was traveling west when it collided head-on with a tractor-trailer carrying a load of logs Wednesday morning. Police say Pierce’s vehicle crossed into the westbound lane, into the path of the tractor-trailer. They said the tractor-trailer driver, 59-year-old Kenneth Stairs of Greenbush, was transported to a Calais hospital for minor injuries.
BODY-QUARRY
Body recovered from 112 feet of water in Maine quarry
ROCKPORT, Maine (AP) — The state medical examiner’s office will determine the cause of death of a man whose body was recovered in 112 feet (34 meters) of water in a quarry in Rockport, Maine. Police do not suspect foul play. They say the body of 38-year-old Joshua D. Clapp, of Rockport, was recovered Tuesday night, hours after officers found a bicycle at the quarry’s gate and personal items including a backpack and clothes at the water’s edge. Camden-Rockport Police Chief Randy Gagne said there’s “nothing that indicates it’s anything other than a tragic accident.” The quarry and surrounding property is part of the Coastal Mountains Land Trust’s Simonton Quarry Preserve.
BRUNSWICK PARK PURCHASE
Maine town moves closer to closing on shoreline property
BRUNSWICK, Maine (AP) — Brunswick town officials are closing in on purchasing a 42.5-acre parcel of land that it has sought for years on the Androscoggin River in Maine. The Portland Press Herald reports that the land would be for public use and was valued at $504,000 by an independent appraisal. The town council unanimously voted last week to set an Aug. 2 purchase and sale ratification date. On Tuesday, the town received preliminary approval for a grant that will cover 50% of costs. Additionally, the Maine Coast Heritage Trust pledged $20,000 towards the project. The city hopes to use other grants and fundraising to cover the remaining costs.