FAMILY MEDICAL LEAVE
Commission will propose family leave policy for Maine
AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — A commission in Maine is going to study ways to implement a paid family medical leave policy for the state. Gov. Janet Mills signed a bill about the proposal into law earlier in July. The proposal, from Democratic Sen. Mattie Daughtry, called for a commission that will hear from workers, employers, caregivers and others before proposing a statewide family leave system for Maine. The commission is expected to provide recommendations by January 2022.
Man discovered walking on airport runway faces charges
BANGOR, Maine (AP) — A Maine man who strolled onto the runway at Bangor International Airport is facing charges. Officials said planes were taxiing at the time the man was spotted on the runway on Saturday. The man ran when officials tried to stop him, scaled a fence and disappeared into the woods. The Bangor Daily News reports that the man was eventually arrested and charged with trespassing, refusing to submit to arrest and a bail violation. The man was no longer in the jail on Tuesday. It was unclear if he had a lawyer.
2nd case of rare tickborne disease found in Maine
AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — Public health authorities in Maine said a second case of a rare tickborne infection has been located in the state. The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention said Monday that laboratory tests confirmed a case of Powassan virus in a resident of Knox County. A Waldo County resident who is still recovering from the virus contracted it in June. The agency said about 25 cases of the disease are reported in the U.S. every year. Maine has had 10 cases since 2010.
Daily COVID-19 cases top 70,000 in Maine as counts rise
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — The number of daily coronavirus infections has quadrupled in Maine over the last four weeks, and the total count since the start of the pandemic has eclipsed 70,000 cases. The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention said on Tuesday that there have now been more than 70,000 reported cases of the virus in the state, and the number of deaths since the start of the pandemic was 898. Maine authorities say about 68% of the state’s eligible population is fully vaccinated against coronavirus. However, counts have been increasing in Maine and around the country in recent weeks.