Employer COVID-19 vaccine mandates / Maine wedding boom / Nursing home closure
Sep. 13—Today is Monday. Temperatures will be in the mid-60s to mid-70s from north to south, with sunny skies throughout the state. Here's what we're talking about in Maine today.
The latest on the coronavirus
The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention will report the latest coronavirus cases and deaths from the weekend by 9:30 a.m. Tuesday. Check out our COVID-19 Tracker for more information.
Some Maine employers already required COVID-19 vaccines before Joe Biden's mandate
The Biden mandate's reach will be limited as it won't apply to many large Maine employers in the public sector.
Pool testing is a crucial tool in Maine schools' fight against COVID-19
More than half of Maine schools plan to rely on regular testing as one strategy to contain COVID-19's spread.
School virus surge means more work for staff charged with stemming the spread
The responsibilities have mounted as the coronavirus and its delta variant circulate more actively than a year ago, more students are in school buildings and state guidelines allow many students and staff who have been exposed to the virus to forgo quarantine.
Maine's pandemic wedding scene is booming and 2022 will be bigger
Many Maine wedding planners and event venues are already seeing reservations fill up for next year, which is expected to set the U.S. record for the most weddings in 40 years.
Maine nursing home offered bonuses for workers who don't publicly criticize closure plan
The Island Nursing Home was the first of three facilities to announce they would be closing by the end of October after the COVID-19 pandemic put additional strain on a workforce that has long struggled with low wages and staff retention.
People keep leaving Aroostook County
The County lost about 4,700 people during that time, down to a little more than 67,000 people, representing a 7.1 percent decline.
Female black bear with her cubs spotted in Aroostook County
Bears are out there and can be seen, if the timing is right.
UMaine men's basketball team to earn $315K playing 4 games it will likely lose
They're referred to as "guarantee games" because the major-conference school is guaranteed a home game to generate revenue through ticket sales and concessions, while mid-major conference opponents like UMaine earn cash.
In other Maine news:
Brewer man killed in Bangor crash
Exeter teen killed after crashing car into tree
Desperate for affordable housing, 2 midcoast communities look to zoning for help
Maine's 72-year-old Beech Ridge Speedway to be sold, car racing likely over
Motorcyclist injured after colliding with moose
Windham pedestrian killed by pickup truck
Man dies after jumping from burning Lewiston apartment building
