VIRUS OUTBREAK-MAINE
More than 2 dozen COVID-19 shot clinics to open in Maine
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — More than two dozen coronavirus vaccination clinics are set to open in Maine in the coming days. The Maine Department of Health and Human Services says the state is working with more than 25 health care organizations to offer the dedicated clinics. The department said the clinics will be held on Friday and over the weekend, and a few will happen the following week. The dedicated clinics are for school staff and teachers who are age 60 and older. The health department said every school district will notify eligible teachers and staff members about where they can sign up.
CONGRESS-DEMOCRAT BREAKS RANKS
Maine’s Golden is lone Democrat to vote down COVID-19 bill
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — The sole Democratic congressman to vote against the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package is a Marine Corps veteran who represents a vast, politically mixed district in Maine. Rep. Jared Golden, who has represented Maine’s 2nd Congressional District since 2019, broke from the rest of the party in Wednesday’s vote. Golden said in February that he believed the bill contained too much unnecessary spending, and he said Wednesday the final version of the proposal didn’t do enough to narrow the size and scope of the bill.
POLICE STANDOFF
Maine hostage taker took his own life, medical examiner says
LIVERMORE FALLS, Maine (AP) — Officials say a Maine man who held three people hostage and planted explosive devices in a home was shot by a state trooper, but died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The state medical examiner’s office said a wound from a member of the state police tactical team was not lethal. The standoff lasted more than 17 hours in Livermore Falls and ended early Tuesday with the release of the last of three hostages and the death of 44-year-old Donald White, of Jay.
MAINE LEGISLATURE
Senator is 1st Black legislator to serve in both chambers
AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — The Maine Legislature is getting down to business after making some history. Democratic Sen. Craig Hickman was sworn in Wednesday as the first Black man to serve in both chambers of the Legislature. Hickman, who served four terms in the House, easily won a special election Tuesday for the Senate District 14 seat. Meanwhile, the Legislature worked to find a way to get the supplemental budget passed. The budget would forgive taxes on Paycheck Protection Loans and the first $10,200 of enhanced unemployment benefits.
TRANSGENDER SPORTS-MAINE
Groups vow to stop Maine bill to ban trans youth from sports
AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — Civil rights groups in Maine are coming out against a proposal from a group of Republicans to ban transgender youths from school sports. The proposal from Rep. Beth O’Connor of Berwick states that it is designed to “ban biological males from participating in women’s sports.” O’Connor submitted the bill to the Maine Legislature on Monday. A coalition of groups, including the Maine Women’s Lobby, issued a joint statement that the proposal “is not in keeping with the values of youth sports” and is discriminatory.