Maine gets more than $4M from cap and trade auctions
AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — Maine officials say the state has received more than $4 million from an auction of carbon dioxide emission allowances during the first quarter of the year. The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative says the auction was part of its cap-and-trade program. The program is designed to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from power plants. The 11 states that participate in the greenhouse gas initiative limit emissions from power plants and allow companies to purchase allowances at auction. The program has brought Maine more than $127 million over the years.
Maine service program would bring graduates to rural areas
AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — A Maine lawmaker has proposed the creation of a new program designed to help more recent graduates remain in the state. Maine has one of the oldest populations in the country, and state leaders have identified a need to retain younger residents. Democratic Rep. Morgan Rielly of Westbrook has proposed legislation to create a program called the “Maine Service Fellows Program” that would address that. Rielly says the program would allow its fellows to work in rural communities. Rielly says the fellows would be payed a living wage and provided with partial student loan reimbursement once they complete their service.
US colleges divided over requiring student vaccinations
BOSTON (AP) — U.S. colleges hoping for a return to normalcy next fall are weighing how far they should go in urging students to get the COVID-19 vaccine, including whether they should — or legally can — require it. Some have already said students will have to get shots before returning to campus, including at Rutgers, Brown, Cornell and Northeastern. They say they will help protect their campuses and give students the confidence to return. But some schools say they cannot legally require vaccinations because the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has only allowed the emergency use of COVID-19 vaccines and hasn’t given them its full approval. Still, other colleges are opting to recommend shots without requiring them.
BC-MOOSE HUNT
Biologists: More moose hunting will reduce ticks, help herd
Wildlife biologists in northern New England hope that increasing the number of moose taken by hunters this fall will help protect the herd from ticks. Vermont is planning to issue 100 permits for the October hunt. That’s up from 55 last year and zero in 2019. The number of permits in Maine is going to increase by more than a tenth to 3,480. New Hampshire is considering whether to follow a similar path. Ticks have devastated the herds. It’s hoped that a reduction in herd density will reduce the number of winter ticks and end up helping the surviving moose.
MOTORCYCLE FATAL
Massachusetts woman dies in Maine motorcycle crash
LYMAN, Maine (AP) — A Massachusetts woman has died in a motorcycle accident in Maine. Authorities say 50-year-old Anne Stout, of Maynard, Massachusetts, was the passenger on the back of the motorcycle being operated by Gerald Gibson, of Sanford. The motorcycle was heading north in Lyman at about 11:30 a.m. Saturday when it traveled onto the soft shoulder, left the roadway and crashed into a ditch. Stout was thrown off the motorcycle. Gibson was transported to Maine Medical Center with minor injuries. Authorities say neither was wearing a helmet. The road was shut down for approximately 2.5 hours during the investigation, which remains ongoing.
VETERANS JOBS
Maine proposal promises jobs, education for veterans
AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — Lawmakers in Maine are considering a proposal designed to make sure veterans in the state have access to more jobs and educational resources. Democratic Sen. Joe Rafferty of Kennebunk proposed the “Veterans Bill of Rights” earlier in April. It requires state officials to review examination and licensing eligibility of applicants who are veterans and to waive fees for them. The proposal is similar to one submitted previously that died when the legislature adjourned due to the coronavirus pandemic.
DEMENTIA SUPPORT
Collins, Klobuchar propose support for dementia caregivers
BANGOR, Maine (AP) — Senators from Maine and Minnesota are working together on a proposal to expand training and support services for families and caregivers of people who have dementia. Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine and Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota say the Alzheimer’s Caregiver Support Act would authorize the use of grants for public and nonprofit organizations to “expand training and support services that improve caregiver health and delay long-term care facility admissions by keeping loved ones with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias in their homes longer.”