Spring nor’easter headed for Maine and NH later this week
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Northern New England may have had a fairly mild winter, but a spring nor’easter is on the way this week. WGME-TV reports the storm is expected to bring rain and snow to Maine starting on late Thursday night and extend all the way through early Saturday morning. Western Maine could see as much as a half foot of snow near the New Hampshire border. WGME-TV reported Wednesday that the highest totals are expected in inland areas and the hills and mountains of Maine. However, even the coastal areas of Maine and New Hampshire could also see a coating of snow.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-MAINE
Bates College lifts lockdown; outbreak reported at jail
BANGOR, Maine (AP) — In-person classes are resuming now that Bates College has lifted a 12-day lockdown aimed at containing an outbreak of COVID-19. A school official told students the school was immediately “lifting the in-room restriction” it imposed April 1, and in-person classes were resuming Wednesday. The college still has more than 30 students who tested positive in isolation housing. Meanwhile, the Cumberland County jail is working with the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention to contain an outbreak. Officials say nearly 30 people have tested positive for the coronavirus. They were 27 inmates and two employees.
HYDROPOWER TRANSMISSION CORRIDOR
Millions pour into groups fighting, supporting power line
AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — Money is pouring into the campaign battle over a $1 billion hydropower transmission project in western Maine. Project supporters outspent opponents more than 2 to 1 in the latest reporting period. Financial disclosures filed Monday indicate that Central Maine Power-backed Clean Energy Matters spent nearly $4.5 million and Mainers for Local Power spent more than $2 million. Critics who say the project would permanently change the character of the western Maine woods collected enough signatures for a referendum on the project. Supporters say the project would reduce carbon pollution and lower utility prices across the region.
THE NUMBERS
The seven-day rolling average of daily new cases in Maine has risen over the past two weeks from 211.43 on March 29 to 364.29 on April 12. The seven-day rolling average of daily deaths in Maine did not increase over the past two weeks, remaining at roughly one on March 29 and on April 12.
The AP is using data collected by Johns Hopkins University Center for Systems Science and Engineering to measure outbreak caseloads and deaths across the United States.
The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention reported Wednesday that the state has been the site of more than 55,000 cases of the virus and 757 deaths, including four reported Thursday. All told, more than 500 infections were reported on both Wednesday and Thursday.
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JAIL OUTBREAK
The Cumberland County jail is working with the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention to contain an outbreak.
Nearly 30 people — 27 inmates and two employees — have tested positive for the coronavirus, jail officials said.
Inmates and staff started showing symptoms last week. Over the weekend, all inmates at the jail and staff were tested for the virus, and another 24 inmates tested positive, officials said.
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USDA GRANTS
Maine’s congressional delegation wants the federal government to distribute million of dollars in coronavirus relief for the logging industry.
The four-member delegation said Monday the U.S. Department of Agriculture must quickly provide $200 million in relief money slated for logging and log hauling businesses. The aid was part of the December coronavirus relief package, the delegation said.
The delegation wrote a letter to the USDA that said “it is critical that you use every authority available to distribute this relief quickly to those who desperately need it.”
The members said the logging industry has suffered a decline in demand for wood fiber since the beginning of the pandemic. The industry has experienced an estimated 20% or greater drop in timber harvest this year, the delegation said.