EDUCATION SETTLEMENT
Justice Department settles with Lewiston Public Schools
LEWISTON, Maine (AP) — The U.S. Department of Justice this week reached a settlement with the Lewiston Public Schools aimed at ending what investigators described as a “systemic and discriminatory practice” of excluding students from school for full days because of behaviors related to disabilities. The settlement will also mandate the district provide equal educational opportunities to students for whom English is not their primary language. The department conducted its investigation in response to a complaint lodged in 2016 by Disability Rights Maine, a nonprofit advocacy group. Lewiston Public Schools Superintendent K. Jake Langlais said the district has made strides in its educational programming,
CANCER RESEARCH
Maine gets help for cancer prevention programs around state
BANGOR, Maine (AP) — Maine’s health department has received almost $2 million to support cancer prevention programs around the state. The money is from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ National Center for Chronic Diseases Prevention and Health Promotion. Maine’s two U.S. senators say the money will help the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention Cancer Prevention and Control Programs conduct more cancer surveillance. The senators say the Maine CDC can also increase access to cancer screening and improve outcomes for people with cancer. Maine has a higher cancer death rate than the U.S. as a whole.
HOME SALES-MAINE
Home sales continue surge in Maine as prices also climb
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Home sales in Maine have continued to surge in spring. The Portland Press Herald reports Maine home sales increased by more than a third in April compared to a year ago. The paper reports the median sales price also increased by more than a sixth. The median sale price in the state was $276,000 for the month. The president of the Maine Association of Realtors reports sales figures are also higher than pre-pandemic levels.
BC-VIRUS OUTBREAK-NEW ENGLAND
Massachusetts vaccinations up; Montpelier to lift mask rule
BOSTON (AP) — More than half the population of Massachusetts is now fully vaccinated from COVID-19, according to public health data released Saturday. About 4.1 million first doses and nearly 3.4 million second doses have been administered. More than 3.6 million people have been fully immunized. Elsewhere in New England, Vermont’s capital city plans to lift its indoor mask mandate on June 15. New Hampshire is making it easier for paramedics and others to become nursing assistants to address workforce shortages exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic. And Rhode Islanders who’ve lost their COVID-19 vaccine record can get a free copy from the state.
NEW ENGLAND WILDFIRES
Rangers urge safety to avoid more wildfires in New England
Officials are urging caution at cookouts and campsites this holiday weekend to tamp down wildfires in New England. Forest rangers asked campers to make sure their campfires are fully extinguished before leaving them. They also urged people to obey open burning laws and to obtain permits before burning brush. Dry conditions are contributing to fires and persisting despite the showery forecast this weekend. The drought monitor released on Thursday showed parts of New Hampshire and Vermont are already in a moderate drought while most of Maine is “abnormally dry.”
ROBERT INDIANA
AG intends to demand overpayments from Robert Indiana estate
ROCKLAND, Maine (AP) — The Maine attorney general’s office intends to demand that law firms return money that was allegedly overpaid by the estate of artist Robert Indiana. All told, about $10 million in legal fees has been paid to law firms and to the estate’s personal representative. Indiana’s estate has been embroiled in a lawsuit by a company that held the copyright for his iconic “LOVE” series. The attorney general contends $3.7 million paid to four law firms in New York and Maine and $403,000 collected by the estate’s personal representative were excessive. The motion to demand repayment has not yet been accepted by the probate court.