Maine sheriff needed rescue after kayak capsized
STANDISH, Maine (AP) — Officials say the sheriff in Maine’s most populous county needed to be rescued after his kayak capsized in Sebago Lake. Cumberland County Sheriff Kevin Joyce suffered symptoms of hypothermia following the episode Wednesday and was taken to Maine Medical Center as a precaution. Joyce called for help as he clung to the overturned kayak. A passerby with a canoe helped Joyce get to shore in Standish. The water temperature was 48 degrees.
MAINE MARIJUANA
Maine clarifies marijuana rules to try to aid medical users
AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — Maine has clarified some of its marijuana rulemaking procedures in a move supporters say will protect medical users and growers. The bill to clarify new rulemaking parameters for the state Office of Marijuana Policy went into effect late last month as an emergency measure. Supporters of the proposal said Monday it makes changes to the Maine Medical Use of Marijuana Act to make it easier to understand. The Maine Legislature approved the bill unanimously.
BC-US-VIRUS-OUTBREAK
Creeping COVID-19 cases result in few schools mask mandates
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (AP) — U.S. coronavirus cases are up, leading a smattering of school districts, especially in the Northeast, to bring back mask recommendations and requirements. Their return comes for the first time since the omicron winter surge ebbed and as the United States approaches 1 million deaths from the virus. Districts in Maine, New Jersey and Pennsylvania have brought masks back in schools, with a few in Massachusetts also recommending them. The uptick in cases is a vast undercount because testing has dropped considerably and most tests are being taken at home and are not reported to health departments.
MAN PRISON DEATH
Maine man dies months after assault in prison cell
WINDHAM, Maine (AP) — A Maine man who was incarnated at a Windham prison has died about four months after an assault in his cell that hospitalized him with a traumatic brain injury. The Maine Department of Corrections said 30-year-old Renaldo Jones died Tuesday. The Portland Press Herald reported Tuesday state officials have not released information about the cause or circumstances surrounding Jones’ death. The Maine State Police Major Crimes Unit is investigating. A state police spokesperson said they cannot reveal details of an ongoing investigation “but we will release additional information as soon as it’s appropriate.”
VIRUS OUTBREAK-MAINE
Some Maine school districts, such as largest, restart masks
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Some Maine school districts are returning to mandatory mask usage as COVID-19 infections in the state rise. Bangor school officials returned the district to a universal mask requirement on Monday. And officials in Portland, the largest school district in the state, said Tuesday that mandatory masks will return this week. The seven-day rolling average of daily new cases in Maine has risen over the past two weeks from 278 cases per day on April 24 to 752 cases per day on May 8.
SUPREME COURT-ABORTION-MAINE
Reproductive rights message left outside Sen Collins’ home
BANGOR, Maine (AP) — A message left in chalk outside Sen. Susan Collins’ home urged her to support the Democratic effort to codify the 1973 landmark decision establishing a constitutional right to abortion in the United States. It said “Mainers Want WHPA” in reference to the Women’s Health Protection Act and also said “Clean up your mess.” Collins has come under fire for voting to confirm Supreme Court justices Brett Kavanaugh and Neil Gorsuch. The two were part of a majority in a leaked draft opinion that would overturn Roe v. Wade. A police spokesperson says no crime was committed because the chalk message Saturday wasn’t threatening. A public works crew washed it away.