All Things Considered with Nora Flaherty

A coalition of low-income advocates and service providers is calling for an increase in taxes on wealthy Mainers and large corporations to fund what they say are needed investments in the social services.

People who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 — which comes two weeks after receiving the final dose — can gather without masks, says Maine CDC Director Nirav Shah.

Several new options for getting the COVID-19 vaccine are opening up in Maine this week.

Fifty mental health professionals have sent a letter to the Maine attorney general’s office citing concerns about how long it takes to become licensed, saying applications often take months to be processed. And as the would-be providers wait, so too must their clients, at a time when the demand for mental health services is surging due to the pandemic.

After nearly a decade of trying, Democratic U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree of Maine’s 1st District has succeeded in getting the U.S. House to agree to add the York River to the National Park Service’s Wild and Scenic Rivers System.

Republican state Sen. Marianne Moore of Calais is calling for a legislative probe of how the Maine Wild Blueberry Commission is spending its marketing money.

Eligibility for the COVID-19 vaccine in Maine will now be based on age.

Secretary of State Shenna Bellows is telling Congress Maine’s electoral process increases voter participation — especially among people with limited access.

The U.S. formally rejoined the Paris Climate Accord last week, and the Biden administration is now preparing new carbon-dioxide reduction goals.

Heather McGhee is an author and speaker who says that racially discriminatory laws and practices negatively impact everyone. And she’s got some economic data to back that up.

Two years ago, Maine became one of the first states in the country to ban single-use plastic bags. Considered a victory for the environment, the law was supposed to take effect Jan. 1, but was delayed until July 1 because of the pandemic. Now, some lawmakers want to repeal it.

A new national report shows that the risk of damaging floods will rise in Maine over the next 30 years, as climate change drives more extreme weather and rising sea levels. But the report by the nonprofit First Street Foundation also indicates that Maine is less at risk than most East Coast states.

Maine’s top utility regulators are launching a new effort to prepare Maine’s electricity supply and distribution systems for a major transformation. It’s all about accommodating the fast-arriving age of renewable energy, which is already causing some serious growing pains.

When the pandemic closed schools last spring, school nutrition departments swung into action. In only a few days, many opened meal distribution sites and began sending meals to students’ homes.

With so much economic upheaval caused by the pandemic, some community organizations in Maine are reporting that they’ve received far more applications for heating assistance this winter. And barriers raised by the pandemic have made it harder for some applicants.

The Maine Department of Corrections announced Friday that it is expanding medication-assisted treatment for residents of state correctional facilities who have opioid use disorder.

The same global consulting firm that paid nearly $600 million in a multistate settlement for “turbocharging” sales of opioids has received millions from the Maine Department of Labor to help the agency manage a crush of unemployment claims during the pandemic.

Across Maine, almost all public schools have been able to open for at least some level of in-person learning — but in the state’s largest city, most high schoolers are still learning remotely.

The number of new cases of COVID-19 added in Maine on Thursday is the lowest since November. So is the positivity rate, which is a little more than 2%.

Independent physicians in Maine say they’ve so far been left out of the COVID-19 vaccine rollout, as have their patients. Some say older patients are either unwilling or unable to go to larger vaccination sites.

The Southern Poverty Law Center has identified three active hate groups in Maine.

The Maine Legislature could soon join those in about half a dozen states that allow lawmakers to request racial impact statements on certain bills.

The high-volume COVID-19 vaccination clinic at the former Scarborough Downs harness racing track is now open.

With COVID-19 drastically altering education in Maine, some schools have seen big dips in attendance this fall, with some students nearly dropping off the map entirely. In response, many districts are trying out new strategies, including going door-to-door, to help reengage students and get them back in class.

Even though Maine prisoners live in crowded, congregate settings, and some are older and have underlying health conditions, it’s unclear when they’ll get their shots.

Health care providers have been flooded with phone calls Mainers 70 and older desperately seeking an appointment to get vaccinated against COVID-19.

Last month, workers at the port of Mack Point spilled more than two tons of plastic into Penobscot Bay , sending trash onto the shore of nearby Sears Island. The spill raised questions about procedures at the port, and a recent notice of violation from Maine’s Department of Environmental Protection shows the incident was not reported for a week.

Maine hospitals are expressing concerns about a reduction in reimbursements that’s included in Gov. Janet Mills proposed supplemental state budget. They say what appears to be a small cut will cost them millions of dollars in future years.

Gov. Janet Mills is proposing to accept only a portion of the federal tax cuts being offered to small businesses that received Paycheck Protection Program loans under the stimulus bill last year.

Maine has always been one place with a reliable snowpack, something that’s given rise to four-season tourism and a brisk winter sports scene. But this year, temperatures at both ends of the state are running about nine degrees above normal, and the state has received a lot less snow than it normally has.

Opponents of Central Maine Power’s proposed transmission line through the state’s western woods delivered more than 100,000 petition signatures to the secretary of state on Thursday, in their second bid to give voters a say on the project’s fate.

Scarborough Downs will soon become the site of Maine’s first mass COVID-19 vaccination clinic.

COVID-19 vaccinations for people 70 and older are underway in Maine, marking the beginning stages of Phase 1B of the state’s vaccination plan. But demand for vaccines is far outstripping the state’s supply. MaineHealth began taking appointments for people 70 and older this week, and Chief Health Improvement Officer, Dr. Dora Mills, says their call center was flooded with requests. On Monday, she says, 18,000 people tried to get a slot. “Actually, I understand we had about 70,000 calls,” she says, “but they were from about 18,000 people.” Of those 18,000 people, just 1,800 were able to get through and schedule appointments. That number has since grown to 5,000, and the health system opened its first clinics at Franklin Community Health Network in Farmington and Mid Coast-Parkview Health in Brunswick on Tuesday. Other locations will open clinics over the next week or so. Northern Light Health began scheduling appointments at a few locations Monday night. A spokesperson says the health

Maine’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout will continue as planned despite news Friday that the Trump administration does not have a backup supply of doses to boost state allocations as expected.

Republican U.S. Sen. Susan Collins says even though she witnessed the insurrection at the Capitol that was provoked by President Donald Trump, she is not ready to decide how she will vote at the impeachment trial.

The COVID-19 pandemic has hit Maine’s hospitality industry harder than any other sector. With cold weather taking its grip on 2021 and the surging virus keeping people at home, job losses are accelerating, particularly in the food-service sector. Still, many of Maine’s chefs and restaurant owners continue to find new ways to stay open through the winter.

The Maine Center for Disease Control requisitioned nearly 2,000 doses of a COVID-19 vaccine from Walgreens on Monday over concerns that the pharmacy chain was not using them quickly enough to protect older Mainers in long-term care facilities.

President-elect Joe Biden announced on Friday that he wants to release nearly all available doses of the COVID-19 vaccine after he takes office on Jan. 20.

Maine’s student-athletes are eager for next week, when high school hockey and basketball games can resume under the state’s COVID-19 protocols. But schools have been required to make major changes in an effort to keep the contests safe during the latest surge in cases.

Gov. Janet Mills is proposing a two-year budget of $8.4 billion, a spending plan bolstered by federal pandemic relief funding and better-than-expected revenue forecasts.

Maine fishermen say that Gov. Janet Mills’ plan for a state-led offshore wind project is being rushed. And now news that a developer is considering a new commercial-scale wind project off the coast is adding to their fears.

For students with disabilities, it’s important that needed services be provided as early as possible. But schools and state officials acknowledge that low wages and teacher shortages have left many families waiting for those services , with the pandemic only making the problem worse.

After 40 years in practice, one of Maine’s best-known addiction treatment specialists is retiring.

The COVID-19 pandemic is contributing to rising hunger in Maine, and at the same time much of the state’s seafood harvest is struggling to find a market. Now a new program is addressing both challenges at once.

When the COVID-19 pandemic began, it shut down Maine’s court system, creating a serious backlog of cases.

The federal government this morning published proposed new regulations for the East Coast lobster fishery that aim to reduce the risk that endangered North Atlantic right whales will become entangled in trap lines.

Close to 20,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in Maine so far, and much of the initial focus has been on frontline hospital workers. But two weeks into the rollout, providers who work outside of hospital systems are frustrated by a lack of clarity about when they’ll get the vaccine, and many are concerned they’re not being treated equitably.

Slumping college application figures this year suggest that more students are skipping or delaying their postsecondary education because of the pandemic. But there’s at least one course of study that drawing significant interest — applications to medical and nursing schools are up.

Last year Maine’s Democratic Legislature and governor enacted a grab bag of programs aimed at bringing more solar power online.

Among those who are first-hand witnesses to the surge of COVID-19 in Maine are primary care doctors. They’re the boots on the ground working to dispel myths about the pandemic and encourage people to take precautions. And after seeing an increase in cases from Thanksgiving gatherings, they’re worried about what may happen during the Christmas holiday.

Maine’s Department of Environmental Protection says it won’t enforce a statewide ban on single-use, plastic carry-out bags and polystyrene foam takeout containers until July of next year — and that’s drawing some fire from environmentalists.