Job fair to be held in Biddeford

The Biddeford Department of Health and Welfare will hold a job fair on Wednesday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 205 Main St. in Biddeford.

Positions will be available in retail, logistics, auto services, restoration, hospitality, construction, construction, manufacturing, waste/recycling and events.

People are advised to bring identification with them.

For more information, contact the Department of Health and Welfare at 284- 9514.

State identifies its 1st flu case of the season

AUGUSTA (AP) — The flu season has arrived in Maine.

The state Health Department says the first positive Influenza A case was detected by Mid Coast Hospital late last week. It was an adult from Sagadahoc County who wasn’t vaccinated and didn’t require hospitalization.

The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention recommends an annual flu vaccine as the first and best way to protect against influenza. Everyone 6 months of age and older should get a flu vaccine annually.

Dr. Siiri Bennett, state epidemiologist, says the flu vaccine is widely available. It takes about two weeks after vaccination for immune protection to start.

Signs of influenza include fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, muscle or body aches, headaches and fatigue.

E. coli victim released from hospital

AUBURN (AP) — An Auburn toddler has returned home after fighting the same E. coli-related illness that killed another young child in Poland, Maine.

Myles Herschaft, 17 months old, has left the hospital. Myles and 20- month-old Colton Guay both contracted hemolytic uremic syndrome after being exposed to E. coli.

Public health authorities confirmed that week that a child died after E. coli exposure, and Colton’s father has identified his son as the victim. State officials said last week that the two boys carried the same strain of E. coli and they were investigating where the bacteria had come from.

Authorities say both children attended the Oxford County Fair last month, but the state is also searching for other common factors in the cases.

Acting education commissioner named

AUGUSTA (AP) — Gov. Paul LePage has appointed former Husson University leader Bill Beardsley to serve as acting education commissioner.

Beardsley was president of Husson University from 1987 to 2010. He served as LePage’s conservation commissioner in 2011 until it merged with the Department of Agriculture in 2012 to create the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry.

LePage said Beardsley “has contributed greatly to the administration already and we are fortunate to have his support again.”

Tom Desjardin served as acting commissioner for six months, as allowed by statute. He’ll continue to serve as acting deputy commissioner when he returns to work after recovering from a fall in his barn.