State officials say the new highly contagious coronavirus variant has not been officially detected in Maine, but they assume it is already here and will soon drive more infections.
Colin Woodard
Colin Woodard is the Press Herald’s State and National Affairs Writer, and is often at work on large investigative projects. Born in Waterville and raised in western Maine, he was a foreign correspondent for two decades, reported from more than fifty countries on all seven continents, and witnessed the collapse of communism and its bloody aftermath in Eastern Europe and the Balkans. He’s written five books, including histories of Maine (The Lobster Coast), North America’s rival regional cultures (American Nations) and the Golden Age Pirates (Republic of Pirates), which was turned into a quickly forgotten NBC mini-series starring John Malkovich as Blackbeard. Since joining the Press Herald in 2012, he’s won a George Polk Award and was a finalist for the 2016 Pulitzer Prize in Explanatory Reporting. He used to be an avid sailor and SCUBA diver, but with small kids at home, his hobbies now include sleeping and picking up toys.
Posted inHealth, Local & State, News
Maine reports record spike in COVID-19 hospitalizations and ICU patients
The big one-day jump in the number of inpatients coincides with predictions of a post-Thanksgiving surge and ratchets up stress on the state’s hospitals.
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Posted inLocal & State, News
Miles from the sea, a Portland neighborhood finds itself in a new flood zone
Updated and more accurate federal maps put a cluster of homes near Capisic Brook in a zone that faces once-in-a-century risks.
Posted inHealth, Local & State, News, Uncategorized
Pace of new COVID infections continues post-Thanksgiving rise
The delta variant continues to drive a surge in infections in Maine as the new omicron variant is being detected elsewhere in the country.
Posted inBusiness, Local & State, News
One year in, Maine’s climate plan moving forward, fueled by unexpected federal windfall
Gov. Mills marked the occasion by announcing new initiatives to help towns and cities help meet the Maine Climate Council’s plan and her goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 45% by 2030.
Posted inBusiness, Local & State, News
Federal regulators will review effects of 4 lower Kennebec dams on fish
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission will study the Shawmut Dam in Fairfield and three others that fish must pass to reach key habitat in western Maine’s Sandy River.
Posted inLocal & State, Nation & World, News, Politics
Golden is only House Democrat to vote against Build Back Better
The 2nd District congressman, who has broken with his colleagues on several high-profile bills, opposes a piece of the sweeping $2 trillion social policy and climate change bill that largely benefits wealthy homeowners.
Posted inLocal & State, News, Politics
Rep. Golden is lone Democrat voting against Build Back Better package
The 2nd District Democrat bucks his party again, opposing the lifting of a cap on state and local tax deductions that primarily benefits the wealthy.
Posted inHealth, Local & State, News
Maine seeing record surges of hospital patients in counties with low vaccination rates
Hospitals that serve Androscoggin, Franklin, Somerset and Oxford counties are seeing the biggest spikes in COVID-19 patients.
Posted inBusiness, Local & State, News
Portland’s historic Union Wharf being sold, preserved for maritime use
Fishermen and city officials praise the agreement between the Gulf of Maine Research Institute and the Poole family, saying the organization is securing the future of the commercial pier.