Many business owners and municipal leaders have been eagerly waiting for Gov. Janet Mills to provide a path forward after weeks of restrictions in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Her announcement Tuesday that she will issue a new stay-at-home order that allows a gradual reopening of certain businesses is a relief for some, but not all.

As health care systems in coronavirus hot spots are stretched thin, Maine hospitals and the state prepared for a much larger onslaught of coronavirus cases than the one that has materialized so far here.

Just as Buie has adapted her musical pursuits, she has made other changes to protect her health amid the ongoing outbreak as she approaches her 70th birthday. That includes utilizing a new local program -- Community Pulling Together -- that shops and delivers groceries for people who are self-isolating at home or otherwise concerned about their medical well-being.

A check for $10,000 arrived at the town of Monson last week from the Maine Community Foundation with the community being chosen as one of three communities participating in the Community Entrepreneurship Program. This first check is for planning purposes and will be followed by another for $25,000 for implementation purposes and a further $25,000 in 2021.  The National Main Street Center will provide workshops, training and local assessments worth a further $10,000 so the total investment will be $70,000. 

Certain Maine businesses can reopen on Friday as part of a gradual plan to lift coronavirus-related restrictions, though many hospitality businesses could remain closed deep into the summer, Gov. Janet Mills said Tuesday.

Self-employed workers and independent contractors will be able to apply for federally funded unemployment benefits starting on Friday, the Maine Department of Labor announced on Tuesday.

Months ago the annual Dover-Foxcroft town meeting had been planned for the morning of Saturday, April 25 with residents later heading to the polls to vote on the 2020-21 municipal budget -- along with the RSU 68 budget and state ballot -- at the June 9 referendum. Among the countless changes brought about by the COVID-10 pandemic is an alteration to the budget schedule in Dover-Foxcroft but town officials have a plan for a revised timeline.

More than 4,700 people lost power late Monday night in Corinth and nearby communities. The outage affected Alton, Atkinson, Bradford, Charleston, Corinna, Corinth, Dexter, Exeter, Garland, Glenburn, Hudson, Kenduskeag, Levant, Newburgh and Orneville Township, according to Emera Maine.

Gov. Janet Mills suggested on Monday that she might reduce restrictions on businesses when a stay-at-home order expires at the end of April, but she told Mainers to “stay the course” on public health measures aimed at slowing the coronavirus.

Thompson Free Library will host Mary Freeman, assistant professor of history at the University of Maine, live via Zoom at 6 p.m. on Thursday, May 7 as the first speaker in a series celebrating Maine's Bicentennial.

While Mayo had established historical relationships with some system members, like Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center, the close of the merger opened up vast new resources, Vienneau says. Leaders at Mayo are now included in daily COVID-19 incident command meetings, where they can tap the expertise of the system’s healthcare professionals all over Maine. In addition, subgroups focused on clinical and support areas including infection control, facilities management, pharmacy services and many others are meeting as needed during the week. 

There may be some good news for moose hunters next fall. Wildlife biologists have proposed an 11% increase over last year in moose hunting permits. The hunt quota figure is 3,135 permits. That’s the most since 2014! The proposal won’t be final until it has been subjected to public review and given final approval by the Fish and Wildlife Advisory Council.

Bishop Robert P. Deeley has announced that  Fr. Mark Nolette, parochial vicar of Our Lady of the Snows Parish in Dover-Foxcroft/Dexter will retire from full-time active ministry effective July 1 for medical reasons. For the foreseeable future, he intends to continue celebrating Mass, on a limited basis, in his current parishes where he will continue to reside.

Libraries in other parts of the state have started similar projects to document the evolving coronavirus pandemic, too. The Heart of Maine Community Stories is taking submissions for its online emergency archive, created by the Hartland Public Library, Newport Cultural Center, Pittsfield Public Library and Thompson Free Library in Dover-Foxcroft.  

More than 400,000 Maine residents have already received economic impact payments from the federal government, according to data released jointly by the Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service on Friday.

Although the library building is closed to the public, library staff is still working in the building and ready to supply patrons with books, magazines, movies, audio books and other library materials.

Hiking with kids can be a wonderful experience that leads to cherished memories. But sometimes, things don’t go so smoothly.

We have heard the word “unprecedented” more than we care to acknowledge since COVID-19 invaded our planet. We have seen pandemics before, yes we have had economic crises before as well but the impact of COVID-19, coupled with the federal and local government’s response and controversial remedy, has ushered in a season unlike this generation has ever seen before in this country.