I’ve been entering information from vital records (birth, marriage, death) into my genealogical software program. When you do the same chore remember that every category on the form can hide a valuable clue. Yes, it takes time and the temptation to skip all that in favor of researching is great, but if you don’t enter everything you take a chance you’ll eventually forget all the details and some of those may be what you need in the future.  

I call for the release of as many jail and prison inmates as possible in light of the threat to inmates of the COVID-19 virus. If anyone going into a locked facility, where inmates and staff have no good option of safe distancing, has the virus, it will be almost impossible to prevent a health and safety crisis.

This week’s address focuses on another event that brings us all together uniquely as Mainers, Patriot’s Day. This year, Patriot’s Day is celebrated on April 20.

Congratulations, dear reader. Using my reality bending power to create alternative universes, I have now conjured a world in which you are reading this column in the Blaine House, and you are the governor of Maine. Everything else is the same. Same history. Same first year in office. Same COVID-19 pandemic sweeping the globe. The only difference is that now you are in the unfortunate position of having to make decisions.

President Donald Trump has made it clear – science or not – that he wants to quickly end the physical distancing requirements that are being used to slow the spread of COVID-19. And that he – alone – has the power to do it. Governors, including Maine Gov. Janet Mills among many others, are taking a much more cautious, science-and-public-health-first approach about ending orders that are keeping people at home

Luckily, all of us can ease the pressure on our planet by filling our grocery bags — whatever they are made of — with delicious, healthy vegan foods. Researchers have found that animal-derived substances have carbon footprints two to 20 times larger than vegan foods.

One thing is certain, we live in this state of Maine, in a county and in a town. However, we also live in a "community.” What makes our community special is the people. Each one of us can share our resources, talents and love with our community.

I want to acknowledge and thank the families, parents and caregivers who are working so hard to support remote learning for our students during this unprecedented emergency situation. The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic reach across every aspect of our daily lives, and many families are struggling with lost jobs, lack of childcare, and access to even basic provisions. We know that many students have had to assume adult responsibilities -- like supervising younger siblings or taking a job to help support the family, and we know that many adults are arriving home in the evening, exhausted from essential jobs, to support children in different grade levels with remote school work. 

Now that everyone is being directed to practice social distancing and to stay at home, what does this mean for victim/survivors (adults and children) of domestic abuse? 

More than 50 million households, representing more than one-third of the nation, already have responded to the 2020 Census. The census happens once every 10 years, and your response affects allocation of congressional seats and federal funds to your community -- for things like schools, hospitals, roads, and emergency services.

But for rural Mainers whose communities still don’t have access to high-speed broadband, telecommuting, remote learning and telehealth aren’t easy options. These unserved communities have been at a disadvantage for years, but the consequences of this rural broadband gap are even more dire during this stay-at-home order. 

In any crisis, we triage the issues we are facing, and our reactions proceed in relatively predictable ways. The COVID-19 pandemic is no different.

There’s a certain clarity that develops in a crisis. Old rules -- that seemed so important to protecting the public order, to good business practices, to the rules of commerce -- all of a sudden get tossed out and we adapt to new ways of doing things for the times. With the COVID-19 pandemic, we have changed the way we live our lives and conduct business.

We are lucky to live here in Maine. Time outdoors has not been canceled! Take a walk down your road. A late-season snowshoe might still be possible for some. Find a local land trust trail. It does not have to be a grand excursion. It can be as simple as a 10 minute sit-down on the back steps to listen to the birds or gaze at the moon.

For everyone’s safety, our employees are following the social distancing precautions recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and local health officials. We are asking people to not approach our carriers to accept delivery. Let the carrier leave the mailbox before collecting the mail. With schools not in session, children should also be encouraged to not approach a postal vehicle or carrier.

Mention COVID-19 and conversations turn to concerns about financial solvency and medical care. I want to remind us of something: You and I are lucky enough to live in a country where government is, “of the people, by the people and for the people”. COVID-19 is a beautiful reminder and opportunity to uphold governing ourselves.

Ronald Sweet’s recent letter to the editor questioned why the U.S. death rate could rise to 100,000, blaming this tragedy on government “ineptitude, incompetence, and inaction.” Like Mr. Sweet, I pray we can do better than these numbers, but I disagree with his analysis. I urge him to remember that information from the Chinese government, a regime which denies the reality of Tiananmen Square, is unreliable.

As healthcare workers, we are doing what we have been trained to do -- what comes instinctively to the many who have heard a calling to care for their fellow human beings. COVID-19 has a lot of unknowns and is still evolving. Those in healthcare are navigating a delicate balance between being there for our families and answering our call of duty to care for our communities -- consciously separating ourselves from our loved ones, as our care of others puts those close to us at higher risk of exposure. While we know it is for the best, it’s a tough sacrifice.