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State

Pilot program to offer more traditional cheering activity during fall sports season

Back when sideline cheering at high school football and basketball games around Maine was the rage during the 1980s, Denise Gelinas of Biddeford helped introduce a separate, more competitive side of that activity full of tumbling, jumps, stunts, pyramids and dance.

Fewer flu vaccinations, mental health care shortage test Maine’s response to health crises

Maine’s ability to respond to a natural disaster, disease outbreak or other health emergency has improved in the past few years and is now about average for the U.S.

Blue Hill and Ellsworth prove hot spots for bear damage this spring

The first sign was the suet holders, set out to feed woodpeckers, that had been pulled from the trees. Then the bird feeders got crushed.

Why some students and educators aren’t happy with how Maine dumped an online learning program

The administration of Gov. Janet Mills recently said it will end a small program that provides free, universal access to online Advanced Placement classes particularly valuable for high school students who want to attend out-of-state colleges.

Maine is losing farms and farmland, but hope is not lost for agriculture

In recent years, Maine’s so-called farming renaissance has been vaunted as both a hopeful spot in the state’s economy and a magnet that is drawing some young people back to the land.

Feds: Maine’s economic growth slowed substantially in 4th quarter of 2018

Maine’s economic growth slowed markedly in the 4th quarter of 2018. According to the federal Bureau of Economic Analysis, Maine’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew at a rate of just 0.7 percent during the final three months of last year.

A bed sheet developed at UMaine could change how doctors detect Alzheimer’s

The strangest part of Activas Diagnostics’ office space located in the UpStart Center for Entrepreneurship in Orono is the twin bed in the middle of the room.

DOT delays paving work in Brewer as construction costs shoot past estimates

A mile-long stretch of Route 15 in South Brewer stretching south from Interstate 395 to the Orrington town line is one of the city’s busiest thoroughfares.

State urges Mainers to get tested as cases of gonorrhea and syphilis skyrocket

The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention is calling on residents to get tested for sexually transmitted infections amid a spike in cases of gonorrhea and syphilis in the state.

What ‘Medicare for all’ could mean for Maine hospitals

A version of the “Medicare for all” bill championed by Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, several of his rivals for the nomination and the two Democrats in Maine’s congressional delegation is getting its first committee hearing on Tuesday.

Maine among states moving to knock air out of festive balloon launches

The tradition of releasing balloons at weddings, birthdays and memorials may soon get deflated by lawmakers in more than half a dozen states.

Northern Maine Medical Center physician leads Maine association

At the 27th annual Family Medicine update held in early April in Bar Harbor, Dr. Silwana Sidorczuk became president of the Board of Directors for the Maine Academy of Family Physicians (MAFP) for a two year term.

Maine latest to ditch Columbus Day, honor Native Americans

Maine is joining a handful of states that have renamed Columbus Day to honor Native Americans.

Police did not beat confession out of accused cop killer, judge rules

A Superior Court justice found Friday that police did not beat a confession out of the man accused of slaying Somerset County Deputy Cpl. Eugene Cole, but threw out some statements John D. Williams made to investigators along with his re-enactment of the alleged crime.

The way Maine foods are packaged will likely have to change by 2021

Under legislation approved by lawmakers Thursday, most uses of polystyrene food containers will be banned in Maine after Jan. 1, 2021.

Maine woman pleads not guilty to sending Susan Collins threatening mail

The Burlington woman accused of sending a threatening letter to U.S. Sen. Susan Collins’ Bangor home last fall pleaded not guilty Thursday to one count of mailing threatening communications.

First American Folk Festival acts include a surf rock band that wears wrestling masks

The 15th annual American Folk Festival on the Bangor Waterfront, set for Aug. 23-25, will feature several new genres for the event, including a surf rock band that wears Mexican wrestling masks during their performances.

Shrinking high school population poses a challenge for reclassifying sports teams

Changing demographics and a shrinking high school population have challenged organizers within the Maine Principals’ Association.

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