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Good morning:
I was sitting in the doctor’s office with my infant daughter earlier this week, waiting as the nurse prepared her routine four-month-old immunizations, when I got a press release announcing that the Maine CDC had confirmed the first case of measles in the state since 2019. The case had been confirmed in an adult from Penobscot County, about an hour north of where we live.
Vaccines have become a national flashpoint as the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has pulled back on the number of immunizations it recommends, guidance that states have traditionally relied on to inform which vaccines will be made available under their own programs.
This week, Senior Reporter Rose Lundy explores legislation that would change where the Maine Vaccine Board gets that guidance, effectively decoupling it from federal mandates.
Happy Valentine’s Day, and stay healthy.
Kate
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Maine considers how to untether itself from federal vaccine rollbacks
On Tuesday, Maine lawmakers discussed legislation to increase access to vaccines after a measles case was confirmed in Bangor.
Read this story by Rose Lundy |
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Maine leaders pitch solutions to enhance grid as temperatures drop and electricity prices soar: Natural gas prices spiked to their highest level ever in New England in January, driving up the cost of electricity. Experts said Maine should hasten energy project permitting and transmission interconnection to bring electricity prices down long-term. Read this story by Emmett Gartner |
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The immigration enforcement boom is helping this Bangor-area company: Perfect Fit has a contract worth hundreds of thousands of dollars to outfit a growing number of immigration enforcement agents with badge holders. Read this story by Daniel O'Connor of The Maine Monitor and Bangor Daily News |
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Note: Monitor Local publishes stories on Downeast and Western Maine every Saturday. Here are two highlights from this weekend. For more, visit our website. |
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‘No relief in sight’ for understaffed D.A.’s office in Washington County: The county’s only Superior Court judge is retiring this month, and there is no timeline to name his successor. Read this story by Judith Meyer |
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Jay Select Board weighs police partnership, rent moratorium and solar farm plan: Town officials in Jay and Wilton have not set a date for when voters will consider options for shared law enforcement services. Read this story by Bob Neal |
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ICE said it was arresting ‘the worst of the worst’ in Maine. We only found a few criminals: The BDN used court records and other sources to identify 67 of roughly 200 people arrested in Maine during last month’s surge. Read this story by Sawyer Loftus and Callie Ferguson of the Bangor Daily News |
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A quarter of people arrested in Maine’s ICE surge are challenging their detentions: The Trump administration described its surge as targeting criminals. Dozens have gone to court and told a different story. Read this story by Callie Ferguson and Sawyer Loftus of the BDN |
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Woman held by ICE describes poor conditions at a Maine jail: The case of a Connecticut woman is the first example of an immigrant criticizing conditions in a Portland jail that has generated headlines around its role in the national enforcement surge. Read this story by Sawyer Loftus of the BDN |
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Maine Japanese restaurant chain says 5 arrested cooks had valid work permits: The arrests took place during the height of a massive immigration enforcement operation in Maine last month and has strained the Kobe Japanese Restaurant chain, an attorney for the men said. Read this story by Callie Ferguson of the BDN |
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Susan Collins announces reelection bid: Collins will run for her sixth term in the Senate. Read this story by Torrie Herrington and Jade Lozada of NOTUS for The Maine Monitor |
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Have feedback or a correction to send to Kate Cough? Send it to her directly via email: kate@themainemonitor.org.
The Maine Monitor is a publication of the Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting, an independent and nonpartisan nonprofit news organization that produces investigative journalism. We believe news is a public good and keep our news free to access. We have no paywall and do not charge for our newsletters. If you value the reporting we do for Maine, please consider making a donation! We cannot do this reporting without your support. |
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