© 2022 Maine PublicPlay Live Radio0:000:00Available On Air StationsTraffic fatalities increased during 2020, with 165 people dying in Maine vehicle crashes so far, eight more than in all of 2019.Lauren Stewart, director of the Maine Bureau of Highway Safety, says with more people grounded due to the pandemic and staying home for work and school, it came as a bit of a surprise that 2020 should be more deadly than the previous year.But she says the same trend has been observed across the nation, and traffic safety experts have a theory.“With fewer vehicles on the roadway, people think that...…© 2022 Maine PublicPlay Live Radio0:000:00Available On Air StationsTraffic fatalities increased during 2020, with 165 people dying in Maine vehicle crashes so far, eight more than in all of 2019.Lauren Stewart, director of the Maine Bureau of Highway Safety, says with more people grounded due to the pandemic and staying home for work and school, it came as a bit of a surprise that 2020 should be more deadly than the previous year.But she says the same trend has been observed across the nation, and traffic safety experts have a theory.“With fewer vehicles on the roadway, people think that...WW…

Maine Public RadioRelated Program: Related Program: Listen Listening... 4:57 Maine Medical, Nursing Programs See Surge Of Applicants 'Answering The Call' Slumping this year suggest that more students are skipping or delaying their postsecondary education because of the pandemic. But there’s at least one course of study that drawing significant interest — applications to medical and nursing schools are up. Dr. Jane Carreiro, dean of the College of Osteopathic Medicine at the University of New England, says she was expecting a modest uptick in applications to the school’s July 2021...…Maine Public RadioRelated Program: Related Program: Listen Listening... 4:57 Maine Medical, Nursing Programs See Surge Of Applicants 'Answering The Call' Slumping this year suggest that more students are skipping or delaying their postsecondary education because of the pandemic. But there’s at least one course of study that drawing significant interest — applications to medical and nursing schools are up. Dr. Jane Carreiro, dean of the College of Osteopathic Medicine at the University of New England, says she was expecting a modest uptick in applications to the school’s July 2021...WW…

© 2022 Maine PublicPlay Live Radio0:000:00Available On Air StationsThe Maine Department of Labor says it has distributed a one-time emergency payment of $600 to about 40,000 Mainers who are unemployed due to the pandemic.Gov. Janet Mills authorized the payment under the state’s new Pandemic Relief Program designed to assist those who continue to face economic hardship.The Labor Department says in a statement that the one-time payment will assist eligible people who were likely to exhaust or lose their benefits with the expiration of federal pandemic aid programs.Labor Commissioner Laura...…© 2022 Maine PublicPlay Live Radio0:000:00Available On Air StationsThe Maine Department of Labor says it has distributed a one-time emergency payment of $600 to about 40,000 Mainers who are unemployed due to the pandemic.Gov. Janet Mills authorized the payment under the state’s new Pandemic Relief Program designed to assist those who continue to face economic hardship.The Labor Department says in a statement that the one-time payment will assist eligible people who were likely to exhaust or lose their benefits with the expiration of federal pandemic aid programs.Labor Commissioner Laura...WW…

© 2022 Maine PublicPlay Live Radio0:000:00Available On Air StationsMaine Gov. Janet Mills is requiring business operators of all types to turn away customers who refuse to wear face masks.The governor’s new executive order strengthens a previous statewide mask requirement that allowed business operators to ask customers to leave if they don’t comply with rules designed to prevent the spread of COVID-19.The new order now requires business owners to remove customers who don’t comply.“Anyone who still insists on entering a store or other facility without wearing a mask, or insists on taking it...…© 2022 Maine PublicPlay Live Radio0:000:00Available On Air StationsMaine Gov. Janet Mills is requiring business operators of all types to turn away customers who refuse to wear face masks.The governor’s new executive order strengthens a previous statewide mask requirement that allowed business operators to ask customers to leave if they don’t comply with rules designed to prevent the spread of COVID-19.The new order now requires business owners to remove customers who don’t comply.“Anyone who still insists on entering a store or other facility without wearing a mask, or insists on taking it...WW…

Maine Public RadioMaine Attorney General Aaron Frey is joining a coalition of 48 attorneys general in an antitrust lawsuit against Facebook. The lawsuit alleges that, over the last decade, the social networking giant has employed predatory and illegal practices to take over competitors and deprive consumers of the benefits that come with competition. Frey on Wednesday described “free and fair competition” as a “bedrock principle of the American economy.” He says consumers are negatively impacted when companies like Facebook illegally “stifle” competition. He also alleges that the social...…Maine Public RadioMaine Attorney General Aaron Frey is joining a coalition of 48 attorneys general in an antitrust lawsuit against Facebook. The lawsuit alleges that, over the last decade, the social networking giant has employed predatory and illegal practices to take over competitors and deprive consumers of the benefits that come with competition. Frey on Wednesday described “free and fair competition” as a “bedrock principle of the American economy.” He says consumers are negatively impacted when companies like Facebook illegally “stifle” competition. He also alleges that the social...WW…

© 2022 Maine PublicPlay Live Radio0:000:00Available On Air StationsThe Rural Maine Reporting Project is made possible through the generous support of the Betterment Fund.The emerald ash borer continues its spread across Maine, with seven new infestation sites confirmed this fall.The Maine Forest Service announced Thursday that the invasive insect, which kills ash trees, has been found in Van Buren, Gorham, Newfield, Ogunquit, Parsonsfield, Shapleigh and South Berwick.Colleen Teerling, an entomologist with the Maine Forest Service, says the news is discouraging.“In York and Cumberland County...…© 2022 Maine PublicPlay Live Radio0:000:00Available On Air StationsThe Rural Maine Reporting Project is made possible through the generous support of the Betterment Fund.The emerald ash borer continues its spread across Maine, with seven new infestation sites confirmed this fall.The Maine Forest Service announced Thursday that the invasive insect, which kills ash trees, has been found in Van Buren, Gorham, Newfield, Ogunquit, Parsonsfield, Shapleigh and South Berwick.Colleen Teerling, an entomologist with the Maine Forest Service, says the news is discouraging.“In York and Cumberland County...WW…

© 2022 Maine PublicPlay Live Radio0:000:00Available On Air StationsRepublican U.S. Sen. Susan Collins says she wished President-elect Joe Biden the best when he called her last week to congratulate her on her reelection.Collins and Biden served together in the Senate for years and worked together on several issues when he was vice president. But Collins says she was still surprised to hear from Biden.“I was very pleased that the president-elect called me last week and congratulated me on my win,” she says.Collins says it appears that Biden will be the next occupant of the White House, but...…© 2022 Maine PublicPlay Live Radio0:000:00Available On Air StationsRepublican U.S. Sen. Susan Collins says she wished President-elect Joe Biden the best when he called her last week to congratulate her on her reelection.Collins and Biden served together in the Senate for years and worked together on several issues when he was vice president. But Collins says she was still surprised to hear from Biden.“I was very pleased that the president-elect called me last week and congratulated me on my win,” she says.Collins says it appears that Biden will be the next occupant of the White House, but...WW…

Maine Public RadioWith little more than a week left before the election, President Donald Trump spent Sunday campaigning in New England — including a surprise visit to the Pine Tree State. And Maine Democrats were quick to respond. A few hundred people turned out to support President Trump as he made an unscheduled stop in Bangor and visited a farm in nearby Levant. U.S. Senate Candidate Sara Gideon, Maine Gov. Janet Mills and Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey pulled together a hasty counterrally in Bangor Sunday afternoon when the pit stop suddenly appeared on the president’s schedule....…Maine Public RadioWith little more than a week left before the election, President Donald Trump spent Sunday campaigning in New England — including a surprise visit to the Pine Tree State. And Maine Democrats were quick to respond. A few hundred people turned out to support President Trump as he made an unscheduled stop in Bangor and visited a farm in nearby Levant. U.S. Senate Candidate Sara Gideon, Maine Gov. Janet Mills and Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey pulled together a hasty counterrally in Bangor Sunday afternoon when the pit stop suddenly appeared on the president’s schedule....WW…

© 2022 Maine PublicPlay Live Radio0:000:00Available On Air StationsThe Rural Maine Reporting Project is made possible through the generous support of the Betterment Fund.. You might have noticed that your garden needs watering more than usual this summer — we've even been hearing of people watering their grass. And that's not something you see a lot of in Maine.Now with autumn underway, the drought is continuing. Ryan Gordon, a hydrogeologist with told Maine Public’s Jennifer Mitchell a little bit more about what's going on.Ed note: this interview has been edited for length and...…© 2022 Maine PublicPlay Live Radio0:000:00Available On Air StationsThe Rural Maine Reporting Project is made possible through the generous support of the Betterment Fund.. You might have noticed that your garden needs watering more than usual this summer — we've even been hearing of people watering their grass. And that's not something you see a lot of in Maine.Now with autumn underway, the drought is continuing. Ryan Gordon, a hydrogeologist with told Maine Public’s Jennifer Mitchell a little bit more about what's going on.Ed note: this interview has been edited for length and...WW…

Maine Public RadioRelated Program: Related Program: The coast of Maine is home to a number of whales. Humpback, minkee and pilot whales are a familiar sight. Less common, however, is the beaked whale. Yet, just in the last few weeks, two beaked whales - a Blainville's beaked whale, which had never been seen here before, and a Sowerby's beaked whale - stranded and died on beaches in York and Phippsburg. Maine Public's Jennifer Mitchell spoke with Linda Doughty, director of Marine Mammals of Maine, about what's known about the unusual strandings at this point. Listen Listening......…Maine Public RadioRelated Program: Related Program: The coast of Maine is home to a number of whales. Humpback, minkee and pilot whales are a familiar sight. Less common, however, is the beaked whale. Yet, just in the last few weeks, two beaked whales - a Blainville's beaked whale, which had never been seen here before, and a Sowerby's beaked whale - stranded and died on beaches in York and Phippsburg. Maine Public's Jennifer Mitchell spoke with Linda Doughty, director of Marine Mammals of Maine, about what's known about the unusual strandings at this point. Listen Listening......WW…