ShareGenevieve Stokes.About four years ago I was hosting the Maine Academy of Modern Music showcase Girls Rock, and Genevieve Stokes performed an original song on piano. When she was done, I got back on stage, turned to the audience and told them that they should remember her name because I was certain she was going to be famous.Stokes, who graduated from Falmouth High School in 2019, was signed to Atlantic Records in the fall, and her debut EP, “Swimming Lessons,” comes out on Friday.Stokes, 19, has a phenomenal singing voice that reminds me of Hannah Reid of London Grammar. There’s a...…ShareGenevieve Stokes.About four years ago I was hosting the Maine Academy of Modern Music showcase Girls Rock, and Genevieve Stokes performed an original song on piano. When she was done, I got back on stage, turned to the audience and told them that they should remember her name because I was certain she was going to be famous.Stokes, who graduated from Falmouth High School in 2019, was signed to Atlantic Records in the fall, and her debut EP, “Swimming Lessons,” comes out on Friday.Stokes, 19, has a phenomenal singing voice that reminds me of Hannah Reid of London Grammar. There’s a...WW…

ShareThe Biden administration sanctioned seven mid- and senior-level Russian officials on Tuesday, along with more than a dozen businesses and other entities, over a nearly fatal nerve-agent attack on opposition leader Alexei Navalny and his subsequent jailing.The measures, emphasizing the use of the Russian nerve agent as a banned chemical weapon, marked the Biden administration’s first sanctions against associates of President Vladimir Putin. The Russian leader was an intimate and favorite of President Donald Trump even amid covert Russian hacking and social media campaigns aimed at...…ShareThe Biden administration sanctioned seven mid- and senior-level Russian officials on Tuesday, along with more than a dozen businesses and other entities, over a nearly fatal nerve-agent attack on opposition leader Alexei Navalny and his subsequent jailing.The measures, emphasizing the use of the Russian nerve agent as a banned chemical weapon, marked the Biden administration’s first sanctions against associates of President Vladimir Putin. The Russian leader was an intimate and favorite of President Donald Trump even amid covert Russian hacking and social media campaigns aimed at...WW…

ShareAn Israeli company unveiled the first 3D-printed rib-eye steak on Tuesday, using a culture of live animal tissue, in what could be a leap forward for lab-grown meat once it receives regulatory approval.During the coronavirus pandemic, alternative protein products have soared in popularity, prompting nearly every multinational food corporation to hasten to bring its own versions to market. Frequently plant-based products have been patties or processed nuggets – “everyday” foods easier for companies to produce – that aim to ease the climate effects of the worst offender: Americans eat...…ShareAn Israeli company unveiled the first 3D-printed rib-eye steak on Tuesday, using a culture of live animal tissue, in what could be a leap forward for lab-grown meat once it receives regulatory approval.During the coronavirus pandemic, alternative protein products have soared in popularity, prompting nearly every multinational food corporation to hasten to bring its own versions to market. Frequently plant-based products have been patties or processed nuggets – “everyday” foods easier for companies to produce – that aim to ease the climate effects of the worst offender: Americans eat...WW…

ShareMaineHealth on Monday defended its decision to vaccinate all hospital employees against COVID-19, saying it followed federal and state guidelines that were in effect until that effort was well underway.But Maine Medical Center, MaineHealth’s flagship hospital in Portland, was wrong to vaccinate “a small number” of out-of-state consultants who were hired to help fight an effort to unionize nurses, which happened after the state issued guidance limiting vaccination to Maine residents, network officials said.“We understand that non-Maine residents are not eligible for any vaccine and...…ShareMaineHealth on Monday defended its decision to vaccinate all hospital employees against COVID-19, saying it followed federal and state guidelines that were in effect until that effort was well underway.But Maine Medical Center, MaineHealth’s flagship hospital in Portland, was wrong to vaccinate “a small number” of out-of-state consultants who were hired to help fight an effort to unionize nurses, which happened after the state issued guidance limiting vaccination to Maine residents, network officials said.“We understand that non-Maine residents are not eligible for any vaccine and...WW…

ShareWhen the first coronavirus vaccines were administered last week, many front-line health-care workers across the U.S. posted celebratory photos on social media. In what was meant to be a triumphant moment, some found themselves the targets of skeptical or even scornful comments from people opposed to vaccines.A nurse on Twitter with the handle @saruhhdanae shared a picture of her getting the Pfizer shot, in a post with eight exclamation points. Soon, amid notes of congratulations and appreciation, came responses from people declaring they would be too afraid to take it, predicting...…ShareWhen the first coronavirus vaccines were administered last week, many front-line health-care workers across the U.S. posted celebratory photos on social media. In what was meant to be a triumphant moment, some found themselves the targets of skeptical or even scornful comments from people opposed to vaccines.A nurse on Twitter with the handle @saruhhdanae shared a picture of her getting the Pfizer shot, in a post with eight exclamation points. Soon, amid notes of congratulations and appreciation, came responses from people declaring they would be too afraid to take it, predicting...WW…

ShareMaine’s reproduction rate for COVID-19 is the highest in the country over the last two weeks, according to a website that tracks national case data, another sign that the virus is spreading throughout the state unabated.The website , which uses state data from the COVID Tracking Project, estimates the average number of people who become infected by each infectious person – a key metric for how fast the virus spreads. If the R number is above 1.0, the virus will spread quickly; if it’s below 1.0, infections will be slow.Maine’s R number is estimated at 1.43, which is higher than every...…ShareMaine’s reproduction rate for COVID-19 is the highest in the country over the last two weeks, according to a website that tracks national case data, another sign that the virus is spreading throughout the state unabated.The website , which uses state data from the COVID Tracking Project, estimates the average number of people who become infected by each infectious person – a key metric for how fast the virus spreads. If the R number is above 1.0, the virus will spread quickly; if it’s below 1.0, infections will be slow.Maine’s R number is estimated at 1.43, which is higher than every...WW…

ShareAn ice hockey referee who tested positive for COVID-19 has potentially exposed some 400 people to the virus after officiating eight recreational games in two days in Maine and New Hampshire.The games were played on Saturday and Sunday at the Biddeford Ice Arena, North Yarmouth Academy and Merrill Fay Arena in Laconia, N.H., the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday.New COVID-19 cases: 49Total cases: 5,639New deaths: 0Total deaths: 142Active cases: 597Hospitalizations: 7Total ICU beds: 383Available ICU beds: 104Total ventilators: 318Available ventilators:...…ShareAn ice hockey referee who tested positive for COVID-19 has potentially exposed some 400 people to the virus after officiating eight recreational games in two days in Maine and New Hampshire.The games were played on Saturday and Sunday at the Biddeford Ice Arena, North Yarmouth Academy and Merrill Fay Arena in Laconia, N.H., the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday.New COVID-19 cases: 49Total cases: 5,639New deaths: 0Total deaths: 142Active cases: 597Hospitalizations: 7Total ICU beds: 383Available ICU beds: 104Total ventilators: 318Available ventilators:...WW…

Election clerks reported a steady stream of voters casting their ballots Monday during the first day of in-person early voting in Maine.The coronavirus pandemic has sparked record interest among Mainers in utilizing the state’s absentee ballot process, which allows voters to vote early by mail or in person for any reason. Requests for absentee ballots had topped 277,000 as of Friday, which already represents more than one-quarter of registered voters in Maine.While most of those ballots will be mailed back or dropped off in the coming weeks, towns and cities across Maine began offering...…Election clerks reported a steady stream of voters casting their ballots Monday during the first day of in-person early voting in Maine.The coronavirus pandemic has sparked record interest among Mainers in utilizing the state’s absentee ballot process, which allows voters to vote early by mail or in person for any reason. Requests for absentee ballots had topped 277,000 as of Friday, which already represents more than one-quarter of registered voters in Maine.While most of those ballots will be mailed back or dropped off in the coming weeks, towns and cities across Maine began offering...WW…

SharePuerto Rico is getting $13 billion in additional federal disaster funding to help rebuild its energy grid and repair schools, which were ravaged by Hurricane Maria.The money comes a full three years after the deadly storm and just six weeks before the presidential election, with Democrats and Republicans battling for Puerto Rican voters in crucial Florida.Gov. Wanda Vazquez, R, on Friday called the payment the largest approval in the history of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and said it was thanks to a “good relationship” with the White House and President Donald Trump.“Our...…SharePuerto Rico is getting $13 billion in additional federal disaster funding to help rebuild its energy grid and repair schools, which were ravaged by Hurricane Maria.The money comes a full three years after the deadly storm and just six weeks before the presidential election, with Democrats and Republicans battling for Puerto Rican voters in crucial Florida.Gov. Wanda Vazquez, R, on Friday called the payment the largest approval in the history of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and said it was thanks to a “good relationship” with the White House and President Donald Trump.“Our...WW…