Nirav Shah

The project will add 34 apartments and three independent cottages. The new residences will run on solar power, relying on a combination of on-campus rooftop panels and generation from two solar farms. 

Maine's former director of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention will be returning to the state after leaving a post at the federal agency.

“Shah’s leadership through the worst pandemic in a century propelled Maine to top-tier performance for COVID response among the states,” said MaineHealth CEO Andy Mueller.

The five-year grant will support medical personnel in critical areas such as infectious disease, maternal and child health, and chronic disease.

A total of $930,368 raised in 2021 brings the total to more than $11.2 million raised in the annual campaign.

The random drawing awarded the lucky winner $1 for each Mainer who received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine by July 4. Other states are offering even bigger cash payouts for getting vaccinated.

With the newest allotment, Maine will have enough vaccine to inoculate 65,000 people. The doses are initially going to frontline health care workers and long-term care patients.

The restriction, designed to limit the amount of time people spend together, will be in force until at least Sunday, Dec. 6, as the state's numbers of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations rise sharply.

Indoor service at bars, tasting rooms and distilleries, scheduled for today after being pushed back for months, is off indefinitely, Gov. Janet Mills' office said.

Gov. Janet Mills said Maine businesses are following the rules and thus helping with Maine's economic recovery. She also urged "common sense," saying that individuals not wearing masks or social distancing could send the economy in the other direction.