Things You Need to Know: More Maine Kids Are Entering Kindergarten without Required Vaccines
Here are the things you need to know today......
Opioid prescriptions have stayed about the same or dropped in all Maine counties but Kennebec. According to the Bangor Daily News Kennebec, Somerset and Penobscot counties among the top 25 percent of counties. These drugs can be a precursor to heroin use.
Gardiner resident who live or walk on Harrison Avenue feel the lack of sidewalks and parking for the new nature trail might be dangerous. According to centralmaine.com the roads are narrow and the area is seeing more and more use.
Sun Journal and its 16 other publications have been sold to MaineToday Media. According to the Sun Journal that is the parent company of the Kennebec, Morning Sentinel, Portland Press Herald and Maine Sunday Telegram.
A paper-shredding truck slipped into gear while it was parked in downtown Augusta, crashing into a cement wall. According to centralmaine.com the driver was out of the vehicle running the shredding machine.
Department of Homeland Security announced Monday it would be issuing additional H2B visas. According to WGME that is good news for business in Maine that depend on those workers. The additional 15,000 H2B visas for foreign workers nationwide are issued on a first come, first served basis.
More Maine kids are entering kindergarten without required vaccines increased in 2016-17. According to WCSH that is of concern to public health advocates. It leads to an increased chance of infectious disease outbreaks like measles, pertussis, or chicken pox. The percentage of those opting out for non medical reasons has gone from 4 percent to 4.8 percent or about 600 children.
From the Associated Press:
Maine wants tips on how best to regulate adults' use of marijuana. The state's financial and agricultural departments are asking for the public's thoughts on Maine's retail marijuana marketplace and the public health, budgetary and enforcement concerns of implementation. Voters in November approved legalizing the recreational use and sale of marijuana products by adults over 21.
Maine's liquor agency is proposing to raise retail prices on liquor including the tiny alcohol bottles that survived the Republican governor's efforts to ban their sale. Maine saw $46 million in liquor profits in 2015, a 66 percent increase from 2003.
A key senate committee is signing off on funding for a new National Guard center in northern Maine. U.S. Sen. Susan Collins says the Senate Appropriations Committee has approved $17.5 million for the Army National Guard Readiness Center in Presque Isle. Collins says the money would be used to construct a 43,400-square-foot (3994-sq. meter) training facility that would replace an existing building she says isn't up to modern standards.
Interstate fishing managers say a row with an appointee of President Donald Trump's administration over the regulation of flounder fishing off New Jersey jeopardizes conservation of marine species all along the East Coast. The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission had announced New Jersey was out of compliance with management of the summer flounder fishery. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross needed to sign off on the ruling, and he reversed it.
Police in Maine say a 63-year-old woman has died in a motorcycle crash involving an SUV. Authorities say the crash occurred around 5 p.m. Sunday in Union. Police say Felicity Davidson, of Rockport, was riding a motorcycle driven by 64-year-old Ronald Moon of Waldoboro on state Route 17 when the motorcycle rear-ended an SUV as it pulled onto the roadway.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, facing defeat on his "Obamacare" replacement, says he will push the Senate to pass a clean repeal bill. The Republican leader made the announcement in a statement that came a few hours after two Republican senators dealt a fatal blow to the replacement bill unveiled last Thursday. Sens. Jerry Moran and Mike Lee joined two other senators in opposing the legislation, meaning McConnell lacked the votes to move ahead.
An Australian woman who called 911 to report what she believed to be an active sexual assault was shot and killed by a Minneapolis police officer. Authorities have released no details about what led to the shooting of Justine Damond. The Hennepin County Medical Examiner's office says Damond died of a gunshot wound to the abdomen. Her death was ruled a homicide.
Authorities say nine members of an extended family killed by a flash flood at an Arizona swimming hole had no warning until the wall of water was upon them. They were celebrating a birthday while seeking refuge from the summer heat before the floodwaters left them with no escape. The search continues for a 27-year-old man still missing.
Senior U.S. officials say the Trump administration is certifying to Congress that Iran is technically complying with the 2015 nuclear deal but is "unquestionably in default of the spirit" of the agreement. The officials say the Trump administration is also extending Iran's relief from nuclear-related sanctions while it continues a broader review of Iran policy that has been dragging on for months.
California lawmakers have voted to extend the state's landmark law to combat climate change after hours of fraught debate and days of direct appeals from Gov. Jerry Brown. With Brown's signature, California's cap-and-trade program will survive through 2030. California is looking to serve as a model for reducing carbon emissions even as President Donald Trump is pulling back from the fight against global warming.
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