Maine is among 31 states that must increase testing before it can reopen safely, according to a Harvard analysis.
Penelope Overton
Staff Writer
Penny Overton is excited to be the Portland Press Herald’s first climate reporter. Since joining the paper in 2016, she has written about Maine’s lobster and cannabis industries, covered state politics and spent a fellowship year exploring the impact of climate change on the lobster fishery with the Boston Globe’s Spotlight team. Before moving to Maine, she has covered politics, environment, casino gambling and tribal issues in Florida, Connecticut, and Arizona. Her favorite assignments allow her to introduce readers to unusual people, cultures, or subjects. When off the clock, Penny is usually getting lost in a new book at a local coffeehouse, watching foreign crime shows or planning her family’s next adventure.
Posted inBusiness, Maine
Maine fishermen seek relief, new markets to navigate ‘economic disaster’
The industry was largely shut out of the initial federal relief efforts, but advocates hope that is about to change.
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Posted inMaine
Maine plans to double its coronavirus tracking staff
The state is hiring another 15 ‘disease detectives’ for a total of 30, but some health officials recommend a much higher number.
Posted inBusiness, Maine, News
Feds hunting for medical supply hoarders, price gougers in Maine
U.S. Attorney Halsey Frank asks medical professionals to help identify those who use the pandemic to exploit Mainers.
Posted inBusiness, Maine
State, lobstermen scramble to respond to judge’s right-whale ruling
The state’s marine resources chief says ‘this could not have come at a worse time,’ but notes that the court has yet to hear the fishery’s legal arguments.
Posted inMaine, News
Gusts, rain complicate work as crews try to restore power outages from last storm
State officials were also concerned about flash flooding along several rivers swollen by heavy rain and snowmelt.
Posted inBusiness
Pandemic puts launch of Maine’s recreational marijuana market on hold
Maine’s marijuana czar says launching the adult-use industry by June is ‘simply unrealistic.’
Posted inMaine
Pandemic sparks concerns about child abuse in Maine
Child abuse hotline calls have declined sharply since the coronavirus closed schools in the state, cutting at-risk children off from the people most likely to report problems.
Posted inMaine, News
Amid crisis, Maine confronts a shortage of respiratory therapists
The state needs ventilators to treat the worst COVID-19 cases – and people who can run them.
Posted inBusiness, Maine, News
Maine businesses learn to work through pandemic
Coronavirus compels shops and service providers to change platforms, procedures and even products.