Things You Need to Know: ‘Winslow Family 4th’ of July has New Feel + Location
Here are the things you need to know today......
The flu is hitting Maine a little later this year. WCSH reports that there have been more cases of flu this year than last. You can still get the flu shot and covering your cough and washing your hands will go along way to keeping your germs to yourself.
Former U.S. Vice President Joe Biden will deliver the commencement address at Colby College. Centralmaine.com reports the event happens May 21st.
Centralmaine.com reports the bill that would have put restriction into place for foraging is now gone. It did not have committee support.
The Winslow Family 4th of July has a makeover and a new home at the Clinton Fairgrounds! Centralmaine.com reports its new name is Central Maine 4th of July: the Great American Celebration.
Skowhegan has changed the traffic flow of a couple of streets to try slow down speeders and stop people from taking shortcuts thu a residential neighborhood. Centralmaine.com reports Gem and Cowette Streets are now one way from Madison Ave.
From the Associated Press:
Maine's congressional delegation says the federal Department of Education has refused to review a pair of grant applications due to a line-spacing issue. Sens. Susan Collins and Angus King and Reps. Chellie Pingree and Bruce Poliquin have sent a letter to education secretary Betsy Devos about the error, calling for the department to reverse what they call an "absurd bureaucratic decision."
Fishing regulators are getting ready to discuss ways to better manage the East Coast scallop fishery to avoid more conflicts between small- and big-boat fishermen. The New England Fishery Management Council is holding a meeting on the subject on Tuesday. Small boats have been in conflict with big boats in the northern Gulf of Maine in recent months.
Independent Vermont U.S. senator and former Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders is calling for a radical transformation of the Democratic Party. Sanders and Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez launched a cross-country tour together Monday in Maine, where Sanders won the Democratic presidential caucuses. Sanders says the Democratic Party must stop ignoring half the nation's states and take on corporate greed on behalf of the working class.
The federal government is reporting that New England's unemployment rate was lower than the national average last year. The New England office of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics said Monday that the six state region's average rate of 4.1 percent was lower than the national the jobless rate of 4.9 percent in 2016. It was also lower than the 4.9 percent the region registered in 2015.
The multistate manhunt for the suspect in a random killing that police say he recorded and posted to Facebook is entering its third day. Cleveland police say it's now a nationwide search for 37-year-old Steve Stephens. Videos Stephens shared show him talking about his despair over gambling debts and trouble with his girlfriend along with how he wanted to kill innocent people.
Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson says he's disappointed after the U.S. Supreme Court declined to lift a stay that would have allowed the state's first execution in 12 years. But the Republican governor says he was heartened by other court rulings Monday that could pave the way for Arkansas to execute several more inmates before the end of April.
U.S. Vice President Mike Pence and Japanese leaders began talks expected to focus largely on trade with America's anchor ally in the region, though tensions with North Korea loomed large. Pence reassured Prime Minister Shinzo Abe that the U.S. considers its alliance with Japan to be a cornerstone of security in the region.
President Donald Trump is planning to sign an executive order that seeks to make changes to a visa program that brings in high-skilled workers. Trump is heading Tuesday to Kenosha, Wisconsin, to sign an order that directs several federal departments to propose rules to prevent immigration fraud and abuse. The White House says the current H-1B visa program is undercutting American workers by bringing in cheaper labor.
Justice Neil Gorsuch is diving into the public side of his new job, piping up early and often. He took his seat on the Supreme Court bench Monday for the first time for oral arguments. The new justice waited just 11 minutes before asking questions in the first of three cases the court heard. It was the court's first session since Gorsuch was sworn in April 10.