Bangor, Maine News Update: February 8, 2021

The Maine CDC reports 154 new cases of COVID-19 and one more person, diagnosed with the virus, who has died. So far, over 140,000 Mainers have received their first COVID-19 vaccine shot, while over 51,000 have also received their second. Commissioner Jeanne Lambrew, of the Maine Department of Health and Human Services, says the vaccine roll-out is on-track, so they should be prepared to vaccinate people 65 and over, starting the first week in March.

A person working on a small engine in a Hampden greenhouse on Sunday received some burns to his face when the small engine he was working on triggered an explosion. The greenhouse behind Calkins Farm Stand on Main Road South sustained extensive damage, but the main building wasn't harmed.

Ice fishermen are enjoying the colder weather lately, as it's firming up the ice on lakes and ponds. But the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife says it's still important to use caution and test the ice frequently, when heading onto a body of water.

Small towns in Maine can apply for incentives to make their heating systems in public buildings more energy efficient. Efficiency Maine is offering the incentives for heat pumps and lighting projects. The offer expires on March 31st.

The University of Maine at Augusta will receive a grant of nearly $1 million to support a prison education program. The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation is giving the money to the Future of Higher Learning in Prison Program, which college administrators say is invaluable to incarcerated students, to help reduce recidivism and improve their chances of finding employment after their release.

A group of budding young writers is about to publish a book, with some help from the Stephen and Tabitha King Foundation. The charitable organization covered the $6,500 cost of publishing the students' 290-page manuscript. The students from the Farwell Elementary School got some guidance form author Gary Savage, patterning their book about the effects of the pandemic on his book, 'Fletcher McKenzie and the Passage to Whole.'