Bangor, Maine News Update: January 25, 2021

The Maine CDC reports 189 new cases of COVID-19 statewide. Hospitals across the state, including Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center and St. Joseph’s Hospital in Bangor, began vaccinating residents who are at least 70 years old over the weekend. They have a limited amount of the serum, so ask residents to keep checking back for available appointments.

George Stevens Academy in Blue Hill has transitioned to remote learning in response to COVID-19 outbreaks associated with the school community. All Ellsworth schools are fully remote today after an individual was diagnosed with the virus. More information will be forthcoming today about whether the remote learning will need to be extended.

The Bangor School department has sent out a survey to parents, in an effort to determine how many kids have to use the bus to get to school. Last week, the schools were forced to switch to remote learning when they didn’t have enough bus drivers to facilitate all the routes.

With the recent cold weather, Wardens are reminding residents to beware of hypothermia, including covering as much skin as possible and staying dry. People who plan to spend time outside should let someone know when and where they’re going and when they expect to return. And take a safety bag, containing items like matches and fire-starting materials and extra clothing like hats, mittens, and socks.

A new smartphone application that will help older and visually impaired residents hail rides is under development at the University of Maine. The U.S. Department of Transportation has awarded 300 thousand dollars to the project. The application is called AVA, which stands for Autonomous Vehicle Assistant.

A Maine-based organization, Operation Reboot Outdoors, is getting veterans involved in outdoor activities, as a way to help them make the transition from military to civilian life. Since 2019, founder Daniel Waite has been taking veterans on hunting and fishing excursions.