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Tuesday, June 16, 2020

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PETITION MAY FORCE referendum on ranked-choice voting / B1

By REUBEN SCHAFIRStaff Writer

The Portland City Council vot-ed unanimously Monday night to postpone the vote on an amend-ed proposal to consolidate the city’s polling locations from 11 to six to next Monday.

Some councilors were con-cerned that the effort to recruit poll workers had not been suffi-cient, and Belinda Ray, Jill Du-son, Justin Costa and Spencer Thidodeau wanted to make a last push to recruit poll workers.

The initial proposal by City Clerk Kathy Jones reduced the city’s polling locations to three, of which one would have been located on Peaks Island. After pushback from members of the council and local political lead-ers, Jones brought forth an up-dated proposal that included six polling locations, one of which would still be on Peaks Island.

City Council delays vote on poll sites, calls for more poll workers

By KEVIN MILLERStaff Writer

Gov. Janet Mills announced Monday that restaurants in Cumberland, York and Androscoggin counties can resume indoor din-ing on Wednesday, citing

“encouraging trends” in Maine’s COVID-19 infection and hospitalization rates since May.

Bars, breweries, fitness centers, nail salons and tattoo parlors in those three counties also will be able to op-erate under the same rules already in place in Maine’s 13 other counties. That means, starting Wednesday, bars and brewery tasting rooms from Kit-tery to Brunswick as well as the Lewiston/Auburn area can be-gin serving outdoors, while gym patrons can head back inside as long as the facilities follow health

Restaurants can resume indoor dining statewide

n Gov. Mills touts Maine’s reopening as ‘on par or even ahead’ of neighbors.

n Restrictions are also eased on bars, breweries, gyms and nail salons.

Advice/TV ..........B9Briefcase .............A8Business ..............A8Classified .............B6Close to Home ..B2Comics .................B8Commentary ......A11 Crossword ...........B8

Copyright 2020MaineTodayMedia

Volume 158Number 309

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INDEXINDEX

PPH DAILY

University of New England President James Herbert emphasized the unknowns facing schools. “We’re going to do everything we can to keep the virus off campus, but we’re not so naive as to think it won’t happen here.”

Ben McCanna/ Staff Photographer

By RACHEL OHMStaff Writer

Masks for faculty and stu-dents. Modified schedules with exams taken remotely at the end of the semester. Stick-ing to small cohorts for class-es and more to-go options at the dining hall.

These are some of the chang-es private colleges and univer-sities in Maine are considering

or have announced as they plan how to welcome students back to campus in the fall.

While the schools are in various stages of planning, many have started to make decisions about some aspects of what a return to school will look like – both with and with-out the coronavirus becoming

Maine’s private colleges firm up plans for the fall

By ROBERT BARNESThe Washington Post

WASHINGTON — The Su-preme Court ruled Monday that a landmark federal civil rights law from the 1960s protects gay and transgender workers, a water-shed ruling for LGBTQ rights written by one of the court’s most conserva-tive justices.

Justice Neil Gorsuch and Chief Justice John Roberts joined the court’s liber-als in the 6-to-3 ruling. They said Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimina-tion “because of sex,” includes gay and transgender employees.

The decision was a surprise,

Supreme Court rules civil rights law extends to LGBTQ workers

Gregory Rec/Staff Photographer

Sarah Chadbourne prepares the bar area for reopening at Duffy’s Tavern and Grill in Kennebunk on Monday. The last three counties with bans on indoor restaurant service will have them lifted as of Wednesday.

Active COVID-19 cases in Maine have been declining in recent weeks

Derek Davis/Staff Photographer

While some southern Maine restaurants will restart indoor service right away, others say they need more time. Central Provisions in Portland just finished a patio on Dana Street and has no plans to reopen indoor service soon. “I’m focused on what I can control right now,” owner Chris Gould said.

By MEREDITH GOADStaff Writer

Joshua Miranda owns a bar in the Old Port that also serves food. He was planning to open an Italian restaurant a few blocks over, too, before the coro-navirus pandemic hit and put every-thing on hold for three months.

Then, on Monday, Gov. Janet Mills announced that restaurants in Andro-scoggin, Cumberland and York coun-

ties will be allowed to resume indoor dining service on Wednesday. Bars, breweries and tasting rooms in those counties also will be permitted to open that day for outdoor, seated service.

After the announcement, Miranda’s phone blew up with calls from friends in the industry.

“There were some people grumbling

Restaurants get news they’ve been waiting for, but plans are mixed

City Councilor Belinda Ray thinks more can be done to recruit poll workers. “This should be on the front page of our website,” she said.

CONFRONTING THE PANDEMIC

Red Cross offers blood donors free COVID-19 antibody testLOCAL & STATE / B1

U.S. revokes emergency use of malaria drugs to treat virusNATION / A2

Ruling leads to fresh criticism of Sen. Collins’ Kavanaugh vote / A7

Please see VIRUS, Page A6

Please see COLLEGE, Page A7

Please see REACTION, Page A6

Please see COURT, Page A7

Please see COUNCIL, Page A6

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