Dr. Vivek Murthy calls on the U.S. to ban automatic rifles, introduce universal background checks for purchasing guns, regulate the industry, pass laws that would restrict their use in public spaces and penalize people who fail to safely store their weapons.
Health
Violent, unstable and wanting a gun: Farmington family struggles to help their teenage son and protect others
As the teen approaches 18 and the age for legal gun ownership, his family continues to look for answers to his mental illness.
Maine urged to raise wages for home health aides, long-term care workers
The Maine Center for Economic Policy recommends that health support workers be paid at least 140% of minimum wage, or $19.80 per hour.
This law is a lifeline for pregnant workers even as an abortion dispute complicates its enforcement
Many women confronted employers who didn’t know about the new law, misunderstood its scope or simply refused to comply, according to a report.
Medicare study tracks lost opportunities to treat overdose survivors
People on Medicare who survived a drug overdose were much more likely to later receive opioid painkillers than medication to treat addiction – and some went on to die of an overdose.
Fewer Maine babies are being born with substance exposure. No one’s sure why
Hospital data show the lowest figures in a decade, but officials say changes in reporting could be skewing the results.
Mainers unable to find caregivers for all authorized home care hours
One care coordination agency had more than 750 people approved for home care who had no help at all, with demand expected to grow.
Hundreds of Maine households are stranded in PFAS limbo
The state says it can’t afford to mitigate PFAS issues at homes near sludge hot spots that pass state drinking water standards but fail the new federal ones.
Advocacy group says underutilized mental health statute could have prevented Lewiston shooting
Members of the National Shattering Silence Coalition, including former state legislator John Nutting, have urged the commission investigating the shooting to promote expanding use of Maine’s progressive treatment program.
York County resident dies from rare virus caused by tick bite
Two other Maine residents – in Kennebec and Lincoln counties – have been infected with the virus so far this year.