• President Trump attacks vote-by-mail efforts
  • Western Massachusetts legislators join call for demographic data on COVID-19 cases
  • State Police cadets will join their first responder colleagues early
  • Public schools are canceling April vacation; Worcester schedules last day of school
  • Why isn’t Congress working remotely?
  • File under: The Most Maine thing ever — Maine Musher and her Siberian Huskies deliver groceries to those in need
  1. President Trump continues to attack vote-by-mail efforts, calling them “a very dangerous thing for this country because they are cheaters.” This most recent attack stems from Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers’ (D) attempt to postpone in-person voting this week out of concern for public safety and public health in the face of COVID-19.

 

  1. Western Massachusetts legislators are requesting countywide numbers on testing sites, test performed, hospitals of diagnosis and hospitals where patients were admitted in hopes of catching potential gaps in treatment and supplies. Most importantly, legislators say they are requesting demographic information that they feel can highlight whether any segment of the population has been underserved during the pandemic.

 

  1. The 85th Recruit Training Troop of the State Police Academy will graduate all 241 recruits early. As the COVID-19 pandemic increases, the need for trained public safety personnel has never been higher. The state will close the New Braintree training facility and direct cadets to complete online models 10 weeks earlier than the usual 25-week academy.

 

  1. The Worcester school committee announced the last day of school will be Friday June 12, 2020 and voted cancel the upcoming April school vacation. Originally scheduled to begin on April 21, 2020 many communities are cancelling the scheduled break to maintain momentum with distance learning.

 

  1. There are some functions that only Congress can perform. But do they need to be in Washington to do their jobs? With almost everyone else in the country working remotely, why are members of Congress still meeting in Washington?

 

  1. Hannah Lucas, a 22-year-old grocery store clerk at the Circle K in Caribou, Maine found a way to help elderly shoppers in her community by delivering their groceries to them via her fourteen Siberian Huskies.