Democrats gained control of the Maine Legislature on Tuesday, increasing their majority in the House of Representatives and recapturing a decisive majority in the Senate. Top Democrats said they would use their majority to take action on several key issues, including funding Medicaid expansion, keeping $160 million in school funding in place and addressing the […]
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Posted inFranklin, sj-web
Weld lawyer takes Franklin County judge of probate contest
FARMINGTON — Voters in Franklin County elected Margot Joly of Weld on Tuesday to be the new Franklin County treasurer over opponent Ron Aseltine of Wilton. The unofficial results are 6,871 to 6,381. Joly will begin her four-year term on Jan. 1, 2019. She will replace Probate Judge Richard Morton of Farmington, who is retiring on Dec. 31 after serving the county for […]
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Posted inNation / World, sj-web
Trump says government will halt if Dems investigate him
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump, emboldened by Republican election wins in the Senate and scornful of GOP candidates he felt didn’t sufficiently embrace his support, delivered a stark warning to the new Democratic House majority on Wednesday: Investigate me, and I’ll investigate you — and the government will grind to a halt. Noting that […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Sen. Susan Collins: ‘I look at this as an opportunity’
Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, left, chats with Gina Mosca after speaking to home care and hospice workers at MaineGeneral Medical Center’s Alfond Center for Health on Wednesday in Augusta. Staff photo by Joe Phelan AUGUSTA — U.S. Sen. Susan Collins said she sees opportunity in Tuesday’s election results for a moderate Republican voice such as hers […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Fresh off historic victory, Janet Mills says health care and opioid crisis will be top priorities
Janet Mills had nearly finished her victory lap, of sorts, through the breakfast crowd at Portland’s Becky’s Diner on Wednesday morning when a patron thanked the governor-elect for “giving all of us so much hope and for your courage.” “We are so excited,” the woman said as she embraced Mills. A little more than eight […]
Posted inLewiston-Auburn, sj-web
Stankiewicz wins three-way race for Androscoggin commission
AUBURN — The Androscoggin County Commission will welcome four new members in January. In the only race where the results were unknown Tuesday night, Republican candidate Terri Kelly Stankiewicz of Mechanic Falls won a three-way race over Democrat Shannon Dalton and Libertarian Raynond Lafrance in District 6. Despite Dalton winning both Auburn and Poland, Stankiewicz’s […]
Posted inLewiston-Auburn, sj-web
Lewiston officials say strange odor, taste of water is harmless
LEWISTON — The city released a statement Wednesday morning in response to neighborhood complaints about the city’s tap water having a strange odor and taste. The statement said there was “no cause for alarm.” On its Facebook page, the city explained there were two reasons for the odor and taste: The annual “turnover” of Lake […]
Posted inNation / World, sj-web
Girl Scouts sue Boy Scouts over program's name change
NEW YORK (AP) — The Girl Scouts of the United States of America filed a trademark infringement lawsuit on Monday against the Boy Scouts of America for dropping the word “boy” from its flagship program in an effort to attract girls. In the complaint filed in Manhattan federal court, the Girls Scouts claim the program […]
Posted inLewiston-Auburn, sj-web
Christmas tree heads to downtown Auburn
Employees from the Auburn Public Works Department and Cote Crane & Rigging secure Auburn’s 2018 Christmas tree, donated by Joan Combs of Maple Point, early Wednesday. The tree was hauled to Festival Plaza and is scheduled to be lighted Saturday, Nov. 24, as part of the Twin Cities Holiday Celebration. (Andree Kehn/Sun Journal)
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Maine’s first virtual charter school gets 5-year renewal
The Maine Charter School Commission unanimously approved a five-year charter renewal for Maine’s first virtual charter school on Tuesday, but denied the school’s request to expand into additional grades and lift its enrollment cap. “(We) feel the school has achieved the standards and targets stated in the charter contract, is organizationally and fiscally viable, and […]