AUGUSTA — The head of the Maine Warden Service on Wednesday endured a barrage of questions from legislators about how wardens handled an undercover investigation that resulted in convictions for poaching and felony possession of firearms. Col. Joel Wilkinson told the Legislature’s Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Committee, which has jurisdiction over the service, that his […]
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Group forms to fight Maine marijuana ballot question
LEWISTON — A new coalition aimed at defeating a November ballot question that will ask Maine voters to make marijuana legal for recreational use under state law is growing, according to a coalition leader. Mainers Protecting Our Youth and Communities includes parents, health experts, clergy and police, said Scott Gagnon, the coalition’s spokesman and the chairman […]
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Maine EMS awards honor local nurses, paramedics and doctors
AUGUSTA — A former longtime director of Maine’s Emergency Management System and several local doctors, a nurse and paramedics, were among those honored during a ceremony at the State House on Tuesday. Recognized during the annual State EMS awards in the Hall of Flags were: • LifeFlight’s Lewiston base manager, Lori Metayer, a paramedic and […]
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Augusta passes emergency bedbug ordinance
AUGUSTA — The City Council in Maine’s capital city has adopted an emergency bedbug ordinance to give officials rules they say are needed to fight infestations of the pests. The emergency rules take effect immediately and will be in place for 60 days. A bedbug infestation at a pair of boarding houses prompted city officials […]
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Gov. Paul LePage handles town hall protest with ease
LEWISTON — Gov. Paul LePage spent more than an hour and 20 minutes with about 100 Twin Cities’ residents Wednesday, in a conversation that touched on everything from taxes to his possible political options. LePage even gingerly handled a group of college students, including some from Bates and Bowdoin, who briefly interrupted his town hall-style […]
Posted inLewiston-Auburn, Political Grind
Lawmakers override LePage veto on mental health services
AUGUSTA — An effort by Republican Gov. Paul LePage to move forward with a possible change in eligibility rules that would have reduced mental health services for thousands in Maine was rejected by the Legislature on Friday. Lawmakers in the House and the Senate overrode LePage’s veto of a bill that sets a moratorium on […]
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Lewiston legislative delegation to host public office hours
AUGUSTA — Members of Lewiston’s delegation to the Legislature will hold constituent office hours from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday, April 23, in the Couture Room at Lewiston Public Library. Sen. Nate Libby will be joined by Reps. Peggy Rotundo, Michel Lajoie, Jared Golden and Heidi Brooks. The office hours provide local residents a […]
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Bill for biomass life support approved by Maine Legislature
AUGUSTA — In a last-minute bid to help Maine’s struggling biomass industry, the Legislature on Friday approved $13.4 million in aid aimed at keeping four working plants, including those in Stratton and Livermore Falls, open for another two years. The bill gained broad bipartisan support, even from fiscal conservatives who had vowed they wouldn’t increase […]
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Bill to boost Maine law officers’ pay heads to LePage
AUGUSTA — A bill that boosts the pay of law enforcement officers, including troopers, game wardens, fire marshals and marine patrol officers and their supervisors, by 12 to 18 percent is on its way to the desk of Gov. Paul LePage after a vote in the Maine Senate. The bill, LD 1523, originally provided pay […]