AUGUSTA — Staffing shortages at the state-run Riverview Psychiatric Center in Augusta have led the court master who oversees the state’s mental health system to order a series of changes. In a Monday filing in Kennebec County Superior Court, Daniel Wathen recommended that Riverview take several specific actions to address chronic staffing shortages and ordered […]
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Gov. Paul LePage attacks ‘socialist’ lawmakers in State of the State letter
AUGUSTA — Returning to a practice from the 1800s, Republican Gov. Paul LePage on Monday issued a written State of the State address to the Legislature. Breaking from the modern tradition of delivering a speech on the state’s current status before a joint session of the Maine House and Senate, LePage said he was forgoing […]
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Bill seeks to limit video recording at Maine polling places
AUGUSTA — State lawmakers are contemplating a bill that would limit the use of video recording at Maine polling places, after complaints a group that was recording those signing ballot petitions may have been intimidating voters in 2015. “This law is about ensuring that polling places can serve their most crucial function, which is to […]
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‘Blizzard of lies’: Scarborough couple ordered to stop selling supplements
AUGUSTA — A Scarborough couple who sold weight-loss supplements have agreed to stop selling their products following legal actions by Maine’s attorney general and the Federal Trade Commission that alleged the couple engaged in misleading advertising and billed consumers with automatic charges that were “very difficult for customers to cancel.” AF Plus, a company owned […]
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Local state GOP lawmakers throw support to Cruz
AUGUSTA — About 25 Republican state lawmakers said Thursday they were supporting U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz’s bid to become their party’s nominee in the 2016 presidential race. Cruz bested front-running Republican candidate Donald Trump during voting in the Iowa caucuses Monday. Among those offering their support to Cruz was Sen. Garrett Mason, R-Lisbon Falls. Mason, […]
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Think tank ‘oinks’ at government spending
AUGUSTA — A conservative think tank rolled out its latest report on state government largess, leveling criticism at both Republicans and Democrats in its “Maine Piglet Book” on Thursday. The Maine Heritage Policy Center’s report, released at a State House news conference, notes that spending in the office of Republican Gov. Paul LePage shot up […]
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Bill prevents gun ban for Maine Section 8 tenants
AUGUSTA — The plight of a disabled Rockland man who shot an alleged intruder in his apartment last August has prompted legislation that would prohibit gun bans in subsidized housing. Sen. Andre Cushing, R-Hampden, said a bill he is sponsoring, LD 1572, “An Act to Ensure Nondiscrimination Against Gun Owners in Public Housing,” will at […]
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Advocates to state: Get the lead out, quickly impose new standards
AUGUSTA — A new state lead-poisoning standard passed into law in 2015 is sitting in limbo, according to lawmakers and advocates who say Maine should move quickly on the change to better protect children from exposure to the neurotoxin. The change, based on legislation sponsored by Sen. Amy Volk, R-Scarborough, and Rep. Peggy Rotundo, D-Lewiston, would […]
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Report: Maine’s Bureau of Veterans Services should be upgraded, expanded
AUGUSTA — A new report released Friday is recommending Maine’s Bureau of Veterans Services be expanded and revamped so it can better serve the state’s estimated 140,000 military veterans. The report shows it’s been more than 15 years since the bureau has received any updated policies or targeted funding, and that younger veterans — those from […]
Posted inLewiston-Auburn
Legibility key in vetting petitions for city clerks
LEWISTON — It can take just a few seconds to verify that a signature on a petition is valid, according to Lewiston City Clerk Kathy Montejo, assuming the signer has legible handwriting and hasn’t moved around much. “But you have to take into account that people are signing these things in parking lots, balancing their […]