AUGUSTA — Expanding passenger rail service from Portland to Lewiston-Auburn has been a decades-long struggle for local business and rail advocates, and a bill before the state Legislature could finally help advance that effort. State Rep. Jared Golden, D-Lewiston, is hoping his bill will provide the push needed to link the Twin Cities to Amtrak’s […]
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Posted inMaine
Bill requires nonprofits to disclose donors when contributing to Maine political campaigns
AUGUSTA — Nonprofit organizations that spend money on political campaigns in Maine could have to disclose their donors under a bill being offered by state Sen. Tom Saviello, R-Wilton. Saviello’s bill targets what many consider a flaw in the state’s campaign finance disclosure laws and also looks to tackle the issue of so-called “dark money” […]
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Posted inBusiness, Maine, sj-web
Connecticut residents duck taxes by registering cars in Maine
AUGUSTA — A few months ago, a veteran police officer in Windsor, Conn., noticed something strange on the streets of his community — a lot of cars with Maine plates. What he discovered was a scheme by Connecticut drivers to avoid paying local property taxes by registering their vehicles in Maine through the state’s online […]
Posted inObituaries
MSgt. Francis N. Simon
1933 – 2015 AUGUSTA — MSgt. Francis N. Simon, USAF, 81, passed away peacefully Wednesday, Feb. 18, at the Maine Veterans’ Home in Augusta following a brief illness. Francis was born in Old Town on July 5, 1933, a son of Albert and Marie (Dumont) Simon. He grew up in Old Town and later moved […]
Posted inMaine
Corporate conferences point out loopholes in state ethics laws
AUGUSTA — The recent two-day conference that corporate giant Time Warner Cable put on for Maine legislators has revealed loopholes in the state’s ethics laws that make it difficult for voters to know whether their elected representatives took part. On Jan. 22-23, Time Warner, the leading cable telecommunications provider in the state, invited a select […]
Posted inFranklin
No threat of flooding yet, but Maine snow depths, water content is high
AUGUSTA — State snow survey results for February released Friday revealed high water content in Maine’s snowpack, especially in northern Franklin and Somerset counties. But it’s still too early to know whether that extra content will cause or contribute to flooding come spring, Robert G. Marvinney, Maine Geological Survey director, said Friday. “There’s no flood […]
Posted inMaine
Brakey wants income tax break for Maine Turnpike commuters
AUGUSTA — Fed up with paying Maine Turnpike tolls? So is state Sen. Eric Brakey, and he’s only been commuting to Augusta for a month now. Brakey, an Auburn Republican, along with a bipartisan group of supporters, including state Rep. Jared Golden, D-Lewiston, is hoping to sell the Legislature on state income tax credit for […]
Posted inMaine
Split between marijuana legalization groups could undermine effort in Maine
AUGUSTA — Maine voters could face competing pot ballot measures in 2016, both seeking to make recreational marijuana legal. But the split between a national legalization advocacy group and a home-grown Maine organization could divide support for marijuana reforms that most polls suggest are favored by a majority of the state’s voters. On Wednesday, Paul […]
Posted inMaine
Maine bill would make a pint a pint; Rumford lawmaker wants a full glass
AUGUSTA — Beer drinkers, you know how it goes. You’re looking forward to that tall, cold one after work and what you get instead is an almost full glass or a glass with three inches of foam, instead of beer. But you’re so thirsty you don’t bother to complain. You pay up and drink. But […]
Posted inMaine
Two men hospitalized after stabbing in Augusta
AUGUSTA — Two men are at MaineGeneral Medical Center, one with a significant chest wound, after a double stabbing Sunday morning. One of the victims is a 27-year-old man from Rockland and the other is a 23-year-old from Augusta, according to Augusta Police Department Sgt. Vicente Morris. Police responded to a call shortly before 2:30 […]