AUGUSTA — Nearly 62,000 Mainers have selected insurance plans on the health care exchange. Federal officials said this week that 61,964 residents have enrolled as of Jan. 16. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services says that 35 percent of those people enrolled for coverage on the exchange for the first time. Sixty-five percent […]
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State’s moose hunt success rate down from 2013
AUGUSTA — Maine officials say that nearly two-thirds of moose hunters were successful last year. The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife said that out of 3,095 permits that were issued in 2014, 2,022 hunters succeeded in harvesting a moose. That’s down from a success rate of 73 percent in 2013. Hunters in parts […]
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Top Maine lawmakers hear from cities and towns on proposed budget squeeze
AUGUSTA — In the first of what will likely be many long discussions, top State House leaders met Thursday with representatives from Maine’s nearly 500 cities and towns. Members of the Maine Municipal Association’s Executive Committee, made up of town and city officials from across the state, told lawmakers they want to be a part […]
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Maine’s new state treasurer wants to show you what the money buys
AUGUSTA — If you get any kind of check from state government, you are going to see Terry Hayes’ signature on it — at least for the next two years. Hayes, an independent who was recently elected state treasurer, said that’s one of the weirdest things about her new job. A former Democratic state representative […]
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Chat archive: Should Maine tax its nonprofits?
Live Blog Taxing Nonprofits in Maine AUGUSTA – A tax reform plan by Gov. Paul LePage as part of his 2016-2017 two-year budget proposal is drawing plenty of attention. Among other things the plan would allow cities and towns to apply a property tax to nonprofit organizations that hold more than $500,000 in property. […]
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Get out of jail free? Auburn senator suggests low-profile suspects pay no bail
AUGUSTA — Eliminating cash bail would dramatically reduce the number of inmates in Maine jails and dramatically lower taxpayer costs, according to state Sen. Eric Brakey, R-Auburn. Brakey said Thursday he intends to introduce legislation that would do away with bail in Maine and replace it with a system that screens those charged with crimes […]
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Lawmakers hear from Maine’s conservation commission on ranger restructure
AUGUSTA — Maine’s agriculture Commissioner Walter Whitcomb on Tuesday shared new details of a plan that would restructure the state’s Forest Service, including the elimination of between 12 and 13 forest ranger positions. Whitcomb told a joint meeting of the Legislature’s budget-writing Appropriations and Agriculture committees that the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Conservation wanted […]
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From Afghanistan to Augusta, Jared Golden says desire to serve drives him
LEWISTON — When state Rep. Jared Golden thinks about Maine veterans, he does it from a personal perspective. Serving his first term in the Maine House, Golden, 32, is a Marine Corps veteran of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. It’s why he wanted to be on the Legislature’s Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee. It’s […]
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Investigators unable to find cause of Augusta fire on Dec. 5 that left 27 homeless
AUGUSTA (AP) — Officials have been unable to pinpoint what caused an apartment building fire last month in Augusta that left 27 people homeless. Sgt. Kenneth Grimes of the state fire marshal’s office told the Kennebec Journal on Friday that the Dec. 5 fire has been classified as undetermined. Grimes said the massive fire and […]
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Abortion opponents hold ‘Hands Around The Capitol’ in Maine
AUGUSTA — Maine Right to Life is hosting its “Hands Around the Capitol Memorial” event. Executive Director Teresa McCann-Tumidajski calls the annual event protesting the Supreme Court Roe v Wade decision that legalized abortion “the largest pro-life gathering in the state.” Republican Gov. Paul LePage and Congressman Bruce Poliquin were among Saturday’s participants. Tumidajski said […]