AUGUSTA — Gov. Paul LePage on Friday made good on his promise to “go after” Maine income taxes in his next two-year budget. LePage’s 2016-17 spending plan for state government includes sweeping reforms to Maine’s tax policy, dramatically changing the sources of state revenue from the income tax to a broader and higher sales tax. The […]
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LePage launches second term with promises of job growth and a stronger economy
AUGUSTA — Paul LePage launched his second term as Maine’s governor Wednesday with robust promises to create jobs and improve the state’s long-flagging economy. He also vowed to tackle the state’s income tax, saying his vision was a Maine without an income tax. “We want Mainers to know prosperity and not poverty,” LePage said. He […]
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LePage inauguration to draw thousands to the Augusta Civic Center
AUGUSTA — Wednesday is shaping up to be a busy day in Augusta with the 127th Legislature returning for Gov. Paul LePage’s second-term inauguration. Inauguration festivities begin at 11:30 a.m. at the Augusta Civic Center, where thousands of well-wishers and the entire Legislature will convene for one of the biggest political events of the year. […]
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New chairmen of Legislature’s Health Committee set to start on friendly terms
AUGUSTA — The co-chairmen of the Legislature’s Health and Human Services Committee say they are committed to a civil and friendly process but the “devil will be in the details” when it comes to key issues such as welfare reform and changes to the state’s support for General Assistance, a local welfare program administered by […]
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Tractor-trailers slide into multiple accidents across Maine
AUGUSTA — State troopers were busy Sunday night and into Monday dealing with multiple accidents involving tractor-trailers and icy roadways. State police reported Monday that three tractor-trailers went off Route 9 in Hancock County while two other accidents occurred along Interstate 95 in Augusta overnight Sunday. Route 9 between the intersections of Route 179 in […]
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Ranked-choice voting advocates gather signatures
AUGUSTA — Residents hoping to get a ranked-choice voting initiative on the ballot are making their final push to collect signatures. More than 100 volunteers will be working to gather as many as 6,000 signatures across Maine on Saturday and Sunday. The group has collected more than 55,000 signatures so far and needs just more […]
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State Senate Majority Leader Mason to serve on Energy Committee
AUGUSTA — State Sen. Garrett Mason, R-Lisbon, said Tuesday he is looking forward to working on the Legislature’s Energy, Utilities and Technology Committee when 127th Session starts up in earnest in 2015. “Rising energy costs are one of the top issues Maine families and businesses are dealing with, and we must put in place policy […]
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Players picked, agendas defined as state lawmakers get ready for 2015
Now that state lawmakers have received their committee assignments, the planning starts for a new budget-making cycle and a host of other bills covering everything from tax policy to welfare reform that will play in the political arena for the next two years. Well-rested and well-fed from the holidays, lawmakers should all have bipartisan visions […]
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Augusta police arrest convicted rapist after standoff
AUGUSTA — Police say a Maine man who spent 17 years in prison for raping and strangling a 14-year-old girl is back in custody following a standoff in Augusta. Police said 45-year-old Lorne Sherwood was arrested Tuesday around noon and charged with assault, terrorizing and creating a police standoff. Police obtained an arrest warrant after […]
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Speaker of Maine House and Gov. LePage disagree on state’s employment picture
AUGUSTA — Mark Eves, speaker of the Maine House of Representatives, said Friday the state is still lagging behind the rest of New England when it comes to job creation. Eves, D-North Berwick, was reacting to the last round of employment data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics that shows employment levels for the […]