AUGUSTA — A measure to require a 5-cent deposit on tiny liquor bottles known as nips is heading for a near certain veto from Gov. Paul LePage — and possibly a move by him to ban nips entirely, which could hurt a major bottler based in Lewiston. With the Senate’s unanimous agreement Tuesday , the […]
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Legislators eye path for skilled veterans to get better jobs
AUGUSTA — Many of the people who serve in the military wind up learning skills that could easily translate into jobs later, except for professional requirements that typically eye a more traditional educational pathway for those seeking a license. For Rep. Jared Golden, D-Lewiston, it’s a bureaucratic obstacle that could be overcome to give veterans […]
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Legislature passes bill to limit PAC expenditures
AUGUSTA — The Maine Legislature has approved a bill that bars lawmakers from paying themselves or businesses they own from political action committees under their control, sending the measure to Gov. Paul LePage for his approval. The bill, An Act Regarding Political Action Committee Expenditures, was passed unanimously last week by the Maine House and […]
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$50 million bond issue set for June ballot
AUGUSTA (AP) — Maine voters are set to decide on a $50 million bond issue at a special election next month. The Maine Technology Institute would distribute $45 million in grants for upgrades in fields like aquaculture, marine technology and advanced technologies for forestry and agriculture. Recipients would be required to match state dollars with […]
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Maine panel recommends bill to help chronic pain patients
AUGUSTA (AP) — A legislative committee is supporting a bill to give Maine doctors flexibility in prescribing opioid medication to patients living with chronic and severe pain. Some patients have said they are living in agony on smaller doses of painkillers thanks to a cap on daily opioid doses that lawmakers enacted last year. The […]
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Lawmakers weigh who can obtain medical records of the dead
AUGUSTA — Two summers ago, Dottie Perham-Whittier sat bawling beside her son Mack’s bed in Maine Medical Center’s intensive care unit, hoping he could fend off a life-threatening toxic shock that followed a normally routine cyst surgery. She’d known for more than a year that Mack had seriously low blood counts that made it tough […]
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Maine to close Downeast Correctional Facility next month
A red pickup truck pulls away from the Downeast Correctional Facility in Machiasport in February. The Department of Corrections says it plans to lay off all guards, relocate prisoners, and close the facility by June 10. MACHIASPORT — Layoff notices will be issued to all 46 employees at Downeast Correctional Facility in Machias, which will […]
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Maine Senate advances death with dignity bill; LePage likely to veto it
Maine State House is the state capitol of the State of Maine in Augusta, Maine, USA. AUGUSTA (AP) — A death with dignity bill is advancing through the Maine Legislature, but will face a likely veto from the Republican governor. The Senate narrowly voted 16-15 Thursday to support Republican Sen. Roger Katz’s bill. Gov. Paul […]
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Paul LePage cites drinking and driving concern for opposition to ‘nips’
AUGUSTA — Two days after issuing a statement detailing his concerns about a proposal to require a deposit on tiny liquor bottles, Gov. Paul LePage raised an entirely new rationale for his position Thursday. LePage said the problem with the measure is that it doesn’t address the key problem involved with the fast-growing market for […]
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Maine Medicaid recipients say they need health care to work
Judy Newell of Portland speaks against the proposed changes to the state’s Medicaid program during a hearing, Wednesday, May 17, 2017, in Portland, Maine. Maine and Wisconsin are finalizing waivers to make significant changes to Medicaid that would make the program more like welfare programs, with restrictions to eligibility and enrollment, premiums and cost-sharing. (AP […]