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Bill would restrict foraging for wild berries, vegetables on private property

PORTLAND (AP) — Get off my lawn, and out of my blueberry bush. That’s the message in a proposal before a Maine state house committee that would restrict foraging for wild, edible vegetables, fruits and funguses on private property. Republican Sen. Thomas Saviello made the proposal which, as currently written, would prohibit the harvest of […]

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Proposal would bar Maine from charging minors with prostitution

AUGUSTA — With strong backing from groups as diverse as the Roman Catholic Church and the Maine Women’s Lobby, legislators are weighing whether to block police and prosecutors from charging anyone under 18 years of age with engaging in prostitution. “Minors who are charged with prostitution are not criminals but rather victims themselves,” said Oami […]

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Posted inMaine, sj-web

Legislature's transportation panel moves along Real ID bill

AUGUSTA — A bill to make Maine comply with federal identification standards is gaining key committee support. Two state senators want Republican President Donald Trump to issue an executive order repealing the standards, which they say jeopardize privacy. The Legislature’s Transportation Committee on Friday voted 12-1 in favor of an amended version of the bill. […]

Posted inMaine, sj-web

Maine ID bill gets key committee support

AUGUSTA (AP) — A bill to make Maine comply with federal identification standards is gaining key committee support. Two state senators want Republican President Donald Trump to issue an executive order repealing the standards, which they say jeopardize privacy. The Legislature’s Transportation Committee on Friday voted 12-1 in favor of an amended version of the […]

Posted inMaine, sj-web

Gov. Paul LePage wants King, Collins to support GOP health plan

AUGUSTA — Gov. Paul LePage threw his support on Thursday behind the American Health Care Act, releasing letters asking U.S. Sens. Angus King and Susan Collins to back it and lending a prominent voice to the endangered national Republican health care plan. LePage has spent considerable time in Washington, D.C., lobbying members of Congress to […]

Posted inMaine, sj-web

Paul LePage says merging transportation, turnpike agencies could nix tolls

GORHAM — Gov. Paul LePage believes a merger between the Maine Turnpike Authority and the Maine Department of Transportation would benefit residents by leading to the elimination of most tolls. The Portland Press Herald reports LePage made the remarks before approximately 150 people at a town hall meeting held in Gorham on Wednesday. The Republican admitted […]

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State funds sought to house female veterans in Augusta

An Auburn Democrat is seeking a one-time $150,000 state allocation to help the Betsy Ann Ross House of Hope begin providing housing for female veterans and their children at the Augusta property it has been working on for months. State Rep. Bettyann Sheats told colleagues this week that Maine has “done a wonderful job caring […]

Posted inMaine, sj-web, Uncategorized

Gov. Paul LePage to testify against national monument

In this Aug. 4, 2015, file photo, the Wassataquoik Stream flows through Township 3, Range 8, Maine, on land owned by environmentalist Roxanne Quimby, the founder of Burts Bees. Maine Gov. Paul LePage has asked Republican President Donald Trump to undo Democratic former President Barack Obama’s designation of a national monument and give back the […]

Posted inMaine, sj-web, Uncategorized

Jared Golden offers bill to help officers with post-traumatic stress

AUGUSTA (AP) — A police office diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder could have an easier time accessing worker’s compensation under a Democrat’s bill. The bill would create a presumption that a first responder’s diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder came about from their job. The presumption would be taken as true unless proven otherwise. Assistant House […]

Posted inMaine, sj-web

Bill aims to ban discrimination against 'climate change policy preferences'

Bill would bar discrimination toward climate change doubters AUGUSTA — Maine laws protect people from discrimination based on factors such as race, disabilities and sexual orientation, and a Republican lawmaker wants to add a person’s beliefs about climate change to that list. Rep. Larry Lockman has introduced a bill that would limit the attorney general’s […]