SKOWHEGAN (AP) — Officials are investigating a number of cars being set on fire and vandalized in one Maine neighborhood. Skowhegan police say they’ve alerted the state fire marshal’s office after receiving a series of calls about cars being set on fire early Monday morning. The suspected arsons were all within a few hundred yards […]
Maine
Gov. LePage finance chief resigns as Maine budget fight rages
AUGUSTA, Maine — Maine finance chief Richard Rosen resigned on Tuesday, surprising key legislators as they were making a final push to finalize a two-year budget with barely a week to go in the legislative session. Rosen, a former legislator from Bucksport, was named commissioner of the Maine Department of Administrative and Financial Services in 2015 after […]
Maine youth prison lays off nearly half its teachers, hires Commissioner of Corrections’ daughter
PORTLAND, Maine — Layoffs at Maine’s juvenile prison have left the school that serves its young inmates without qualified teachers for a number of subjects, including math. Prison officials said budget uncertainty forced them to cut educators, who they acknowledge play a key role in improving the behavior of inmates, but they also recently hired […]
Maine still working out lifeguard shortage
SACO (AP) — As summer approaches, officials in Maine are looking for a way to deal with a shortage of lifeguards. WGME-TV reported (http://bit.ly/2rmQXQ4) the state is short about 15 guards. The state says most of the openings are in Cumberland County at Crescent Beach and Sebago. The amusement park Splashtown plans to hire international […]
Officer mistakenly shoots cop after police academy training
VASSALBORO (AP) — State police in Maine say they are investigating the accidental shooting of a corrections officer by a fellow officer while they were at police academy for a training program. Police say the shooting wounded 33-year-old Matthew Morrison, of Mars Hill. He’s being treated at a hospital for an injured leg. Police say […]
Report: More kids going without health coverage in Maine
PORTLAND (AP) — A new report says the percentage of Maine children without health care coverage grew 50 percent in Maine during a five-year period that coincided with tightened Medicaid eligibility guidelines and the governor’s decision not to expand Medicaid. Neither of those actions by the LePage administration affected coverage for children, but child welfare […]
Gov. Paul LePage vetoes ‘politically motivated power grab’
AUGUSTA — Frustrated that some executive branch officials have ignored requests by lawmakers to offer testimony and advice, the Legislature recently passed a measure that would compel commissioners to show up when called. Calling it “a politically motivated power grab,” Gov. Paul LePage vetoed the proposal Monday. “Too often, legislators use public hearings for the […]
‘Ashamed’ to be part of government, LePage vows to veto budget over $7B
AUGUSTA (AP) — Republican Gov. Paul LePage says he’ll veto any budget over $7 billion as lawmakers remain at odds over spending. LePage said on a radio show on Tuesday that he’s “ashamed” to be part of Maine government because of lawmakers’ laziness. Legislative leaders, meanwhile, are considering employing a rarely used tactic of appointing […]
Elderly driver doesn’t remember how he flipped car in Hallowell crash
HALLOWELL (AP) — Police say they are unsure of what caused a crash that left an 86-year-old Maine man from Jefferson upside down in his car. Hallowell Police Chief Eric Nason says workers were finishing repairs on a bridge when a sedan crossed the dividing line and hit a stopped car. The Kennebec Journal reported […]
Police investigating discovery of body in Biddeford parking lot
BIDDEFORD (AP) — Police are investigating the discovery of a body in a parking lot in Biddeford, Maine. Police say the body was found on Monday morning near State Street, not far from the southern Maine city’s downtown. WGME-TV (http://bit.ly/2s33t4t ) reported police say the death does not appear to be a homicide. Police have […]