Players bet, on average, more than $831,000 per slot machine at Oxford Casino in 2015, according to a new state report — up $50,000 from the year before. That casino continued to grow, while Hollywood Casino in Bangor continued its slow slide. Rodney Smith, Oxford’s interim town manager, said that growth is being felt all […]
Maine
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Legislative committee splits on welfare reforms
AUGUSTA — Lawmakers split along party lines repeatedly Thursday as they debated and voted on a series of bills aimed at reforming the state’s welfare system. Democrats on the Health and Human Services Committee expressed outrage over proposals by the Maine Department of Health and Human Services that would spend some of more than $110 million […]
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Maine Senate votes to kill estate tax
AUGUSTA — A bill that would eliminate the state’s tax on inheritances worth more than $5 million gained approval in the Republican-controlled Maine Senate on Wednesday on an 18-13 party-line vote. But the GOP victory against what they call the “death tax” is likely to be short-lived, as the Democratic-controlled House voted Tuesday to reject […]
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How to grow Maine’s $8 billion tourism industry
NEWRY — Everyone has outdoor recreation. Everyone says they’re unique. As a business, you need to find your niche, what makes you “you” — and then go get ’em. Marketing guru Roger Brooks opened the keynote at the annual Maine Governor’s Conference on Tourism on Tuesday with humor and endless advice to a crowd of […]
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Maine Democrats and Republicans poised for new clash on welfare reform
AUGUSTA — Maine Republican and Democratic lawmakers are poised to clash Wednesday over a package of bills aimed at tightening welfare spending and increasing scrutiny for those on the state’s benefits system. Republicans say one measure, offered by Sen. Nate Libby, D-Lewiston, will be little more than a paper tiger if it’s amended as Libby […]
Posted inLewiston-Auburn
Uber to roll into Lewiston-Auburn Wednesday
LEWISTON — Smartphone app-based ride-sharing service Uber moves into the Twin Cities as of 4 p.m. Wednesday, the company announced Monday. “Our goal when we launch into new markets is to ensure that riders can get a ride reliably, right away,” Cathy Zhou, the general manager for Uber in Maine, said. “When they open up […]
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State budget panel hears bill to increase trooper pay
AUGUSTA — Trooper Dane Wing said he was giving up his lifelong dream of following in his grandfather’s footsteps by being a Maine State Police trooper. Wing, who serves with Troop C out of Skowhegan, told the Legislature’s budget-writing Appropriations Committee he simply couldn’t afford to keep working for the state and was resigning Monday […]
Posted inLocal Sports
Outdoors in Maine: Tales of the spring turkey hunt
If you have never tried matching your wits with a spring gobbler you don’t know what you are missing. A typical hunt for longbeards goes something like this: Opening day of Maine’s turkey season. Shuffling out of the sack at 3:30 a.m., I eat a quick breakfast and drive to a spot I know. After […]
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College Baseball: Eddie Emerson already a winner for Black Bears
Eddie Emerson’s journey to the University of Maine and Division I baseball was rated ‘PG,’ for postgraduate. Not that there was anything deficient about his run at Lewiston High School, where Emerson was the left-handed ace on the baseball diamond, not to mention an outstanding football quarterback and hockey defenseman. To get where he wanted […]
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Bad turn of events for Maine Red Claws in loss to Iowa Energy
The Red Claws (28-17) recently locked up a playoff spot, but on Friday night didn’t always play like a team ready for the postseason. They were missing guard Tim Frazier, who signed a 10-day contract with the NBA’s New Orleans Pelicans after winning consecutive D-League Performer of the Week awards, as well as Jordan Mickey, […]