AUGUSTA — Fearful of not being able to file their taxes in time and of having to face filing inconsistencies, local business leaders were pressuring state lawmakers in Augusta on Friday, urging them to quickly pass tax conformity legislation. With most businesses required to file taxes by March 15, politicians have been wrangling over changes […]
Maine
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Gov. Paul LePage plans to act as state education commissioner
Periscope video by Scott Thistle, State Politics Editor LEWISTON — Republican Gov. Paul LePage said Thursday he would forgo the state’s official nomination process in selecting a new commissioner for the Department of Education and take on the role himself. LePage said acting Commissioner William Beardsley will remain in place for the remainder of the […]
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Maine medical marijuana bill allows for lab testing and hospital access
AUGUSTA — A legislative committee unanimously approved a bill Wednesday that would give immunity from state law to hospitals that allow nonsmoking marijuana for patients who need it. The bill, LD 726, also defines in law what incidental marijuana is, including nonflowering plants or plant byproducts that have not yet been processed into medicinal products. […]
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Legislature split on conforming state and federal tax code
AUGUSTA — House Republicans on Tuesday promoted an action by Democratic President Barack Obama as they urged their Democratic colleagues in the Legislature to make permanent in state law a set of income tax breaks that mirror those signed into federal law by Obama in 2015. But a bill extending those breaks to businesses and […]
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Riverview report focuses on staffing shortage
AUGUSTA — Staffing shortages at the state-run Riverview Psychiatric Center in Augusta have led the court master who oversees the state’s mental health system to order a series of changes. In a Monday filing in Kennebec County Superior Court, Daniel Wathen recommended that Riverview take several specific actions to address chronic staffing shortages and ordered […]
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Gov. Paul LePage attacks ‘socialist’ lawmakers in State of the State letter
AUGUSTA — Returning to a practice from the 1800s, Republican Gov. Paul LePage on Monday issued a written State of the State address to the Legislature. Breaking from the modern tradition of delivering a speech on the state’s current status before a joint session of the Maine House and Senate, LePage said he was forgoing […]
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Bill seeks to limit video recording at Maine polling places
AUGUSTA — State lawmakers are contemplating a bill that would limit the use of video recording at Maine polling places, after complaints a group that was recording those signing ballot petitions may have been intimidating voters in 2015. “This law is about ensuring that polling places can serve their most crucial function, which is to […]
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Maine conducting natural resources survey
AUGUSTA — Maine and federal officials are conducting a survey of natural resources to help prioritize land and water management projects. Maine Soil & Water Conservation Districts is working with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service on the assessment. State officials say the goal of the effort is to allow conservation districts […]
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Kennebec County jail closer to expansion
AUGUSTA — An expansion aimed at relieving overcrowding in the Kennebec County jail is moving forward. Kennebec County Commissioners have approved spending for engineering plans to add beds to the Kennebec County Correctional Facility in Augusta. Interim Sheriff Ryan Reardon told the Kennebec Journal (http://bit.ly/1SsMWR6 ) that 24 beds and bathroom facilities for inmates would […]
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‘Blizzard of lies’: Scarborough couple ordered to stop selling supplements
AUGUSTA — A Scarborough couple who sold weight-loss supplements have agreed to stop selling their products following legal actions by Maine’s attorney general and the Federal Trade Commission that alleged the couple engaged in misleading advertising and billed consumers with automatic charges that were “very difficult for customers to cancel.” AF Plus, a company owned […]