PORTLAND (AP) — The U.S. Senate has approved a resolution introduced by Maine Sens. Susan Collins and Angus King granting the lobster a national day of celebration. The resolution approved this week designates Sept. 25, 2015, as National Lobster Day. King and Collins say National Lobster Day will highlight the significant role that the crustacean […]
Maine
Posted inMaine
Court rules against Gov. Paul LePage; 65 bills are law
PORTLAND — The Maine Supreme Judicial Court has found that a set of 65 bills that Republican Gov. Paul LePage was contesting have become law. The opinion came just six days after the court heard lawyers for LePage and the Legislature’s caucus leaders make their case, with one side arguing LePage had missed his veto […]
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Posted inBusiness
FairPoint posts profitable quarter on lower employee expenses after strike
PORTLAND — FairPoint Communications posted net income of $40.3 million Wednesday morning, driven largely by cuts in pension and retirement benefits from the contract signed with workers after a 131-day strike. The company in the second quarter reported a 5 percent drop in total revenue, to $214.1 million, with the steepest declines in voice service […]
Posted inBusiness
Maine DECD says it will consider starting state-run EB-5 program
LEWISTON — The state of Maine may start its own visa program to help bring more direct foreign investment here, according to Maine Department of Economic and Community Development Commissioner George Gervais. The state is looking at establishing a state-run EB-5 regional center, Gervais said. EB-5 visas provide foreign nationals with a way of obtaining green […]
Posted inMaine
Collins and King take issue with bill to defund Planned Parenthood
WASHINGTON — Maine’s U.S. senators took similar positions Monday in a controversial debate over federal funding for Planned Parenthood following the release of a series of undercover videos by an anti-abortion group. U.S. Sens. Susan Collins, a Republican, and Angus King, an independent, made speeches in the Senate urging their colleagues to oppose completely defunding […]
Posted inLocal Sports
A fish story that you can sink your talons into
As every angler who has ever wetted a line there knows, the West Branch of the Penobscot River — not far below Ripogenus Dam — is a special tailwater. The Big Eddy, below the Telos bridge, has been attracting devoted salmon anglers for decades. The Big Eddy is aptly named. The cold, fast-flowing water that […]
Posted inMaine
Saddleback extends deadline for closing, still working to secure funds for new lift
DALLAS PLANTATION — The general manager of the Saddleback ski area said Friday the resort would extend by a few days its self-imposed deadline for securing $3 million in financing for a new chairlift. The resort announced in July it would have to close for the coming 2015-16 ski season if it was unable to […]
Posted inLewiston-Auburn, Maine
Maine’s high court hears LePage case against Legislature’s adjournment
PORTLAND — A set of questions that — depending on how they are answered — could tip Maine government on its ear were heard by the state’s highest court Friday. The justices of the Maine Supreme Judicial Court seemed to be carefully considering both sides as they prepared to give an advisory opinion to Republican […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Live Chat Replay: Panel discusses LePage’s questions before Maine’s high court
We will discuss the arguments before the justices with a panel of political and legal experts, including Steve Robinson, Lance Dutson and Peter Brann, as lawyers for the governor and the Legislature make their oral arguments starting at 9 a.m. Robinson is a former staffer for the Maine Heritage Policy Center and editor emeritus of […]
Posted inMaine
King offers federal bill to reduce wait for asylum seeking immigrants
WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, said Thursday he plans to introduce federal legislation to shorten the waiting period that prevents asylum-seeking immigrants from pursuing work to support themselves and their families. The issue has been a wrangling point for state and local officials in Maine who say immigrants waiting for work permits have come to […]