PORTLAND — Gas prices have risen 5.7 cents in Maine in the past week. Gasoline price-monitoring website GasBuddy.com reported Monday that the average cost of a gallon of gas in Maine is $2.52. Maine gas prices are 15.8 cents per gallon higher compared to a month ago, and about $1.21 lower per gallon than at […]
Maine
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Maine lawmakers push for more casinos
AUGUSTA — A study commissioned by the Legislature and released last year has prompted lawmakers to propose several bills that would allow more casinos to join those in Bangor and Oxford, despite opposition from officials representing the two existing facilities. LD 1346, An Act to Establish a Comprehensive Gaming Policy, proposed by Rep. Diane Russell, […]
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Hayride safety: Maine lawmakers consider regulations
AUGUSTA — A hayride mishap that claimed the life of a 17-year-old Oakland girl last October at a farm in Mechanic Falls has Maine lawmakers grappling with what the state can or should do to try to prevent similar tragedies in the future. On Monday, the Legislature’s Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee heard testimony […]
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Ski lift safety in Maine: ‘Lightning struck twice’
The 24-second clip last month was jarring: Panicked skiers leapt from chairlifts at Sugarloaf ski resort, another dangled precariously from a chair and a man yelled from the ground over and over, “Get off! Get off!” The state is still investigating what happened on the King Pine lift that abruptly sent chairs hurtling backward for […]
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LePage bill would void attorney general’s authority over new laws
AUGUSTA — Gov. Paul LePage has drafted a bill to strip the attorney general of authority over the rulemaking process used by state agencies to implement laws approved by the Legislature. LePage has criticized judgments by Attorney General Janet Mills that some regulations he wanted were illegal. Rather than accept his lawyer’s legal advice, the […]
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Maine bill to allow concealed guns without permit stalls
AUGUSTA — An effort to remove a requirement in Maine law that those who carry concealed handguns must first acquire a permit to do so stalled Friday when a legislative committee tabled the bill. The bill, LD 652, offered by state Sen. Eric Brakey, R-Auburn, would allow anyone who legally owns a firearm to carry […]
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Bill to build cabins for Maine’s homeless vets gets strong support
AUGUSTA — A legislative committee has given unanimous support to a bill that would provide up to $1 million in state funds to help launch a project that would build up to 21 cabins for homeless veterans. The bill, LD 1062, sponsored by state Rep. Jared Golden, D-Lewiston, is meant to jump-start the Cabin in […]
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Maine lawmakers struggle to find funding solution for county jails
AUGUSTA — Lawmakers are struggling to find a solution for a looming county jail funding crisis that’s being driven in part by a dysfunctional Board of Corrections. The Legislature’s Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee on Thursday discussed legislation offered by state Rep. Ricky Long, R-Sherman, that would return control of the jails, along with […]
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Republicans propose cutting Maine Legislature’s budget
AUGUSTA — Republicans on Thursday made several proposals that would cut spending within the Maine Legislature’s budget. “It’s time to put the Legislature’s budget on the treadmill,” state Senate President Mike Thibodeau, R-Winterport, said in a prepared statement. Thibodeau said the cuts being offered would save Maine taxpayers an estimated $430,000 over the Legislature’s two-year […]
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Maine lawmakers hear proposals to return missing ‘and’ to energy law
AUGUSTA — Maine lawmakers Wednesday took the first steps toward fixing what’s become known as a $38 million typographical error in a law that funds the state’s energy-efficiency programs. But looming over any potential fix is the less-than-subtle hint that Republican Gov. Paul LePage will veto the correction if it doesn’t also include the creation […]