AUGUSTA — At the Maine Alpaca Association booth there were fuzzy socks and gloves for sale. At Paris Farmers Union’s booth, gallons of Iodine Teat Dip and Acid Dairy Cleanser. There were pruning shears gentle enough for an arthritic grip at an adaptive farming booth, while at Scythe Supply, Emily Guirl stood ready to talk […]
Maine
Posted inMaine
LaBonte says LePage plan helps more than hurts, but lawmakers have questions
AUGUSTA — As Maine lawmakers continued Wednesday to dig into Gov. Paul LePage’s recent budget proposal, which includes sweeping changes to the state’s tax policy, Auburn Mayor Jonathan LaBonte said taxpayers would gain more than they would lose. Among other changes, LePage’s proposal would eliminate about $62 million in state revenue-sharing with cities and towns […]
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Posted inMaine
County jails may face funding crisis
AUGUSTA — With the resignations of one member of the Maine Board of Corrections and its only two staff members, county jails could be facing a critical funding shortage. The board, down to two members, lacks a quorum to do its business, including authorizing state funding for county jails. Amy Fowler, a Waldo County commissioner, […]
Posted inMaine
Student in Portland adds vision to song about human trafficking
PORTLAND — When it comes to music videos, you probably don’t expect a high school senior to be a major creative force in production. But that’s exactly what Waynflete School student Mike Rodway, 18, was for a national recording artist’s song about human trafficking. Rodway said he didn’t know much about human trafficking before making […]
Posted inBusiness, Maine, River Valley
LePage unveils $2B three-year workplan for state’s transportation projects
AUGUSTA — Those who travel Maine’s roads, rails and ports will benefit from about $470 million worth of improvements and maintenance this year, according to a new three-year work plan unveiled by Gov. Paul LePage’s administration on Monday afternoon. That’s 523 capital improvement projects this year throughout the state, according to the Maine Department of […]
Posted inLocal Sports
Fans can’t get enough of racing event
BANGOR— Bangor’s Nelson Savage remembers when he and other members of the Bangor Jaycees would spend weeks preparing Bass Park in Bangor for the annual snowmobile races around the harness track oval in the 1960s and ’70s. “Every winter, people would look forward to it. When they stopped, it left a void,” Savage said. Competitive […]
Posted inBusiness, sj-web
Winter lobsters could bolster fishery during shrimp shutdown
PORTLAND (AP) — Fresh-caught Maine lobster might be a little more affordable this winter because the continued shutdown of the state’s shrimp season is keeping some lobstermen at sea deeper into the winter than usual. Many Maine lobstermen use the shrimp season as a source of income during the winter, when lobsters are both in […]
Posted inBusiness, sj-web
Province negotiating Nova Star ferry service for upcoming season
PORTLAND (AP) — Nova Scotia is continuing discussions with a ferry operator but so far there’s no contract for service between Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, and Portland, Maine, for the upcoming season. During its inaugural season, Nova Star Cruises spent $21 million that the Canadian government promised over seven years and then needed another $5 million […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Penobscot Indians to host national whitewater race
OLD TOWN (AP) — The Whitewater Open Canoe National Championship is being held for the first time on Maine’s Penobscot River. The Penobscot Indian Nation is hosting the event from July 23 to 26. It’s expected to draw several hundred kayakers and canoeists from as far away as North Carolina and Michigan. Scott Phillips, race […]
Posted inBusiness, Maine, sj-web
Workers in the dark on talks between FairPoint, unions
PORTLAND (AP) — FairPoint and its two unions have been meeting for a week but a strict gag order has left more than 1,700 workers in the dark about any possible progress toward ending the strike. The Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service imposed the order when the parties returned to the table last weekend for […]