AUGUSTA – To muster the votes needed to pass a bill that would nullify a contract between the Department of Health and Human Services and the Alexander Group, Democrats in the Maine House Monday removed an emergency preamble on the measure that would have required two-thirds support. The change, however virtually neuters the bill’s effectiveness […]
Maine
Posted inMaine
GOP, Mayhew go after Maine Democrats for rejecting EBT reforms
AUGUSTA — Republican lawmakers and Gov. Paul LePage’s administration Monday renewed their calls for the Legislature to enact a trio of bills meant to limit the use of state-issued Electronic Benefit Transfer cards. Commissioner of the Department of Health and Human Services Mary Mayhew said in 2013 there were 365,000 EBT transactions out of state […]
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Maine housing groups push for restored Section 8 vouchers to stem spike in homelessness
BANGOR — Maine groups that deal with housing and homelessness are joining counterparts across the country, pushing Congress to restore funding for Section 8 vouchers so individuals and families who are homeless or close to it can find a stable place of their own. In last year’s across-the-board $1 trillion federal spending cuts, known as […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Maine World War II veteran gets overdue medals
AUGUSTA (AP) — A World War II veteran from Maine has been presented with several service medals for what U.S. Sen. Angus King calls his lifesaving act of heroism. King presented Navy Capt. Lester Slate of Exeter with the Distinguished Flying Cross and other medals Saturday. King says Slate put his own life on the […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Maine’s congressional districts largely intact
PORTLAND (AP) — The combination of gerrymandering and geography that helped Republicans build an advantage in House seats by drawing new districts after the 2010 Census has been largely absent in Maine. Maine Democrats and Republicans are largely happy with a reapportionment that left the current congressional districts mostly intact. Republicans initially tried to redraw […]
Posted inRiver Valley
Ice fishing can continue after March 31; fishing shacks must be removed by April 1
AUGUSTA — The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife is encouraging ice anglers to continue fishing come April 1, the traditional day when they’d have to stow their ice-fishing traps and augers. However, ice anglers who use fishing shacks must still remove them from lakes and ponds by Tuesday, April 1. Portable shelters are […]
Posted inMaine
Maine Senate rejects constitutional carry; OKs concealed gun permit overhaul
AUGUSTA — A Republican effort to make it legal to carry a concealed handgun without a permit was shot down in the Maine Senate on Friday. The Senate voted 19-14, largely along party lines, to indefinitely postpone the proposed amendment to a bill that would create a statewide database for concealed handgun permits and make […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Maine unemployment drops again to 6.1 percent
AUGUSTA (AP) — Maine’s jobless rate remains the lowest it has been in five years. The Maine Department of Labor said Friday that the state’s unemployment rate fell to 6.1 percent in February, down slightly from 6.2 percent in January. The state’s jobless rate is down nearly 1 percent from one year ago. The department […]