AUGUSTA — Gov. Paul LePage’s initiative to overhaul Maine’s wind-energy production goals to require ratepayer benefits and manufacturing jobs gained tentative approval in the Legislature’s Energy Committee on Friday. But the bill, LD 1791, sponsored by state Rep. Lance Harvell, R-Farmington, saw significant revisions, including allowing a section of current law to stand, prior to […]
Maine
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Bill aimed at protecting water quality for Maine lakes moves forward
AUGUSTA — A legislative committee approved a bill Thursday that aims to further protect water quality for 3,000 of the state’s largest lakes. Among other things, LD 1744, authored by Rep. Jeff McCabe, D-Skowhegan, tightens regulations around the application of lawn fertilizers and pesticides. The measure also directs the Maine Department of Environmental Protection to […]
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Governor finds money to restore rainy day fund
AUGUSTA — Details of Republican Gov. Paul LePage’s plan to restore about $21 million to Maine’s so-called “rainy day fund” trickled out Thursday. Lawmakers used the $21 million to fund revenue-sharing to towns and cities. LePage has said the state must replenish the rainy day account to its prior level of $60 million to avoid […]
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LePage wants Maine to become a national leader in maple syrup
AUGUSTA — Gov. Paul LePage said Wednesday that Maine’s maple syrup industry could become a national leader if more people understood that there is substantial money to be made from one of Maine’s most abundant natural resources. “This is an industry that Maine could be leading America in,” said LePage after ceremonially tapping a maple […]
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LePage and Legislature exchange jabs over Maine supplemental budget
Just before lawmakers on the budget-writing Appropriations Committee started public hearings on everything from cutting spending to raising taxes, LePage announced he would soon unveil a plan to restore $21 million to the state’s budget stabilization fund. Commonly known as the “rainy day fund,” LePage has said lawmakers inappropriately raided it when they voted to […]
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Committee cuts out ‘shoot-to-kill’ rule for Windham prison
AUGUSTA — A proposal that would have allowed the use of deadly force against any prisoners attempting an escape from the Maine Correctional Center in Windham was stripped from a bill Monday that makes other changes to the state’s Department of Corrections. In a 12-1 vote, the Legislature’s Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee agreed […]
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Who’s really ripping ME off?
AUGUSTA — Early last year, the national media turned its gaze to Maine and the tawdry story of a Zumba-instructor-turned-prostitute in the affluent seacoast village of Kennebunkport. The exploits of Alexis Wright, including the fact that she managed a client list of more than 100 people and often secretly videotaped her encounters with her customers, […]
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Is freedom just another word for nothin’ left to lose?
Freedom. It’s a simple but powerful word in our national vocabulary. For reasons unknown to me, the word has been on my mind of late. Last week, while fishing the Back Country of the Florida Keys, my son-in-law unhooked a small shark from Diane’s fishing line. Heaving the toothy critter into the air off the […]
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Bill meant to fix MaineCare rides program passes
AUGUSTA — The Legislature’s Health and Human Services Committee on Thursday approved a bill that would revamp the state’s non-emergency medical ride program for those on MaineCare, the state’s Medicaid system. The $40 million program has been fraught with problems since a trio of companies, at the behest of the federal government, were put in […]
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Cause of Cheverus student’s death still a mystery
PORTLAND (AP) — An autopsy on a senior at a Portland high school who died days after having routine oral surgery did not reveal the cause of his death, and additional tests are needed. The unexpected death of 18-year-old Benjamin LaMontagne of Long Island last week shook Cheverus High School. The state medical examiner’s examined […]