AUGUSTA — Despite telling a television reporter earlier this week he didn’t hire a private company to produce an analysis and recommendations on Maine’s welfare and health care programs, a document obtained from Republican Gov. Paul LePage’s office shows members of his staff, in fact, authorized the expense. LePage said Tuesday that the Alexander Group […]
Maine
Posted inOur View
Bolduc’s email: Frustration plus really bad spelling
Police are familiar with all manner of nuisance complaints: The music is too loud. The car is “all over the road.” The kids are cutting through my lawn. And, yes, the perennial: My neighbor’s cat is doing his business in my flower beds. So we have no problem with Auburn resident Brian Bolduc asking police […]
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Posted inMaine
Maine Republicans defend $1 million no-bid welfare review contract
AUGUSTA — Republicans on the Legislature’s budget-writing Appropriations Committee on Thursday defended a controversial no-bid, $1 million contract with a Rhode Island company to study and issue an analysis of Maine’s welfare programs. The contract, issued to the Alexander Group, the group’s CEO, Gary Alexander, and Republican Gov. Paul LePage have come under withering criticism […]
Posted inBusiness, Maine
Maine mortgage defaults rose in 2013
Mainers continue to struggle to keep their homes. The Bureau of Consumer Credit Protection expects to end 2013 having seen more pre-foreclosure notices this year than in any of the past four years. Bureau Superintendent Will Lund said the spike might not be a sign of more people newly falling behind on mortgage payments. It […]
Posted inMaine
Advocates say Riverview fix not working
AUGUSTA — A former chief justice for Maine’s high court told lawmakers Tuesday a bill they passed to resolve safety and funding problems at the state-run Riverview Psychiatric Center did not work. The bill, LD 1515, passed during an emergency session in August and signed by Republican Gov. Paul LePage, expanded the capacity of a […]
Posted inAdvertiser Democrat, Bethel, Oxford Hills, River Valley
Sunday River Ski Resort offers Winterfest Weekend
NEWRY — Snowmaking and low temperatures have helped Sunday River Ski Resort prepare for this weekend’s two-day Winterfest Weekend. The resort expects to have 50 or more trails open across eight peaks, with ski-in/ski-out access from both resort hotels, spokeswoman Darcy Morse said Tuesday morning in an email. “We received 3 inches of snow from […]
Posted inRiver Valley
Roxbury board to consult lawyer to continue dangerous building removal process
ROXBURY — Following a brief public hearing Tuesday night on a Main Street building deemed dangerous by a town official, selectmen decided to consult the town attorney for the next step. At issue is an old camp with the roof caving in and openings in the single-story building, Code Enforcement Officer Robert Folsom Sr. told […]
Posted inMaine
Maine health committee reviews $1 million no-bid contract
AUGUSTA — Lawmakers on the Legislature’s Health and Human Services Committee on Tuesday reviewed a $925,000 contract awarded to a Rhode Island-based consulting firm to study the state’s welfare system. The no-bid contract, awarded to the Alexander Group by the Maine Department of Health and Human Services, has come under fire by Democratic leaders in […]
Posted inRiver Valley, The Franklin Journal
Rumford firefighters fundraising for March comedy show
RUMFORD — With assistance from East Coast Marketing Group Inc. of Westbrook, the Rumford Professional Firefighters Local 1601 are conducting local fundraising for a March comedy show. “We are inviting local businesses to sponsor an ad in our Emergency Response Program Booklet, to be distributed at our big event, Night of Laughs Comedy Show, Deputy […]
Posted inMaine
Maine battles record year for meth labs
A 29-year-old woman with a toddler is busted inside a run-down camper. Two 20-something brothers are caught in a family cabin deep in the Maine woods. A 32-year-old woman in a mobile home tries to run when agents show up. She doesn’t get far. Still more people are discovered allegedly cooking meth in their cars, […]