AUGUSTA — The Riverview Psychiatric Center could see more than half of its operating budget stripped away by the federal government for failing to meet guidelines. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services cited overcrowding and inadequate staffing for its threat to withhold $20 million by Sept. 2. Gov. Paul LePage blamed lawmakers for failing […]
Maine
Posted inMaine
LePage issues executive order on police use of drones in Maine
AUGUSTA — Maine State Police will have until February to develop a policy on the use of unmanned aerial vehicles for law enforcement, according to Gov. Paul LePage. On Wednesday, LePage signed an executive order directing the commissioner of the Department of Public Safety to develop the policy. “It is reasonable to ensure we have […]
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Posted inMaine, sj-web
Portland charter school building fails inspection
PORTLAND (AP) — The head of a Portland charter school vows to open as scheduled in three weeks even though the building has failed inspection. Citing a half-dozen building code violations, city building inspectors have refused to issue a certificate of occupancy to 54 York St., the home of Baxter Academy for Technology and Science […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Wayne officials issue rabies warning
WAYNE (AP) — Wayne officials are urging area residents to use caution around wild animals after a rabid skunk was found at a campground. Town Manager Aaron Chrostowsky said in a statement that the animal was acting aggressively toward campers at Beaver Brook Campground. The Kennebec Journal (http://bit.ly/16PQIbI) reported it was taken from the campground […]
Posted inMaine
Michaud says he wants to restore Maine’s dignity
LEWISTON — In a city that’s often supported him by more than a 2-1 ratio, U.S. Rep. Mike Michaud said Thursday he was officially running to be Maine’s next governor. In front of a boisterous crowd of about 200 at the Franco-American Heritage Center in Lewiston’s Little Canada neighborhood, Michaud said he wanted to return […]
Posted inFranklin, Oxford Hills, River Valley, The Franklin Journal
Saviello: ‘Buck it up’ and take care of veterans’ graves
BUCKFIELD — A law passed in July to preserve the grounds where veterans are buried is slated to take effect in October and is stirring up financial worry in the town. The law — LD 274 — has several stipulations: That veteran grave sites must remain level or be regraded if the site has sunk […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Texas woman pleads guilty in Maine bath salts case
BANGOR (AP) — A Texas woman arrested in what law enforcement officials call one of the biggest bath salts busts in Maine history has pleaded guilty. WABI-TV reported that Elizabeth Fuentes of Houston was sentenced to 2½ years in jail after pleading guilty this week in Penobscot County court to drug trafficking. More serious charges […]
Posted inMaine
Gasoline refiners push EPA to reduce ethanol requirements for New England
AUGUSTA — Refinery officials say a federal mandate on blending ethanol into gasoline is impossible to meet and they want the Environmental Protection Agency to relax the rules for 2014. The mandate requiring that gasoline sold in the United States must include 10 percent ethanol will cost refiners more than $700 million, which will more than likely be […]
Posted inMaine, Oxford Hills, sj-web
Former Brownfield man killed when struck by car in Massachusetts
WEST BROOKFIELD, Mass. (AP) — A 69-year-old man who had recently moved from Maine has been struck and killed by a car while walking across a West Brookfield street. Police say Robert Herrie Jr. was pronounced dead at the scene after being struck while crossing Route 9 at about 6:45 p.m. Monday. Herrie was struck […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
LePage to showcase refurbished bus program
AUGUSTA (AP) — Maine Gov. Paul LePage is supporting a program that rebuilds old transit buses to extend their life and save money. The Republican governor will speak at an event at the Capitol on Wednesday hosted by the Maine Military Authority, a company that refurbishes buses. The event will feature a transit bus that […]