One of the most widely accepted verities in the news business is that when temperatures go up, violent crimes are more likely to occur. It seems logical, but is it really true? The reasoning is simple: People are living in crowded households and neighborhoods. City streets and buildings act like heat magnets, increasing the temperatures […]
Maine
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Weird, Wicked Weird: Got what it takes to chase the cheese? Step right up.
BELFAST — Beware cheese cheats. At the sixth annual U.S. National Cheese Rolling Championship this year, for the first time, there will be referees. There will also be even more cheese. The annual roll is part of the Maine Celtic Celebration, borrowed from the storied Gloucestershire cheese rolls in England, a more rough and tumble […]
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What a week in the history of our nation
If you attend a fireworks show this evening, we invite you to think about what a remarkable week this is in American history. We created a nation in 1776, and then we guaranteed its survival as a union in 1863. As the darkness envelopes you tonight, and the first fireworks light the sky, imagine you […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
UMaine-Augusta signs 5-year natural gas deal
AUGUSTA (AP) — The University of Maine at Augusta has signed a five-year contract to heat campus with natural gas, a deal expected to save the school up to $1 million. The deal with Brunswick-based Maine Natural Gas, a subsidiary of Iberdrola USA, was announced Tuesday. The campus will begin receiving natural gas on Oct. […]
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Maine company loses state tourism marketing contract to out-of-state firm
An official from the Maine Office of Tourism said Tuesday that the decision to award a one-year, $700,000 public relations contract to a New York firm was made for practical reasons. Nancy Marshall Communications, an Augusta-based firm, has been doing public relations work for the state for the last 20 years. But beginning this week, […]
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Dems push LePage on bonds, say they will advance new borrowing in fall
Editor’s note: This story was updated with new information on Wednesday, July 3 at 11:36 a.m. AUGUSTA — Democratic leaders in the Legislature on Tuesday said they would push forward a new borrowing package aimed at creating jobs and improving infrastructure around the state. There was no estimate on the size of a new state […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Maine lawmakers to consider bonds this fall
AUGUSTA (AP) — Maine lawmakers plan to return to the Capitol this fall to consider bond proposals. The Democratic-led Legislature is set to adjourn this month. But the Democratic leadership said on Tuesday that they will return this fall to take up bond proposals, instead of waiting until January. The date of their return is […]
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Maine still in denial about climate change
Tom Boatner would never be mistaken for a left-leaning, big-city liberal. He spent 30 years fighting fires in the American West before becoming chief of fire operations for the Bureau of Land Management. After the tragic deaths of 19 young firefighters Sunday afternoon in Arizona, CBS aired a segment of a previous interview with him. […]
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LePage announces re-election campaign at private fundraiser
Republican Gov. Paul LePage announced Tuesday he would seek a second term in office during a private fundraising event in Kennebunk, according to a state senator who attended. Sen. Andre Cushing, R-Hampden, said LePage confirmed he was running during the event hosted by former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush. Cushing said the announcement came in front […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Arizona deaths hit Maine’s firefighting community
Maine’s wilderness firefighting community was reeling on Monday, a day after 19 elite “hot shots” were killed near Prescott, Ariz., while fighting a wildfire. “We’ve been talking about it all day today with the rangers and the support staff,” said Jeff Currier, regional forest ranger for the Maine Forest Service. “It’s a bit surreal when […]