AUGUSTA (AP) — Maine lawmakers are heading back to the Capitol to vote on whether they should override Gov. Paul LePage’s veto of the state’s $6.3 billon, two-year budget. The Democratic-controlled Legislature is expected to return on Wednesday to take up the budget and other vetoes. The Republican governor vetoed the state budget on Monday […]
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Woman charged after car smacks boyfriend’s motorcycle; man injured
MILFORD — An Old Town woman was arrested after an accident on Route 2 Monday night in which her boyfriend suffered rib and shoulder fractures. Rachel Guimond, 31, remained behind bars Tuesday night, unable to make bail of $2,000 cash. She is charged with operating under the influence, two counts of assaulting a police officer, […]
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LePage keeps veto pen busy
AUGUSTA — From Maine’s $6.3 billion state budget to a bill to directing the state to study the effects of climate change, Republican Gov. Paul LePage has vetoed more bills this year than any other Maine governor in a single session in almost 40 years. As of Tuesday, the governor had vetoed 48 bills lawmakers […]
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Republicans need to weigh options carefully
As Republican legislators prepare to vote tomorrow on whether to sustain or override Gov. Paul LePage’s budget veto, they should ask themselves two questions: 1. Should I vote to impose severe service cuts and property tax increases on the communities in my district in order to maintain the governor’s anti-tax pledge? 2. Or is it […]
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Bangor police chief accidentally shoots self with new duty weapon
BANGOR — The city’s new police chief was cleaning his weapon Monday night and apparently shot himself in the hand, a press release from the city issued Tuesday morning states. Chief Mark Hathaway, a 25-year veteran officer who was selected as the city’s new chief in April, had just returned from training with their new […]
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Maine’s beer fest regulations leave sour taste in organizer’s mouth
PORTLAND — Maine beer festival organizers are calling for changes in the laws that regulate their events after a shortage of volunteers — required by the state, they said — marred an international beer event in Portland over the weekend. Entry to the Saturday evening session of The Festival, a Shelton Brothers event that drew […]
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Volunteers wanted to count bat colonies
AUGUSTA (AP) — Wildlife officials are seeking volunteers to help determine the effect of a lethal fungus on Maine’s bat population. White nose syndrome has wiped out entire bat-hibernating colonies in the Northeast and in Maine. The Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife and Maine Audubon are asking volunteers to identify bat colonies across Maine […]
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Air quality alert issued for coastal Maine
PORTLAND (AP) — The Environmental Protection Agency has issued an air quality warning for coastal Maine. The EPA says high ground-level ozone levels will result in poor air quality from Acadia National Park to the south on Tuesday. The agency says air quality is also expected to be poor along coastal Connecticut, Rhode Island and […]
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Climate change pushing chickadee, Maine’s official bird, toward Canada
Does the black vulture stand a chance of becoming the official bird of Maine? Through the process of elimination, it just might, say scientists who released a report about climate change affecting migratory birds Monday. The black-capped chickadee, which has been the official bird of Maine since 1927, has a more northerly habitat than the […]
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Democrats weigh Republican study group proposal as way to expand Medicaid
AUGUSTA — Democrats who have championed an expansion of Medicaid under the federal Affordable Care Act have one legislative avenue left this year to pass it into law. Ironically, the last chance this year to enact one of the Democrats’ top priorities hinges on a bill proposed by the Republican leader in the Maine House. […]