You will recognize the type, because there is one in most families. He’s the weird uncle who enjoys showing up at family gatherings just to get a good argument started. He makes mean little comments that get under people’s skin. He seems to have a different opinion just to have a different opinion, and he […]
Maine
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Republicans flip to sustain vetoes
AUGUSTA — They voted for it before they voted against it. That cliche will haunt a host of state lawmakers this year as they try to explain why they abandoned bills they previously supported to sustain vetoes of the legislation by Gov. Paul LePage. The most recent examples include Rep. Jarrod Crockett, R-Bethel, who voted […]
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Norridgewock man pleads guilty to molestation charges at wife’s day care
SKOWHEGAN (AP) — A former Somerset County sheriff’s deputy has been sentenced to four years behind bars after pleading guilty to sexually molesting four young girls at his wife’s Norridgewock day care center. Horace Barstow was sentenced Wednesday to serve four years of a 10-year prison sentence to be followed by 10 years of probation. […]
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Senate kills plan to charge Maine’s richest extra if their tax rate is too low
AUGUSTA — A bill that would levy an assessment on the top 1 percent of Maine taxpayers and send much of the revenue raised to towns and cities in the form of municipal revenue sharing won passage in the Maine House on Wednesday night but was later killed in the Senate. The bill, which was […]
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Freeport abandons dubious “birthplace of Maine” motto
FREEPORT (AP) — Freeport is going to have to find a new motto because it’s no longer the “birthplace of Maine.” The town manager said the debunked motto that became an local legend is being removed from town documents and websites following a vote by the Town Council this week. As the story went, representatives […]
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Maine gets low grade in report on nation’s bridges
PORTLAND (AP) — Maine is getting a low grade on the condition of its bridges. In a new report examining the state of the nation’s bridges, Washington-based Transportation for America ranked Maine ninth in the percentage of bridges classified as deficient. The report said that nearly 15 percent of the state’s 2,408 bridges required significant […]
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LePage vetoes energy bill, but House quickly overrides veto
AUGUSTA — Gov. Paul LePage late Wednesday night vetoed a comprehensive energy bill, but the House a few minutes later overrode the veto by a vote of 121-11 after only short discussion. The Senate is expected to take up its override vote June 26. Among other things, the bill expands New England’s natural gas infrastructure, […]
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Option for local sales tax sinks in Maine Senate
AUGUSTA — Just hours after the House of Representatives overwhelmingly supported a bill that would have allowed local municipalities to vote on increasing sales taxes, the state Senate soundly defeated the measure. LD 427, “An Act to Authorize Options for Local Revenue Enhancement,” authored by Rep. Sharri MacDonald, R-Old Orchard Beach, would have allowed towns […]
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LePage likely to veto gun bill
AUGUSTA — In a surprise vote Wednesday, the Maine Senate passed a bill that creates civil penalties for those who sell guns in private sales to people who are prohibited from having them. The legislation imposes a civil fine of $500 if a gun seller does not perform a background check and the buyer is […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Handful of Republicans being pressured to override Medicaid veto
AUGUSTA — When Republican Gov. Paul LePage vetoed Medicaid expansion for the second time this legislative session on Monday, it set the stage for perhaps the biggest political showdown at the State House this year. A handful of moderate Republican senators are now expected to cast the key votes on the fate of this controversial […]