AUGUSTA — After more than five months of negotiations, wrangling and fiery political rhetoric, state lawmakers worked well into the evening Thursday to pass a $6.3 billion, two-year spending package that raises sales taxes and cuts spending. Facing a more than $800 million revenue shortfall, lawmakers rejected a plan by Republican Gov. Paul LePage that […]
Maine
Posted inBusiness, Franklin
Maine biomass plants among first in world to obtain sustainable certification
AUGUSTA — The owners of four biomass power plants in Maine, including those in Stratton and Livermore Falls, were at the State House on Thursday to announce their company’s recent certification for the Sustainable Forestry Initiative standard. ReEnergy, the company that owns the plants and three others in New York, Connecticut and North Carolina, is […]
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Record number of permits to be issued Saturday in moose hunt lottery
BANGOR — Maine has a lot of moose: 76,000 of ’em, according to the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife’s latest estimate. On Saturday, prospective hunters from Maine and elsewhere will turn their attention to Greenville, where the state’s annual moose permit lottery will begin at 3 p.m. A modern record of 4,110 permits will […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Maine Senate approves LePage’s hospital repayment plan
UPDATE: Maine House approves LePage hospital repayment plan AUGUSTA — The state Senate unanimously passed a bill that uses funds from the state’s wholesale liquor business to finance a bond to pay off Maine’s $183.5 million hospital debt. The debt, which arises from services provided under MaineCare, the state and federal health insurance program for low-income individuals […]
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Democratic leaders urge LePage to quickly veto budget bill
AUGUSTA — Democratic leaders in the Maine Legislature on Wednesday urged Republican Gov. Paul LePage to veto the budget bill so they can act quickly to override the veto and keep state government open. LePage told a television reporter Wednesday that a state government shutdown was better than a bad budget. “I think a shutdown […]
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Senate ices packing heat without permit in Maine
AUGUSTA — The Maine Senate rejected a bill Wednesday that would have allowed any citizen to carry a secretly hidden handgun without a permit. The 21-14 vote in favor of rejecting LD 660 came just a day after the state’s House of Representatives defeated the bill by a single vote. The bill, supported by gun-rights advocates, […]
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Bill making concealed handguns legal without permit falls one vote short in Maine House
AUGUSTA — A bill that would have made it legal to carry a concealed handgun without a permit was defeated by a single vote Tuesday in the Maine House of Representatives. The 74-73 vote in opposition to the bill came after about an hourlong floor debate on the issue. The bill, LD 660, which was […]
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Committee approves LePage debt payment plan for hospitals
AUGUSTA — The Legislature’s Appropriations and Financial Affairs Committee on Tuesday unanimously approved a bill offered by Gov. Paul LePage that would use revenue bonds to pay off Maine’s $183.5 million hospital debt. Paying the debt for services provided under MaineCare, the state’s Medicaid system, has been a top priority for LePage. His plan uses […]
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Maine House says ‘neigh’ to horse slaughter
AUGUSTA — The Maine House on Tuesday took a first step toward banning commercial horse slaughter for consumption by humans. The House voted 94-49 for a bill, LD 1286, that would make any commercial horse slaughter for human consumption illegal in the state. The legislation also would ban the construction and operation of horse slaughtering […]
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IBM’s supercomputer Watson helping Maine doctors
Just over two years ago, IBM’s supercomputer Watson appeared on television to trounce expert quiz show contestants on “Jeopardy!” Now, doctors are looking to Watson for answers. The Maine Center for Cancer Medicine is one of two medical groups chosen to test Watson’s lightning-quick computing power in an effort to improve care for cancer patients. […]