AUGUSTA — Over the past 50 years, Maine’s legislators and governors have added millions of dollars in tax breaks for businesses without ever doing the detailed analysis to find out which are effective and which are wasteful. But that may be changing. In recent weeks, a growing list of legislators have called for a review […]
Maine
Posted inOur View
MaineHealth seeks control of hospital market
An old TV cartoon, “Pinky and the Brain,” always featured two mice and the following bit of dialogue: “Gee, Brain, what do you want to do tonight?” “The same thing we do every night, Pinky — try to take over the world!” Every few years, the executives at MaineHealth, like The Brain, come up with […]
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Workforce development bill sails through Maine Senate
AUGUSTA — A bill that’s being heralded as “first-of-its-kind” legislation aimed at closing the state’s so-called “skills gap” easily cleared the Maine Senate on Wednesday. The bill, LD 90 — the work of a special committee of the Legislature — was rolled out last week and broadly praised as a bipartisan solution to a problem […]
Posted inMaine
Committee shoots down bill that would allow school staff to be armed
AUGUSTA — In another emotionally charged vote, the Legislature’s Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee voted down a bill Wednesday that would have allowed some public school workers to carry concealed handguns. The bill, LD 1430, offered by Sen. David Burns, R-Whiting, would have left the decision to local school boards and would have required […]
Posted inMaine
Francos honored at Maine State House Tuesday
AUGUSTA — Maine’s Franco-American heritage and culture was on proud display Tuesday at the Legislature as lawmakers recognized the state’s largest ethnic group on Tuesday. The event was originally scheduled for March 20 but was postponed due to a snowstorm. “I am so glad that we were able to reschedule the event,” said Sen. Margaret […]
Posted inAdvertiser Democrat, Lewiston-Auburn, The Franklin Journal
Epic auction features Greeley’s cars, trucks, tools, equipment
POLAND — “Monumental” is the term auctioneer Jody McMorrow uses as he walks through the massive display of tools, collectibles, classic cars and racing memorabilia at Bob Greeley’s home. Thousands of items in more than 1,000 lots will be up for bid in a two-day auction May 16-17. For Greeley, who retired several years ago […]
Posted inMaine
Committee rejects tar sands moratorium; opts for study instead
AUGUSTA — A bill that would have set a two-year moratorium on the transportation of oil sands crude in Maine left the Legislature’s Environment and Natural Resources Committee on Monday as a resolution directing state officials to expand a study already in the works. The committee vote was unanimous. The bill’s author, Rep. Ben Chipman, […]
Posted inLocal Sports
College Roundup: Black Bears clinch conference regular-season title
VESTAL, N.Y. – The University of Maine baseball team swept a doubleheader from Binghamton on Sunday afternoon and clinched the America East regular-season title. Maine won the first game 4-3, before taking the second game, 13-7, in 10 innings. The Black Bears improved to 31-19 on the season and 18-8 in conference play. Binghamton fell […]
Posted inBusiness, Franklin, Lewiston-Auburn, Oxford Hills, River Valley
Call for help: Low-income Mainers scrambling after being dropped from discount phone service
After filling out an eligibility survey incorrectly, not getting the survey or ignoring it, low-income Mainers are being bounced from a federal discount phone service program — and being back-billed for past charges. Wayne Jortner, senior counsel at the Maine Public Advocate’s Office, has helped a dozen people in the past two months get back […]
Posted inMaine
Snowe’s PAC makes first donation for 2014 to Collins’ campaign
AUGUSTA — Former U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, announced via Facebook on Friday that her political action committee, Olympia’s List, would donate to the re-election campaign of U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine. Snowe writes that the contribution is the first “major gift of the 2014 election cycle.” Snowe’s PAC donated $10,000, the maximum amount allowed […]