ORRINGTON — When James Howard Sr. started milking cows on his family’s farm on Center Drive in the 1940s, he did it by hand, and he was not alone. There were several dairy farms in town at the time. Helping Howard in the barn, when they grew old enough, were his young sons Alan and […]
Maine
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Committee prepares for fusillade of gun bills in Augusta
AUGUSTA — State lawmakers Friday were prepping themselves for a round of upcoming hearings, debates and decisions on proposed changes to Maine’s gun laws. In an informational session the Legislature’s Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee heard from several experts on the state’s gun laws, including Maine Attorney General Janet Mills In the pipeline are […]
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Bills look to rollback Republican insurance reform
AUGUSTA — Seven bills that would roll back controversial health insurance reform passed in 2010 began their journey through the Maine Legislature this week. Members of the Insurance and Financial Services Committee on Thursday began taking testimony on the bills offered by Democrats that would, according to rival Republicans, gut the health insurance reforms collectively […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
LePage vetoes tanning bed ban for minors
AUGUSTA — Gov. Paul LePage vetoed a bill Thursday that would prohibit teens younger than age 18 from using tanning beds. The bill, sponsored by Sen. Geoffrey Gratwick, D-Bangor, a physician, pitted Democrats who portrayed it as good public health policy against Republicans who argued that it robbed parents of their rights to make decisions about […]
Posted inBusiness, sj-web
Developers confident Portland can fill 500 new hotel rooms
PORTLAND — Despite worries by some that Portland has enough hotels, the city’s market is not oversaturated and should have no problem absorbing the nearly 460 rooms expected to open in the next two years, according to developers behind three of the city’s current hotel projects. The developers — Jim Brady, Tim Soley, and Vincent […]
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Mars Hill man gets 10 years for trying to hire killer
HOULTON (AP) — A Mars Hill man has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for trying to hire someone to kill his ex-wife. Mark Stetson was sentenced Wednesday in Aroostook County Superior Court. He had pleaded guilty in January to solicitation of murder, solicitation of robbery, and solicitation of kidnapping. Authorities say the 43-year-old […]
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Sticky-fingered thieves target sap in Maine
PORTLAND — Sticky-fingered thieves are stealing the sap right out of Maine’s maple trees. With little more than a spout-like tap and a bucket, people are looting the liquid out of trees on private property and hauling it away to turn into sweet maple syrup. There’s been an increase in reported sap thefts the past […]
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Attorney General must investigate shredding charge
An accounting office at Enron. A collateralized debt department at a Wall Street bank. Perhaps the central offices of the Atlanta School System. Desperate people destroy evidence when large amounts of money and long jail sentences are at stake. Or when embarrassing political skulduggery might be revealed. Wednesday, a veteran state official said her superiors […]
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Maine legislative panel supports move to seal gun-permit data
AUGUSTA — The Legislature’s Judiciary Committee voted Wednesday to support a bill that makes confidential identifying information on concealed-handgun permits. On an 8-3 vote, the committee adopted an amendment to a bill, LD 345, offered by Rep. Corey Wilson, R-Augusta, that seals the data. The amendment offered by Sen. Linda Valentino, D-Saco, allows statistical data […]
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Legislators may consolidate fireworks restrictions into 1 bill
AUGUSTA — Several proposals placing new restrictions on the use of consumer-grade fireworks in Maine are likely to be rolled into a single bill, according to an author of one of the bills. Rep. Michel Lajoie, D-Lewiston, said efforts to place new restrictions on fireworks, which became legal in Maine in January 2012, had to […]