AUGUSTA – Those in the business of selling liquor in Maine may be missing out on as many as 200,000 cases, or $30 million worth, of hard liquor sales a year. That’s how much liquor is being consumed in Maine but being purchased somewhere else — mostly New Hampshire, according to Gerry Reid, the director […]
Maine
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Snowmobile trails ‘pretty darned good’ right now in Maine
FORT KENT — Up and down the state residents are facing a genuine Maine winter with average snowfalls and cold temperatures. And few people are happier about this than snowmobilers. In Rangeley, the annual SNODEO snowmobile festival attracted about 8,000 sledders to three days of riding, poker runs, meals and entertainment over the weekend. “It […]
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Governor has chosen tax increases
“At this time, the governor is not interested in tax hikes,” administration spokesperson Adrienne Bennett told the Sun Journal Thursday. Actually, at this time Gov. Paul LePage is all about hiking taxes, property taxes. While the governor may tell himself he is not proposing to raise taxes, when you start cutting tax discounts for property […]
Posted inLocal Sports
State sets its sights on shooting range initiative
Not long ago in Maine, finding a place to sight in your deer hunting rifle was no problem. The nearest gravel pit filled the bill. Not so anymore. Because of liability concerns, many gravel pits are gated off or are posted “No Trespassing.” So, unless you belong to an organized shooting club, it is getting […]
Posted inMaine
Governor wants casino money for budget gap
AUGUSTA — A proposal by Gov. Paul LePage would take $14 million in casino funds earmarked for public schools and move it to the state General Fund to help fill a $112 million budget gap. Democratic lawmakers, including the chairman of the Legislature’s Education and Cultural Affairs Committee, said that would set “a really bad […]
Posted inMaine
Cities and towns say reduction in state revenue-sharing only part of pain in governor’s budget
AUGUSTA — In a radio address to be broadcast Saturday, Gov. Paul LePage charges a statewide organization of towns and cities with misinforming the public about the impact of a proposed $200 million reduction in state revenue-sharing. “Unfortunately, information distributed by the Maine Municipal Association is not accurate and completely self-serving,” LePage said in the […]
Posted inOur View
More guns more violence, no coincidence
It is usually the National Rifle Association trotting out the slippery slope argument. For instance, they say, if we ban 30-round clips for assault weapons now they will eventually ban your bird-hunting shotgun. But here’s the real slippery-slope danger in this gun-crazy nation. A Maine state legislator has now proposed a bill allowing teachers and […]
Posted inBusiness
Survey ranks Maine savings account interest rates among lowest in country
Maine ranked near the bottom of a national survey on savings account interest rates Thursday — 49th lowest in the country — but the survey’s author said there’s a story behind the numbers. “Savings rates especially are super low across the board,” said Casey Bond, managing editor at GoBankingRates.com. “It’s still close to the national […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Independent Cutler eyes new run for governor
AUGUSTA, Maine — Independent Eliot Cutler has taken the first step toward running for governor next year. Cutler on Thursday filed paperwork with the Maine Ethics Commission to form a campaign committee, a move that will allow him to begin raising money for a possible Blaine House bid. Cutler lost to Republican Gov. Paul LePage […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Maine Supreme Court rejects DNA-based appeal in Bowdoin murder
BOWDOIN — The Maine Supreme Judicial Court has rejected a motion for a new trial in a decade-old murder case in a decision that legal experts said could set precedent for future appeals that are based on DNA evidence. Olland Reese, who was convicted of murdering 16-year-old Cody Green of Brunswick in 2003, is serving […]