AUGUSTA — Gov. Paul LePage’s plan to repay the $186 million Maine owes its hospitals for outstanding Medicaid bills relies largely on the state’s ability to renegotiate its wholesale liquor contract under terms that direct a larger portion of liquor profits to state coffers. State officials estimate Maine can earn $30 million in profit annually […]
Maine
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Garelick Farms in Bangor begins last production day
AUGUSTA — Friday will be the last day of production at the Garelick Farms milk processing plant in Bangor, bringing to an end 110 years of local dairy production. And the situation Maine’s dairy industry finds itself in, and which likely led to Garelick’s closure, are not improving, according to the Maine Milk Commission, which […]
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Maine unemployment rate goes against national trend
AUGUSTA — Maine’s estimated unemployment rate in December was 7.3 percent, which was little changed from 7.2 percent in November, but an increase from the state’s December 2011 unemployment rate of 7.0 percent, according to data released Friday by the Maine Department of Labor. Nationally, only six states experienced increases in their unemployment rates between […]
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Camera on Maine island streams gray seal video
Similar high-definition cameras have been set up around the world in recent years to capture the activities of eagles, polar bears, loons, black bears and other animals. The camera on Seal Island, about 20 miles off the midcoast of Maine, provides views of gray seals that migrate to the island each year to give birth. […]
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Maine retailers, towns may lose out in LePage’s proposed business tax changes
AUGUSTA — Maine’s retail sector is scrambling to figure out the implications of a section of Gov. Paul LePage’s proposed budget that would change how they are taxed on business equipment. The governor’s proposed budget eliminates the Business Equipment Tax Reimbursement, or BETR, program, a property tax relief program created by Gov. Angus King in […]
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Maine speaker’s bill would move welfare recipients to jobs
Speaker Mark Eves, D-North Berwick, announced on Thursday his “Ticket to Work” bill, which would ensure that Temporary Assistance For Needy Families recipients receive the tools and training necessary to enter the workforce and secure long-term employment. Eves’ bill directs the Department of Health and Human Services to provide a comprehensive assessment for TANF recipients […]
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Delaware officials: Many toll cheats have Maine tags
WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) — By state, the drivers owing Delaware the most in unpaid tolls and penalties hail from Maine, according to state records. Surprised? That’s because only their license plates come from Maine. Thousands of Delawareans are illegally registering boat, horse, farm and other trailers with Maine, where it’s cheaper and no safety inspection […]
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Deal possible in Maine Zumba prostitution case
A lawyer for Mark Strong Sr. confirmed Wednesday that a conference with prosecutors is scheduled for Friday, where a settlement may be discussed. The 57-year-old Strong is scheduled to go on trial Tuesday in York County Superior Court on 59 misdemeanor charges of conspiring with Zumba instructor Alexis Wright to run a prostitution business. Strong’s […]
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LePage’s hospital debt plan depends on more liquor revenue
State officials estimate Maine can earn $30 million in profit annually from liquor sales under those more favorable terms. If LePage receives the two-thirds legislative support he needs for the plan, the state would direct the entire $30 million annual sum toward paying down the revenue bonds LePage hopes to issue this year to pay […]
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Poodle rescued from ice floe on Kennebec River
BATH (AP) — A poodle that found itself in a pickle is safe and sound after floating down Maine’s Kennebec River on a small ice floe before being rescued. A black standard poodle named Hoku jumped on the ice chunk while exploring the shoreline in Bath with her owner Saturday morning. As Hoku floated swiftly […]