AUGUSTA — With no more time to field replacements for Maine legislative candidates who’ve withdrawn, more than a dozen House and Senate races will go uncontested by Republicans and Democrats in a particularly competitive election year. Democrats have no candidates in one Senate and nine House districts, while Republicans are leaving only one Senate race […]
Maine
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Maine ranks 13th in Kids Count report
AUGUSTA — Maine ranks 13th among the states in a report measuring how well children are doing in health, education and family life. The Kids Count report released Wednesday shows improvement in Maine in some areas but slips in others, judging by latest data available. New Hampshire wound up as the top-ranked state, followed by […]
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Posted inMaine, sj-web
Officials: transmission jammed after Lebanon crash
LEBANON, Maine (AP) — Officials say the Federal Communications Commission will investigate after radio transmissions by emergency workers were intentionally jammed following a four-vehicle crash in Lebanon that injured 11. Lebanon’s Assistant Rescue Chief Jason Cole said because of the interference, the arrival of four extra ambulances at the scene was delayed several minutes. Cole […]
Posted inMaine
MaineCare cuts could lead to lawsuit, health advocates say
LEWISTON — Disagreement about what a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling, which upheld key provisions of the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, means for Maine could end up in federal court. Ana Hicks, a senior policy adviser with the advocacy group Maine Equal Justice Partners, said Wednesday her organization could be among those […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
All 1,400 terns nesting on Metinic abandon island
METINIC ISLAND — For the first time in known history, the entire tern population — 1,400 at last count — abandoned this small island. It took one day. In June, Maine was soaked with four rainy days in a row. Terns, seabirds that use their sight to find and dive for fish, couldn’t see their […]
Posted inOur View
Report shows Maine lags in student scores
Critics may quibble about the details, but Gov. Paul LePage’s characterization of a recent Harvard study is correct: Maine’s investment in educational improvement is paying “pathetic” returns. A close reading of the study — Achievement Growth: International and U.S. State Trends in Student Performance — shows the governor isn’t exaggerating. What we are doing is […]
Posted inLewiston-Auburn
New option means ‘pike hike not so steep for L-A
PORTLAND — A new Maine Turnpike toll-increase option presented Thursday would mean previously proposed toll hikes could be revised downward by as much as 50 cents at certain interchanges. Under the new scenario, those paying cash tolls at the New Gloucester toll plaza would pay $2.25 and those passing through the West Gardiner toll plaza […]
Posted inMaine
LePage: Harvard study shows Maine failing at public education
AUGUSTA — Maine officials say a new Harvard study ranking Maine near the bottom for improvement of student test scores serves as a wake-up call that more must be done to improve public schools. The study, “Achievement Growth: International and U.S. State Trends in Student Performance,” put Maine second from the bottom among states for test […]
Posted inAdvertiser Democrat, Maine, The Franklin Journal
Deadline July 27 for any-deer permit paper applications
AUGUSTA — People submitting applications for the 2012 Maine any-deer (antlerless) permit lottery have until Friday, July 27, to do so in person at the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife or by mail. Online applications, which can be found at www.mefishwildlife.com, are due by 11:59 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 15. The department no longer […]
Posted inOur View
New policy allows more to die at home
When we learned of a new statewide policy allowing EMTs to leave dead people in their homes it sounded callous, like a dump-and-run scheme designed to benefit ambulance companies. But after some research and talking to state officials, we understand it as a justifiable response to changing times and technology. But it may take some time […]