Posted inMaine, sj-web

Despite protests by city councilors, Ted Nugent’s Bangor show to go on

BANGOR — Waterfront Concerts promoter Alex Gray said Sunday that he doesn’t plan to call off Ted Nugent’s Bangor performance despite remarks from two city councilors that the controversial rock star shouldn’t be allowed to play in the city. Last week, Councilor Charlie Longo emailed a letter to Gray saying that the concert series shouldn’t […]

Posted inbPlus

Misery Gore. China. Meddybemps. Bangor. Poland. Amity. Cornville. Maine names: Behind the state’s unusual place names are our hopes, ancestors, religion, colorful characters and imaginations.

Have you ever driven down a Maine road and seen a sign that made you wonder just where on Earth our names come from? Meddybemps. Mars Hill. Argyle. Misery Gore. That last one might have made you want to turn back. There are some pretty odd place names in Maine and, especially for those with […]

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Posted inOur View

Tree Growth law laughably vague, blatantly abused

In an ideal world, everyone who received government assistance would be legally entitled to it. But if that world ever existed, it is long gone. Today, inmates steal other people’s identities and tax refunds — from inside prison! Phony disaster victims use their federal cash aid for tattoos, strip clubs and bail money. And the occasional lottery […]

Posted inLewiston-Auburn, sj-web

Reporter query: The highs and lows of single motherhood

Last year, more than 40 percent of children born in Maine were born to unwed mothers. Single moms, we’d like your stories, the challenges and the rewards, for an upcoming feature. Contact staff writer Kathryn Skelton at kskelton@sunjournal.com or 689-2844. Please keep stories to 200 words or less, and thanks.

Posted inMaine, sj-web

MaineCare cuts target of lawsuit: Maine man dropped from plan while battling cancer

PORTLAND — A federal lawsuit on Thursday targeted a rollback of MaineCare benefits supported by Gov. Paul LePage that eliminated health care coverage for hundreds of legal immigrants living in the state. The lawsuit by Maine Equal Justice Partners and the American Civil Liberties Union of Maine Foundation was brought on behalf of a Fort […]

Posted inEncore

Maine native’s one-woman trilogy brings 30 characters to life

Rivera Sun Cook was born in Portland, and moved with her parents and four siblings to Auburn, when she was 3. Her formative childhood years were spent in the large, unruly yard of 450 Court St, the neighborhood playground, and the Auburn Public Library (to which her mother would donate every year to cover the […]

Posted inMaine, sj-web

Anger over vetoes: Maine Democrats, Republicans clash on budget

AUGUSTA — Democrats reacted angrily Wednesday to a decision by Republican legislators not to break up a monthlong recess to take up two of the governor’s line-item budget vetoes, saying the GOP breached the public trust and damaged hopes for bipartisanship when the session resumes. Republicans said suggestions of a crisis are being overblown and […]

Posted inMaine, sj-web

LePage signs three bills: Legislation affects workers comp, unemployment

AUGUSTA — Gov. Paul LePage signed three bills Wednesday he said will help to improve Maine’s business environment and open the door to jobs by making changes to workers compensation and unemployment benefits and clarifying what kind of workers should be deemed “independent contractors.” “We want job creators to come to Maine and create not […]

Posted inOur View

Maine must ‘zero-base’ its tax incentives

Gov. Paul LePage is a proponent of zero-based budgeting, a process by which all expenses must be justified each time a state budget is created. His idea is great, but Maine also needs a zero-based system to examine tax breaks to ensure they are fulfilling their intended purpose. If you think this is a small […]

Posted inMaine, sj-web

Line-item vetoes by LePage stand as lawmakers remain in recess

AUGUSTA — Faced for the first time with the various rules on the Maine governor’s line-item veto, legislative Republicans decided Tuesday not to break up their recess in order to decide whether to let the vetoes stand. A phone survey by legislative officials showed that more than two-thirds of the GOP members of the House […]