In the best of times, heading up the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife is a challenge. Fish and Wildlife has a diverse and opinionated constituency and keeping customers happy is no easy thing. In bad times, when the economy is in the tank and funding is problematic, the commissioner of MDIF&W has one […]
Maine
Posted inMaine
Global events impact heat at home
LEWISTON — Riots in Egypt and cold weather in Maine may not seem like they have much in common. But Maine’s energy pioneers say the recent turmoil in the Middle East makes it more apparent than ever the state must move quickly to break its addiction to home heating oil. Maine, with 75 percent of […]
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Posted inOur View
Let’s turn back another attack on seat belt law
If it sometimes seems as if we keep writing the same editorials, it’s because in Maine we keep re-arguing the same issues. Now the Legislature is thinking about rolling back the law passed just three years ago making failure to use a seat belt a primary offense. Up until 2008, it was a secondary offense, […]
Posted inOur View
Switchblade law seems quaint in gun-happy land
A bill to enshrine the whoopie pie as our state dessert seemed well on its way to passage Monday after a strong show of support by bakeries and, if you can imagine, a guy dressed in a whoopie pie outfit. All of which shows there is virtually no limit to the pressing problems to be […]
Posted inEncore
‘Highlights at the Maine State Museum’: Nautical archaeologist, conservator will share story of 1710 wreck of the Nottingham Galley
AUGUSTA — Nautical archaeologist Warren Riess and conservator Molly Carlson will kick off the Maine State Museum’s annual series of talks and programs on Wednesday, Feb. 9. The “Highlights at the Maine State Museum” presentation is free of charge and will begin at 6:30 p.m. at the museum in the State House Complex off State […]
Posted inOur View
Questions remain for those involved in ‘The Cutler Files’
Former Democratic candidate for governor Rosa Scarcelli and her husband, Thom Rhoads, issued individual statements Thursday in the ongoing controversy over the “The Cutler Files” website. But the statements raise even more questions about whether they are being completely candid. “The Cutler Files” was an anonymous website that first came to light in early September […]
Posted inNew England, sj-web
NH-Maine cops charge 4 in 2-state pharmacy heists
ROCHESTER, N.H. (AP) — Police in New Hampshire and Maine say they have solved a series of pharmacy robberies in the two states. Police in New Hampshire say four people have been arrested and charged in connection with robberies in Rochester and Sanford, Maine. Police in Sanford and Rochester said on Sunday that pharmacy robberies […]
Posted inOur View
State should change system for new hires
Unfunded pension liability is a ticking time bomb for many states, including Maine, which faces a 2028 deadline to clean up about $4.4 billion in debt. The ticking sound becomes louder and louder as the years go by, as the state is forced to contribute more and more money annually to retiring that debt. Unless […]
Posted inLewiston-Auburn
White stuff greens up business
LEWISTON — The National Weather Service is predicting snow for Thursday and that makes Paul Lapointe happy. “Every time it snows, it puts a smile on my face,” said Lapointe, who owns Lapointe’s Lawn and Garden Center on Sabattus Street. “A storm makes my business busy. One good snowstorm gives us several weeks of work. […]
Posted inOur View
Students need more information on likely debt load
A college degree is supposed to give young people the wings to fly. For too many young Mainers, however, the debt that accompanies that degree has become a millstone around their necks. The average Maine college student emerges with $29,000 in debt, the third highest average debt load in the nation. And that’s the average, […]