AUGUSTA (AP) — Maine Gov. Paul LePage is encouraging residents to participate in a holiday blood drive this week. The American Red Cross, FairPoint Communications and other groups are hosting a blood drive in Bangor and Portland on Friday. Blood can be donated between 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. at the Holiday Inn in Portland […]
Paul LePage
Posted inLetters
N. Willard: Let me just say …
A couple of issues are on my mind as 2013 comes to a close. The LePage administration demonstrates what I recall my parents referring to as being “penny wise and pound foolish.” DHHS Commissioner Mary Mayhew spent close to a million dollars of taxpayer money to hire someone from Rhode Island to study the welfare […]
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Posted inMaine, sj-web
LePage plans deeper investigation into EBT card fraud
AUGUSTA — Using existing resources within the Department of Health and Human Services, Gov. Paul LePage will launch an investigation into potential fraud of EBT cards. Speaking to State House reporters on Thursday, LePage said that initial conversations with DHHS officials and law enforcement have shown him the problem is “far bigger than I would […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Maine unemployment rate dips to lowest rate since 2008
AUGUSTA (AP) — Maine’s unemployment rate for November was 6.4 percent, down nearly 1 percent since last year. The Maine Department of Labor said Friday that it’s the lowest figure the state has seen since November 2008. It said the unemployment rate for November dropped 0.3 percentage points from the prior month. That’s down from […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
LePage lifts ban on commissioners attending legislative meetings
AUGUSTA — said Thursday that he’ll once again allow department heads to address lawmakers face-to-face in committee meetings. For months, LePage has upheld a policy that members of his Cabinet and other executive branch employees correspond with legislative committees in writing only. Democrats who chair legislative committees — especially the budget-writing Appropriations Committee and the […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Democrats will consider EBT limits but oppose other welfare bills
AUGUSTA — Democratic House Speaker Mark Eves said Wednesday that he’s open to a proposal by Republican Gov. Paul LePage to limit what products can be bought with cash welfare benefits, but said his party would fight two other welfare reform bills the governor will introduce in January. “No one wants to see assistance for […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Maine government sends layoff notices to 58 people
AUGUSTA — Maine Gov. Paul LePage says he’s sending layoff notices to 58 state employees in case of another federal government shutdown. The Republican governor says that while shutdown is unlikely, the union contract requires his office to “adhere to a rigid timeline” for notifying employees about layoffs. He says notices will start going out […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
LePages help place wreaths on Arlington headstones
Thousands of Maine-made wreaths were distributed at Arlington National Cemetery. All told, 11 truckloads of greenery from Worcester Wreath Co. made their way to the cemetery outside Washington, D.C. Maine Gov. Paul LePage and first lady Ann LePage helped place wreaths on headstones. All told, the nonprofit Wreaths Across America expects to ship 470,000 to […]
Posted inOur View
Bolduc’s email: Frustration plus really bad spelling
Police are familiar with all manner of nuisance complaints: The music is too loud. The car is “all over the road.” The kids are cutting through my lawn. And, yes, the perennial: My neighbor’s cat is doing his business in my flower beds. So we have no problem with Auburn resident Brian Bolduc asking police […]