AUGUSTA, Maine — The director of Maine’s largest public sector union said Friday that Gov. Paul LePage tried to squeeze contract concessions out of state workers during negotiations to return laid-off employees to their jobs after the partial U.S. government shutdown ended on Wednesday. Chris Quint, executive director of the Maine State Employees Association, said […]
Paul LePage
Posted inMaine, sj-web
LePage spokesman explains $47 million ‘surplus’ in governor’s speech
AUGUSTA — A statement made by Gov. Paul LePage about a $47 million “surplus” had Democrats and others in Augusta scratching their heads Wednesday morning. In a talk given to a conservative women’s group on Monday, LePage said Maine’s economy was looking good: “The economy as a whole is actually doing pretty well. I don’t […]
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Posted inMaine, sj-web
LePage warns that more state worker layoffs could be coming
AUGUSTA — Gov. Paul LePage told legislative leaders Tuesday morning that more layoffs of federally funded state workers could be coming this week unless the federal government shutdown ends soon. Senate Minority Leader Mike Thibodeau, R-Winterport, and House Minority Leader Kenneth Fredette, R-Newport, told the Bangor Daily News after a Tuesday morning meeting he and […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Political observers see civil emergency as a way for LePage to deal with shutdown
AUGUSTA — Gov. Paul LePage’s longtime political antagonists, including the state employees union and Democratic legislative leaders, called his declaration of a civil emergency a nuclear option power grab, but some more detached political observers in Maine described it as an act of strong leadership ahead of a looming catastrophe. LePage has been widely criticized […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
LePage says civil emergency meant to help state employees
AUGUSTA — Gov. Paul LePage on Thursday defended his proclamation of a civil emergency and said he intended to use his broadened authority for the benefit of state employees. “It is my goal, solely, to get money in state employees’ pockets as quickly as possible,” he told reporters after meeting with legislative leaders. On Wednesday […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Mainers urged to raise awareness of mental illness
AUGUSTA (AP) — Gov. Paul LePage and advocates are seeking to raise awareness and education about mental illness in Maine. The Republican governor declared Oct. 6-12 Mental Illness Awareness Week. Maine’s chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness said one in four Maine residents are affected by mental illnesses like severe anxiety disorder, bipolar […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
‘We, the men, have to help to eliminate abuse’
AUGUSTA — To win the battle against domestic violence, Gov. Paul LePage says men need to stop seeing the problem as a women’s issue and take action to stop abuse. “We can have all the strict laws in the world, but we have to make (domestic violence) socially unacceptable,” LePage said during a ceremony Wednesday […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
LePage sends $10,000 to Maine murder victims memorial
AUGUSTA — Maine Gov. Paul LePage is directing $10,000 from a state contingency fund to help complete a memorial for murder victims. The Republican governor announced the donation during a ceremony at the State House on Wednesday. LePage is also declaring October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month. The groundbreaking for the Maine Murder Victims’ Memorial […]
Posted inLewiston-Auburn
Newspaper sales tax
Gov. Paul LePage first proposed applying the 5 percent sales tax to newspapers and other periodicals. The Legislature approved increasing the overall sales tax to 5.5 percent. The governor vetoed this budget, but his veto was overridden. The information was unclear in a story Tuesday.
Posted inMaine, sj-web
LePage says a short-term shutdown won’t affect state government
AUGUSTA — Maine Gov. Paul LePage says that a short-term federal government shutdown will not directly impact state government or public assistance programs. The Republican governor said in a statement on Tuesday that while some state government positions and programs are federally funded, they’ll continue as normal this week. He says the shutdown won’t affect […]