AUGUSTA — A bill to “simply outlaw tobacco altogether” would make more sense than piecemeal bans on smoking, Gov. Paul LePage said Monday as he vetoed a bill to outlaw smoking on public college campuses. “I firmly believe Maine people are responsible enough to make their own decisions concerning tobacco,” LePage wrote in his veto […]
Paul LePage
Posted inLewiston-Auburn
CMP, governor celebrate power-line upgrade
LEWISTON — Gov. Paul LePage seemed pleased Friday about what the $1.4 billion upgrade to Maine’s electrical grid would mean to the local economy. LePage was on hand as Central Maine Power and its parent company, Iberdrola USA, marked the halfway point in its Maine Power Reliability Program. “What’s important is that we’ve had a very […]
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Posted inOur View
Don’t allow obstinacy to kill good ideas
There’s an old expression about “snatching defeat from the jaws of victory,” and we hope practical politicians in Augusta will not allow that to happen. Maine needs to pay its hospitals and it can provide health insurance to its working poor — but only by reaching a sensible compromise. It’s safe to say Democrats didn’t come […]
Posted inLewiston-Auburn, Maine
Gov. LePage pledges $50,000 to Lewiston Fire Relief Fund
LEWISTON — The Lewiston Fire Relief Fund can expect a $50,000 boost from the contingency fund of Gov. Paul LePage. In a news release Monday, LePage announced the donation while lauding the efforts of other Mainers to help the victims. “In times of need like this, we see Mainers pull together to make a difference […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Gov. Paul LePage accuses Maine state employees union of lying about shutdown
AUGUSTA, Maine — Gov. Paul LePage on Monday said he has no plans to shut down state government and accused Maine’s state employees union of “lying” and “manufacturing a crisis” by claiming state agencies have been instructed to prepare for a shutdown. In a letter LePage sent Monday to the Maine State Employees Association, he […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
LePage says ‘Gang of 11’ plan is a ‘bad deal’
PORTLAND — Gov. Paul LePage came out against the recent tax reform package proposed by the “Gang of 11,” calling it a “bad deal,” at a Wednesday morning chamber of commerce event in Portland. A bipartisan group of 11 legislators last Wednesday introduced a tax reform package that proposes to overhaul Maine’s tax code by […]
Posted inLewiston-Auburn
Gov. LePage to tour Lewiston fire damage
LEWISTON — Gov. Paul LePage is coming to Lewiston on Tuesday to see the damage from three fires that left nearly 200 people homeless in the last week. Lewiston Mayor Robert Macdonald will accompany the governor on his tour, which starts at 8:30 a.m. at City Hall. “I am committed to working with city officials […]
Posted inLewiston-Auburn
Lewiston fire victim hailed as hero
LEWISTON — The governor’s brother is believed to be one of the residents who escaped Monday’s fire at 172 Bates St. Adriana Garcia, who managed the building and has lived there for the past eight years, said she alerted Richard LePage and his wife, Alicia, to the fire and helped the couple downstairs and out […]
Posted inMaine
Federal solicitor to meet with hearing officers about alleged pressure from LePage
A lawyer from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of the Solicitor is expected to be in Augusta to interview unemployment appeals hearing officers Wednesday and Thursday about allegations that Gov. Paul LePage pressured them to be more pro-business in their findings. Leticia Sierra had scheduled meetings with hearing officers at the Maine Department of […]
Posted inAdvertiser Democrat, Maine, The Franklin Journal
Sheriffs, governor agree jail system is broken
AUGUSTA — The worst effects of the county jail budget crisis, including closed jails, endangered corrections officers and widespread inmate furloughs, could be averted, Maine’s sheriffs said Tuesday after an hourlong meeting with Gov. Paul LePage. The governor also insisted that the Androscoggin County Jail in Auburn would remain open despite the crisis, Androscoggin County […]