NORTHPORT, Maine (AP) — Gov. Paul LePage and Attorney General William Schneider have announced a plan to form a task force to fight prescription drug abuse. The creation of the task force was announced Tuesday at a drug abuse summit in Northport. Schneider says it is likely to propose legislative changes and other initiatives. Some […]
Paul LePage
Posted inBusiness, Maine, sj-web
As LePage visits, Millinocket paper mill owners say they will hire 220 more workers
EAST MILLINOCKET, Maine — Gov. Paul LePage heralded the revival of the Main Street paper mill on Monday as its owners announced plans to hire another 220 workers when they start to make torrefied wood, a coal substitute, there and at the Millinocket mill as early as 2013. Standing among huge rolls of finished newsprint […]
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Posted inFranklin, The Franklin Journal
Governor to speak at chamber
JAY — Gov. Paul LePage will be guest speaker at the breakfast meeting of the Jay, Livermore, Livermore Falls Chamber of Commerce on Nov. 4. It will be held at LaFleur’s Restaurant on Route 4/Main Street from 7 to 9 a.m. The Member in the Spotlight will be Ken Jacques of Spruce Mountain Ski Slope. […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Maine state workers’ union files complaint
AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — Maine’s largest state workers’ union has filed a complaint with the Maine Labor Relations Board accusing the state negotiators of violating the law as the two sides tried to reach an agreement on new contract. The complaint filed Monday by the Maine State Employees Association says the state abandoned negotiations at […]
Posted inMaine, Op-Eds, The Franklin Journal
Political Pulse: Michaud, Snowe hit D.C. fundraising circuit
Nuggets from the notebook while pining for the New York strip steak at Charlie Palmer Steak in Washington D.C. . . . U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, and U.S. Rep. Mike Michaud, D-Maine, have had a busy year building their re-election war chests. According to data released by the Sunlight Foundation, a nonpartisan organization devoted […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Maine’s First Family to hold food drive
AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — Gov. Paul LePage is opening up the Blaine House for a food drive that he hopes will ensure that needy Mainers have enough food on the table. The food drive kicks off Saturday and will continue for the following two Saturdays. Spokeswoman Adrienne Bennett says people who drop off nonperishable food […]
Posted inMaine
Talks stall on Maine clean elections fix
AUGUSTA — State lawmakers Tuesday failed to complete a deal designed to ensure that Maine’s clean elections law remains viable for legislative candidates. Negotiations stalled on the Legislature’s Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee after lawmakers failed to agree on how much taxpayer funding should support publicly financed candidates. The impasse followed calls to quickly amend […]
Posted inMaine, Op-Eds, The Franklin Journal
Political Pulse: National equity firm gets cozy with Snowe
Nuggets from the notebook while taking a quick look at one of U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe’s big supporters . . . The Blackstone Group, a multi-billion–dollar international equity firm, recently made Maine headlines when its charitable foundation announced that it was investing $3 million in entrepreneurial development at the recently decommissioned Brunswick Naval Air Station. […]
Posted inMaine
Governor’s crackdown on unemployment claims goes beyond fraud
AUGUSTA — Earlier this month, Gov. Paul LePage announced that his administration was undertaking a new effort to tackle improper unemployment payments and fraud, a problem that cost state employers about $6.5 million last year. The governor’s initiative came on the heels of President Barack Obama’s mandate that all states adopt mitigation overpayment strategies by […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Maine Landowner Appreciation Cleanup Day set
AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — Gov. Paul LePage is proclaiming “Landowner Appreciation Cleanup Day” to thank property owners who allow the use of their land for recreational purposes. Volunteers are needed for Saturday’s event to help clean up properties where the state has identified illegal dumps. Forest rangers and the small woodlot owners association have identified […]