LEWISTON — Before a crowd of hundreds at the Franco-American Heritage Center on Wednesday night, Gov. Paul LePage made a bold confession. When he was 12 years old, a French kid living on Lincoln Street, he used to hide out in Little Canada and steal Halloween candy from children. “Isn’t that awful?” LePage said. “And […]
Paul LePage
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Maine celebrates Franco-American Day
AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — Maine’s Franco-American community is being recognized as the state celebrates Franco-American Day. Festivities at the state capitol Wednesday include a Franco-American breakfast menu at the cafeteria, historical and cultural exhibits, and performances of French music. U.S., Canadian and French national anthems will be sung in the House and Senate, where legislators […]
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Posted inMaine, sj-web
Gov. LePage sticks by Maine budget veto threat
AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — A Democratic leader of the Appropriations Committee denounced Republican Gov. Paul LePage’s threat to veto a budget that doesn’t include what he wants, saying she’s “not sure if this kind of rhetoric helps us with the process.” LePage proposed a $6.1 billion budget for the two years starting July 1. The […]
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LePage takes heat for no ‘shared sacrifice’ on pension
AUGUSTA — Gov. Paul LePage’s proposed $6.1 billion budget calls for most public employees and teachers to contribute an additional 2 percent into their pensions. The administration has described the proposal as a “shared sacrifice” plan designed to plug the state’s budget gap. But LePage’s decision not to contribute more to his own pension benefit […]
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Poll shows LePage approval rating at 43 percent
AUGUSTA — Gov. Paul LePage is currently more popular among Mainers than Gov. John Baldacci was right before the election, according to an opinion poll released Monday. However, that same survey shows LePage isn’t enjoying much of a honeymoon with voters. Those were some of the highlights from Public Policy Polling, a North Carolina-based firm […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Stephen King lambasts LePage as ‘a stone brain,’ one of the Three Stooges
SARASOTA, Fla. — Stephen King is calling the governor of his home state ‘a stone brain’ and comparing him to one of the Three Stooges. In a rally last week in Sarasota, Fla., supporting education, unions and veterans, the horror author and outspoken Democrat compared Maine Gov. Paul LePage, Florida’s Rick Scott and Wisconsin’s Scott […]
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Talk of the Town
I know where I’m sleeping tonight Another anonymous gift left for me at the front desk and it’s a beaut: A postmortem bag, white, with curved zipper. Spanking new in the package, it comes with one chin strap, one under pad, two 60-inch ties, three 36-inch ties, three identification tags. Also, helpful hints: “The polyethylene […]
Posted inMaine
Flame retardant heats up
AUGUSTA — In mid-December, the state’s scientific review of priority chemicals slated for regulation in the state’s Kid-Safe Products Act had finished its six-month analysis of brominated flame retardants. According to documents obtained through a Freedom of Access request, toxicologists with the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention and review staff at the Maine […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Maine regulatory reform panel digs into bill
AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — Lawmakers are getting down to the nitty-gritty of fashioning a regulatory reform package, one of the top priorities of Gov. Paul LePage’s administration. The Committee on Regulatory Fairness and Reform held its latest work session Thursday to continue plowing through scores of proposals aimed at eliminating duplicate, unnecessary and redundant regulations […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Bill would allow Maine teens to work longer hours
AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — A bill to allow Maine teenagers to work more is getting mixed reviews in the Legislature. Representatives of hotels and motels, restaurants, merchants and Gov. Paul LePage’s administration spoke Wednesday in favor of a reworked bill limiting 16-year-olds to 32 hours a week and imposing no limits for 17-year-olds. But the […]