AUGUSTA — The Maine Department of Corrections agreed Wednesday to halt equipment removals from the now-vacant Downeast Correctional Facility while a legal case against the LePage administration proceeds. Maine Attorney General Janet Mills, meanwhile, is asking the court to order the administration to transfer prisoners back to Machiasport and halt staff layoffs at the facility […]
Paul LePage
Posted inMaine
Paul LePage stands firm against Medicaid expansion, says ‘our job is not done’
AUGUSTA — A fired-up Gov. Paul LePage delivered his final State of the State address to a joint session of the Maine Legislature on Tuesday night, entering the House chamber after he shook a fist at protesters who were there to challenge his stance against a voter-approved measure to expand Medicaid to about 70,000 low-income Mainers. LePage […]
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Posted inMaine, sj-web
Not all agree LePage has kept promises to Mainers
AUGUSTA — In his final year as Maine’s governor, Republican Paul LePage reflects often on what he has and has not done. This week, he told The Associated Press, “Of the things I’ve campaigned on, I would say I’m the only governor that’s ever done what he said he’s going to do.” That is, not […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Paul LePage will lay out his agenda tonight in his final State of the State speech to the Legislature
AUGUSTA — Fans and critics of Gov. Paul LePage can agree on one thing for certain: The firebrand Republican is unlikely to go quietly as he wraps up his final year as the state’s chief executive. In the last few months alone, LePage has flexed his executive muscles by shutting down wind power development, unilaterally […]
Posted inLetters, sj-web
Protect the mountains forever
Congratulations to Gov. Paul LePage for introducing a bill to repeal the Expedited Windpower Act, enacted in 2008. It is about time the Legislature repealed that act, which is destroying Maine’s mountains. The 2008 act was prepared by a top-heavy group of power companies, developers and conservation organizations. There is no mention in their report […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Paul LePage: 'I'm going to work until the last minute'
AUGUSTA (AP) — Maine’s outspoken governor has kicked off his final year in office by keeping a low profile. There have been no personal jabs, no radio rants. Which Paul LePage will show up Tuesday for his final State of the State address? The low-key lame duck or the provocateur who forced a shutdown of […]
Posted inLewiston-Auburn
County GOP to host Lincoln's birthday event
LEWISTON — Appearances by Gov. Paul LePage, U.S. Rep. Bruce Poliquin and gubernatorial candidates will highlight Androscoggin County Republicans’ celebration of Abraham Lincoln’s birthday on Friday, Feb. 16. The event at The Dolard & Priscilla Gendron Franco Center will include a reception, dinner, program and auction from 5 to 9:30 p.m. For tickets, go to […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
All inmates moved from Downeast Correctional Facility under cover of darkness
Gov. Paul LePage ignited a political firestorm by quietly emptying Washington County’s Downeast Correctional Facility in the pre-dawn hours Friday despite lawmakers’ repeated votes to keep the prison open. Although LePage’s desire to close the Machiasport prison and lay off its staff was well-known, his administration’s decision to transfer the 63 remaining inmates to other facilities Friday morning caught […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Paul LePage urges lawmakers to work on bill to protect elderly from foreclosure
AUGUSTA — Gov. Paul LePage on Tuesday implored lawmakers to work on a bill designed to protect the elderly from tax lien foreclosures, saying that in the last year alone, 12 elderly Mainers have lost their homes to foreclosure. LePage spoke to members of the Joint Standing Committee on Taxation at the State House during […]
Posted inMaine
Lawmakers face competing bills to criminalize female genital mutilation
AUGUSTA — Two bills criminalizing the practice of female genital mutilation are competing for support in the Legislature. Lawmakers fell just one vote short of criminalizing the practice in 2017, amid concerns that state and federal law already made the practice illegal and because the topic has been widely used to demonize immigrants or refugees […]