I find it totally ironic that Gov. Paul LePage had bariatric surgery. The Sun Journal (Jan. 12) quoted LePage, “It really is the right thing to do if health issues come in,” after his doctor warned him that he risked developing diabetes if he didn’t lose weight. The governor dodged questions about who paid for […]
Paul LePage
Posted inMaine
Gov. Paul LePage offers alternative civil rights history
History obviously isn’t one of Gov. Paul LePage’s strong points. In a radio interview Tuesday, LePage took issue with U.S. Rep. John Lewis’ decision to boycott the presidential inauguration because he doesn’t consider Donald Trump “a legitimate president.” The governor then proceeded to deliver a mangled history lesson to the civil rights leader who marched […]
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Posted inBusiness, sj-web
LePage budget would expand sales tax to many digital services
PORTLAND — Gov. Paul LePage’s latest budget proposal seeks to expand Maine’s sales tax to a range of in-person services from haircuts to movie tickets. It’s also extending the state’s ongoing tax fight into the digital realm. In a move that mirrors past efforts to apply Maine’s sales tax to online retailers such as Amazon, […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Paul LePage lectures Rep. John Lewis on civil rights history
PORTLAND — Maine Gov. Paul LePage says U.S. Rep. John Lewis needs a history lesson and should be grateful for all that presidents have done for black people. The Republican governor on Tuesday addressed Lewis’ criticism that GOP President-elect Donald Trump is not a “legitimate president.” LePage said on WVOM-FM that the black Democratic Georgia […]
Posted inBusiness
State: No cruelty charges for Turner egg farm
The state has released a 25-page, redacted report on its investigation into allegations of animal cruelty at Hillandale Farms’ Turner egg farm, finding no reason to pursue charges and shielding the name of the Humane Society of the United States’ undercover investigator who took videos and photos inside barns last spring. Gov. Paul LePage called […]
Posted inLewiston-Auburn
Gov. Paul LePage’s budget omits school surtax
AUGUSTA — The governor’s proposed budget would do away with a school-funding surtax on the state’s top earners approved by voters in November. Question 2, which voters narrowly passed on Nov. 8, raised taxes by 3 percent on annual incomes of more than $200,000; that money would go to K-12 schools. Gov. Paul LePage has […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Legislators prepare to rework Gov. Paul LePage’s budget
AUGUSTA — Gov. Paul LePage’s $6.8 billion budget proposal was still being digested in the State House on Monday, but all signs were pointing toward the obvious: The Maine Legislature won’t let it pass the way it came. The LePage administration devoted much of Monday to briefing legislators on the budget, which was released late […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Gov. Paul LePage’s budget would cut income tax rate and state jobs
AUGUSTA — Gov. Paul LePage’s $6.8 billion, two-year state budget proposal, released Friday night, would reduce Maine’s state employee workforce by approximately 500 and shift Maine to a flat income tax by 2020. The budget proposal for the 2018 and 2019 fiscal years was released on Friday with little fanfare. The LePage administration posted it […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
DHHS workers get layoff notices
AUGUSTA — A state employees union representative said ’s administration has notified workers in the Maine Office of Aging and Disability Services that it wants to lay them off, likely signaling a priority in the governor’s two-year budget to be released on Friday. It’s just an initial move from the Maine Department of Health and […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Gov. Paul LePage set to unveil 2-year budget to Maine legislators
AUGUSTA (AP) — Republican Gov. Paul LePage is set to unveil a budget that he says will reduce spending and cut taxes for the state’s highest earners. LePage has expressed deep concern about Maine voters’ approval of a new 3 percent surtax on the state’s highest earners to fund schools. In recent radio interviews, he […]