AUGUSTA — In a move that critics immediately denounced, the state Department of Labor said Thursday it won’t enforce a provision against employers who don’t comply with a change in the tip credit for workers for at least the first few weeks after it takes effect on Jan. 7. It is only a temporary move […]
Paul LePage
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Gov. Paul LePage meets with Democratic legislators
A meeting between Republican Gov. Paul LePage and Senate Democrats on Tuesday left the leader of the Democratic caucus hopeful that a new era of cooperation with LePage has begun. Senate Minority Leader Troy Jackson, D-Allagash, said he invited a representative from LePage’s office to Tuesday’s meeting to answer questions about the upcoming session but […]
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Posted inMaine, sj-web
Gov. Paul LePage says he will keep looking for psychiatric unit site
Gov. Paul LePage said Tuesday that his administration will continue to look for a location for a state-run psychiatric unit outside Augusta despite a meeting last week that House Speaker Sara Gideon said produced progress toward a compromise. The prospect of building a step-down facility for state-held forensic patients — such as those who are […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Republicans up pressure on Democrats to OK LePage’s new mental health facility
Republicans are increasing the pressure on Democratic leaders to reverse last week’s decision to block Gov. Paul LePage’s proposed facilty to house forensic mental health patients in Augusta. The LePage administration has billed the new facility as a way to regain the federal certification that Riverview Psychiatric Center lost in 2013, putting millions of dollars […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Gov. Paul LePage swears in Legislature, warns of economic peril
AUGUSTA — Gov. Paul LePage swore in the new Legislature on Wednesday, but only after delivering a short speech to both chambers renewing his call to alter tax and minimum wage proposals passed by voters in November. It was a break for policy talk on the day of pomp and circumstance, mostly reserved for the […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Lawmakers skeptical of LePage plan to build psychiatric unit
AUGUSTA — Gov. Paul LePage’s pledge to move a proposed mental health facility out of Augusta to bypass legislative approval caused disappointment among lawmakers who said that wouldn’t be necessary if LePage’s administration would share its plans in public. At issue is the LePage administration’s attempt to build a stand-alone facility for mentally ill patients […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Gov. Paul LePage wants to decrease income tax
Gov. Paul LePage said Tuesday morning on radio that his upcoming two-year budget proposal will seek to cut income taxes without increasing the sales tax. It’s a departure from the Republican governor’s budget proposal nearly two years ago, which proposed an income tax reduction balanced with a sales tax increase. Many Republicans didn’t like the sales […]
Posted inLetters
No need for a recount
Gov. Paul LePage and those who opposed referendum Question 2 (Stand up for students) came up short in the Nov. 8 balloting by more than 9,000 votes. Now the losers are saying that those who voted in favor of Question 2 — the winners — were confused, did not understand, did not know what they […]
Posted inLewiston-Auburn, Maine
Without evidence, Gov. Paul LePage questions integrity of Maine’s elections
Though Gov. Paul LePage indicated in letters to lawmakers this week that he has “strong concerns regarding the integrity of Maine’s ballot and accuracy of Maine’s election results,” he hadn’t mentioned any of the concerns to officials who count the ballots. Secretary of State Matt Dunlap said Thursday he hasn’t heard from the governor about […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Democratic leaders block Gov. LePage’s $3 million Riverview plan
AUGUSTA — Construction of a crucial forensic psychiatric unit in Augusta was dealt a blow by Democratic legislative leaders who, using an oft-overlooked oversight power, voted against Gov. Paul LePage’s administration’s plan on Wednesday. LePage and the Department of Health and Human Services have been trying for months to start work on the building, which […]