AUGUSTA — In response to requests from the mayors of Lewiston and Auburn, legislators adopted a measure Tuesday that will make it tougher for Maine municipalities to merge. “Hopefully, with this new step, other communities can avoid unnecessary heartache and expense on merger proposals that lack community support,” Sen. Eric Brakey, R-Auburn, said Tuesday. The […]
politics
Posted inMaine
Lawyers spar over case accusing Paul LePage of blackmail
BOSTON — The lawyer for former Maine House Speaker Mark Eves told a panel of federal judges Tuesday that his lawsuit alleging that Gov. Paul LePage violated his constitutional rights should go forward because of the governor’s threats to Eves’ employer. Eves was fired in 2016 as president of the Goodwill-Hinckley School after LePage threatened to […]
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Posted inBusiness, Maine, sj-web
Maine escapes first wave of Chinese tariffs
Maine’s biggest exports, including lobster, wood pulp and airplane parts, are not targeted by the first round of Chinese tariffs in the brewing trade war with America. China released its list of 128 U.S. products targeted for tax hikes in retaliation for President Trump’s trade sanctions on Chinese aluminum and steel on Monday, the day […]
Posted inBusiness
Maine TV stations among outlets airing ‘fake stories’ segment scripted by Sinclair Broadcasting
? WGME-TV (Channel 13) has been swept up in a national controversy since its corporate parent directed local anchors at its nearly 200 stations across the country to record a scripted promotional segment warning viewers about “fake stories” from competing media outlets. WGME hosts Kim Block and Gregg Lagerquist recorded the “must run” segment on orders from […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Maine Senate seeks to intervene in ranked-choice-voting court case
AUGUSTA — In a highly unusual move, the Maine Senate voted Monday to authorize its president to seek intervenor status in a case in Kennebec County Superior Court that could decide whether ranked-choice voting will be used in the June primaries. The 21-13 vote late in the day gives Republican Senate President Michael Thibodeau permission […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Legislative committee backs pay raise for next Maine governor
AUGUSTA — Gov. Paul LePage moved one step closer to a long-sought victory Monday when a legislative committee overwhelmingly endorsed more than doubling the pay of the next governor from $70,000 a year to $150,000. The State and Local Government Committee voted 11-1 in favor of increasing the salary, which is now the lowest of […]
Posted inBusiness
As Sinclair’s sound-alike anchors draw criticism for ‘fake news’ promos, Trump praises broadcaster
Tim Burke had a simple idea: Take clips of dozens of TV news anchors all spouting the same lines and mash them up into one video. The idea, he said, was to expose how one company, Sinclair Broadcast Group, had turned its many local newcasts into a national megaphone for its corporate views. So Burke, […]
Posted inMaine
Paul LePage wants more federal funds on job training not career counseling
AUGUSTA (AP) — Gov. Paul LePage wants more federal funds used to help unemployed Mainers shifted to job training, a move some local labor officials say would take money from career counseling, hurting vulnerable job seekers. LePage’s administration last week submitted his plan that demands that locally run workforce boards spend 70 percent of federal […]
Posted inNation / World, sj-web
Donald Trump calls for border legislation using 'nuclear option'
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump demanded Monday that Congress pass new border legislation using the “Nuclear Option if necessary” to muscle it through the Senate — a drastic change in rules the Republican leader has previously dismissed. Trump tweeted that the U.S. must build a border wall, but argued that “Democrats want No Borders, […]
Posted inNation / World, sj-web
White House goes on attack over Shulkin's claim he was fired from VA
WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House is hitting back at former Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin for claiming that he was fired from his job and that he was only informed about it shortly before President Donald Trump tweeted about his replacement. The Trump administration says he left his job willingly amid a bruising ethics […]