LEWISTON — State Senate minority leader Nate Libby, a Lewiston Democrat, declared Friday he plans to seek a third term. “I believe that people succeed when given the opportunity and tools they need to reach their goals,” Libby said in a prepared statement. Libby, who won the seat in 2014 after two terms in the […]
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Posted inMaine, sj-web
Lawmakers oppose new fees on Maine hybrid and electric cars
AUGUSTA — Democratic lawmakers rejected a proposal from Gov. Paul LePage’s administration to make owning hybrid and electric cars more expensive in a committee-level vote Thursday. The 6-5 vote of the transportation committee fell along party lines, with Republican lawmakers opposing the panel’s recommendation to the full Legislature that the bill should not pass. The bill […]
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Posted inMaine, sj-web
New poll finds Trump unpopular, Poliquin in tight race
A new poll found that more than half of the voters in Maine’s rural 2nd Congressional District disapprove of the way President Donald Trump is doing his job. Though Trump won the sprawling district in 2016 — the only one in New England that favored him — 43 percent of voters approved of his performance […]
Posted inNation / World
Special counsel files news charges in case against Paul Manafort and Rick Gates
New charges were filed Thursday against former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort and his business partner, ratcheting up the legal pressure on them as they prepare for a trial later this year. A new indictment has long been expected in special counsel Robert Mueller’s prosecution of Manafort and his right-hand man, Rick Gates, on fraud […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Donald Trump's call to ban bump stocks renews Maine debate
AUGUSTA (AP) — Some Maine lawmakers are trying to revive an effort to ban bump stocks in the state, but others say moves at the federal level may make it unnecessary. President Donald Trump has directed the Justice Department to work toward a nationwide ban on the devices, which allow semi-automatic weapons to mimic machine […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Maine Ethics Panel: No need to investigate GOP ties with Maine Examiner
AUGUSTA — The Maine ethics commission opted Thursday to drop a possible investigation into allegations that a state GOP official behaved improperly when he created a website to deliver news with a conservative slant without disclosing his role. That site, the Maine Examiner, drew attention in December when it revealed internal campaign emails from Lewiston […]
Posted inNation / World
NRA fires back against law enforcement, media and gun-control advocates
After a week of media silence following the school shooting in Florida, the National Rifle Association went on the offensive in its first public response to the massacre, pushing back against law enforcement officials, the media, gun-control advocates and the teenage survivors of the massacre who have pleaded for stricter gun laws. In a series […]
Posted inNation / World, sj-web
Donald Trump endorses raising minimum age; NRA defends gun rights
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Thursday endorsed a higher minimum age for buying certain rifles and tighter background checks for purchasers, saying “there’s nothing more important than protecting our children,” amid a public outcry for action after the Florida school shooting. Trump said he spoke Wednesday night with many members of Congress and […]
Posted inNation / World, sj-web
Video: School shooting town hall: Marco Rubio on defensive on gun control
SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — Republican Sen. Marco Rubio was put on the defensive by angry students, teachers and parents who are demanding stronger gun-control measures at a town hall after the shooting rampage that claimed 17 lives at a Florida high school. But Rubio, the lone Republican at CNN’s “Stand Up” town hall Wednesday night, […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Maine lawmakers offer no clarity on guidelines for proficiency-based diploma
AUGUSTA (AP) — Lawmakers are requiring high school students, starting with this year’s freshmen class, to prove they truly understand the subjects they study before they can graduate, but they still haven’t worked out many details teachers need to prepare students. And legislators offered no clarity Wednesday, taking no action on a bill to delay […]