AUGUSTA — State lawmakers who are working to launch Maine’s adult-use cannabis industry have eliminated all references to social clubs from a proposed overhaul of the Marijuana Legalization Act. Voters approved social clubs as part of the legalization referendum in 2016, but lawmakers have repeatedly voted for delays in an effort to keep Maine from […]
politics
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Bottle bill would lower deposit for wine, spirits
Advocates of a proposal that would lower the deposit on wine and liquor bottles by 10 cents say the measure would equalize returnables and simplify the process. State Rep. Ellie Espling, R-New Gloucester, the bill’s sponsor, wrote in a statement that she seeks “to implement a uniform refund value” by reducing the deposit put on […]
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Posted inMaine, sj-web
Paul LePage says high court justice Joseph Jabar reneged on agreement to retire
AUGUSTA — Gov. Paul LePage is accusing a member of the state’s highest court of reneging on an agreement to retire after he reached 20 years of service so LePage could nominate a more conservative judge. The governor released a Feb. 13 letter to Associate Justice Joseph M. Jabar and all other members of the […]
Posted inOp-Eds, sj-web
Have Democrats overplayed their Trump hand?
It turns out that, with apologies to Nancy Pelosi, Republicans really did have to pass the tax bill so people could find out what’s in it. The GOP has made gains on the generic congressional ballot in recent weeks, with warmer feelings about the tax plan contributing to the upward trend. The improving numbers at […]
Posted inNation / World
Stephen King takes Bruce Poliquin to task for NRA support
AUGUSTA —An adviser to Republican U.S. Rep. Bruce Poliquin says the Maine congressman will not respond to criticism of his National Rifle Association support leveled by author Stephen King on Tuesday. Bruce Poliquin, Maine’s 2nd District representative, is an NRA sweetheart. According to the NY Times, the gunners have given him over $200,000 during his political […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Maine land trusts say Paul LePage used bogus data in pitch to tax them
AUGUSTA — Gov. Paul LePage is once again accusing conservation groups of “ripping off” taxpayers in Maine by not paying local taxes on vast swaths of land across the state. But conservation advocates and some lawmakers counter that the governor is peddling misleading information that ignores payments made by land trusts as well as the […]
Posted inFranklin, Lewiston-Auburn
Gary McGrane aims to succeed Tom Saviello for 17th District Senate seat
JAY — A retired millworker and educator is hoping to claim the state Senate seat that’s been held for years by Republican Tom Saviello, who can’t run for re-election because of term limits. Democrat Gary McGrane announced recently he is running for the seat, the first candidate to declare his intentions in the sprawling district. […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Maine Examiner shows Jason Savage’s interest in news
AUGUSTA — For $74 and some off-the-clock sweat, Republican Party Executive Director Jason Savage says he created and ran a once-secretive online newspaper that did not have ties to the state GOP. The party itself told the Maine Ethics Commission it did not know anything about who operated Savage’s Maine Examiner until Democrats filed a […]
Posted inNation / World
White House supports better background checks for gun buyers
President Donald Trump signaled support for one piece of gun control legislation on Monday, five days after a mass shooting at a Florida high school left 17 people dead and scores injured. “The president is supportive of efforts to improve the federal background check system,” Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the White House press secretary, wrote in […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Donald Trump wants to cut heating oil assistance to the poor
PORTLAND (AP) — The Trump administration is once again calling for the complete elimination of a heating assistance program that helps to keep the homes of low-income families warm. And once again, program supporters are vowing to fight it. The administration is using the same arguments from a year ago when it tried to abolish […]