AUGUSTA (AP) — A legislative panel will start considering a bill to soften the minimum wage hike approved by voters in 2016. Republicans and some business groups have pushed to reverse a law they argue will harm Maine’s economy in the long-term. Lawmakers last year agreed to remove the voter-approved minimum wage hike for tipped […]
politics
Posted inLewiston-Auburn, Maine
Maine Democrats file ethics complaint against state GOP alleging ties to 'fake news'
AUGUSTA — In an ethics complaint filed Tuesday, the Maine Democratic Party accused its Republican rivals of working hand-in-hand to spread bogus claims through a secretive website masquerading as a news organization. Democrats asked the Maine Ethics Commission to investigate possible campaign finance violations by the Maine Examiner and Maine’s Republican Party in their publication […]
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Posted inMaine, sj-web
Marijuana sales bill faces challenges
A bill that would extend the adult-use marijuana sales moratorium until the end of the legislative session is not sitting well with House Republicans or Gov. Paul LePage. House Minority Leader Ken Fredette said Tuesday he and LePage want to continue the moratorium that has stalled the launch of Maine’s recreational market until January 2019. […]
Posted inNation / World, sj-web
Jeff Sessions interviewed by Robert Mueller's team in Russia investigation
WASHINGTON (AP) — Attorney General Jeff Sessions was interviewed for hours last week in special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation, the Justice Department confirmed Tuesday. He’s the highest-ranking Trump administration official and first Cabinet member known to have submitted to questioning. The interview came as Mueller investigates whether President Donald Trump’s actions in office, including […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Maine supreme court says state must provide food stamps to eligible asylum seekers
Maine’s top court has ruled that the Maine Department of Health and Human Services was wrong to deny food stamp benefits to asylum seekers who had yet to find work. In a 13-page decision issued Tuesday, the Maine Supreme Judicial Court ruled in favor of Euphrem Manirakiza, a Burundian immigrant who sued the suit after […]
Posted inBusiness
Maine unemployment fell again in December
AUGUSTA (AP) – Maine’s unemployment rate fell slightly again in December. The Maine Department of Labor says the preliminary seasonally adjusted unemployment rate of 3.0 percent in December was down 0.3 percentage points from November. It was also down from 3.8 percent a year ago. Maine’s unemployment rate was lower than the national rate of […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Former lawmaker seeks State House seat
WATERFORD — Retired state finance commissioner Sawin Millett is seeking the House District 71 seat. Millett, 80, is a Republican who has served for more than four decades in cabinet-level positions for four governors, most recently as the commissioner of administrative and financial services during Gov. Paul LePage’s first term. “I intend to go to […]
Posted inNation / World, sj-web
Donald Trump applies tariffs to solar panels, washing machines
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Monday approved tariffs on imported solar-energy components and large washing machines in a bid to help U.S. manufacturers. The Republican’s decision followed recommendations for tariffs by the U.S. International Trade Commission. “The president’s action makes clear again that the Trump administration will always defend American workers, farmers, ranchers, […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Democrats blame GOP for allowing a federal shutdown
Several Democrats hoping to win Maine’s 2nd District seat this year in the U.S. House of Representatives were less than impressed with the three-day federal government shutdown resolved Monday. “Congress needs to stop playing politics with our government,” said Bar Harbor cafe owner Tim Rich, a Democratic challenger to U.S. Rep. Bruce Poliquin, a 2nd […]
Posted inMaine
Why the Trump administration won’t let Maine ban soda and candy from food stamps
Momentum is building for new food stamp restrictions that would ban the purchase of candy and soda. This week, however, the Trump administration denied a request from the state of Maine that would have placed such restrictions on its food stamp program. The denial, issued Tuesday, is the first sign that President Donald Trump’s Department […]