Maine’s unemployment rate continues to improve, setting a new record low in March when only 3 percent of Mainers seeking jobs were without one. Nationally, the rate was at 4.5 percent. The initial estimate of nonfarm payroll jobs in March reached 623,000, a new high. That’s up by 5,300 from this time last year, statistics […]
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Bill would exempt retirees age 70 or older from paying state income tax
AUGUSTA — A proposal to exempt Mainers who are both retired and at least 70 years old from paying any state income tax is under consideration by the Legislature’s Tax Committee. Though its sponsor, Rep. Robert Foley, R-Wells, said the idea “may be too drastic a step right now,” he urged colleagues this week to […]
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Report finds for-profit college students have heavier debt loads
Hussein Adan, left, a senior, works with Lewiston High School Aspirations Coordinator Doug Dumont in the school’s aspirations lab. Dumont (once $80,000 in student debt) urges: Have a plan. Don’t do what I did in college. Learn more about how to plan better for college financing: The college debt crush What’s the real cost of college, […]
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Analysis: Why Paul LePage is against term limits, red lights and assisted suicide
Gov. Paul LePage clarified his stance on several issues during a radio appearance Thursday morning. After some questions on WGAN-AM about his education proposals which resulted in a repeat of what LePage said Tuesday during a news conference at the State House, the discussion veered and re-veered. There’s not enough time for a complete fact-check or to add […]
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Maine Democrats, Republicans at odds over sick leave bill
AUGUSTA (AP) — Democrats want to advance a universal sick leave bill despite opposition from Republicans on a legislative committee. The Legislature’s Labor, Commerce, Research and Economic Development Committee this week voted 5-4 in favor of the bill. Two other Republicans and two Democrats who weren’t present have until Thursday to cast their votes. The […]
Posted inLewiston-Auburn
How a community changed by refugees came to embrace Trump
Richard Rodrigue, right, embraces his daughter Stephanie, 17, after she walked the runway in her high school’s pre-prom fashion show in Lewiston on Thursday, March 16, 2017. Rodrigue is proud his daughter is part of a diverse school whose students speak dozens of languages, and hail from dozens of nations. Though he is conflicted; “There’s […]
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Angus King seeks Senate action to speed up VA claims that take years now
William J. Rogers Post 153 member, Peter Rogers, of Yarmouth, talks with Senator Angus King in Auburn Tuesday afternoon at the American Legion Post before King spoke to a group of veterans about his efforts and those needed by veterans to help the Passage of a bill to overhaul broken VA appeals process. The Auburn […]
Posted inMaine
Gov. Paul LePage pitches plan to consolidate school districts
Gov. Paul LePage AUGUSTA — Maine’s Republican governor says the answer to controlling increasing education costs is cutting administration and regionalizing school districts. Gov. Paul LePage told reporters Tuesday that consolidating schools means people will have to lose their jobs. The governor is backing legislation that would create up to 12 regional centers providing services like […]
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Bernie Sanders, DNC chair kick off cross-country tour in Maine
In this Nov. 17, 2016, file photo, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. speaks at a rally on Capitol Hill in Washington. Independent U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders gained roars of approval from a friendly crowd on Monday, April 17, 2017, as he called for a radical transformation of the Democratic Party into a grassroots movement founded on […]
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Gov. Paul LePage: ‘1 superintendent per county would be too much’
Gov. Paul LePage will hold a news conference on education funding Tuesday morning, followed closely by a second event that has been organized by the Maine Education Association and the Stand Up for Students coalition. LePage previewed his argument this morning during a radio interview on WVOM, though his comments were basically a review for […]