The long and complicated creation of the Libertarian Party in Maine is now moving into the hands of the Legislature, which will consider a bill this year that would grant permanent party status. Let’s catch up on the background. Through a nonprofit, Libertarians launched a drive in early 2015 to collect 5,000 registrants, the first […]
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Posted inMaine, sj-web
Maine Senate OKs asking for court review of ranked-choice voting
Updated 11:33 p.m.: AUGUSTA (AP) — The Maine Senate has approved asking the state’s highest court to rule on the ranked choice style of voting that voters approved in November. Voters would rank their preferred candidates, allowing for an “instant runoff” of top vote-getters in a multi-candidate contest. The request asks the Maine Supreme Judicial […]
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Posted inBusiness, sj-web
Former LePage counsel Avery Day helping group with state contract
AUGUSTA — The former chief legal counsel of Republican Gov. Paul LePage is representing a company trying to get a state contract, and he’s confident his new position does not conflict with his past government service. Avery Day filed papers with the Maine Public Utilities Commission saying he will be representing Northstar Industries in its bid […]
Posted inNation / World, sj-web
President Donald Trump puts Iran ‘on notice;’ Iran shrugs
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Thursday his administration has put Iran “on notice,” echoing comments from his top national security adviser that the U.S. will act against Iran unless it stops testing ballistic missiles and supporting Houthi rebels in Yemen. Trump and his national security adviser, Michael Flynn, didn’t elaborate on what retaliatory […]
Posted inNation / World, sj-web
Senate GOP united; Democrats skeptical of Neil Gorsuch pick for court
WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Republicans are standing united behind President Donald Trump’s nomination of Judge Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court and bracing for a protracted fight with Democrats over a conservative judge similar in philosophy to the late Justice Antonin Scalia. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said Gorsuch, a Denver-based judge on the […]
Posted inBusiness, sj-web
Maine PUC OK rules that shift solar panel costs onto homeowners
AUGUSTA — State utility regulators are changing Maine’s solar energy rules despite pushback from solar groups. Owners of solar energy grids get credits on their energy bill for the energy they send back to the system. But critics, including GOP Gov. Paul LePage, say the current system means electricity customers are unfairly subsidizing the solar […]
Posted inNation / World, sj-web
GOP forced to delay Senate committee votes on Price, Mnuchin
WASHINGTON — Democrats blocked planned Senate committee votes on President Donald Trump’s picks to be Health and Treasury secretaries on Tuesday, boycotting the session and demanding more information on the two nominees’ past financial behavior. The extraordinary and abrupt postponement came as congressional Democrats, in a confrontational mood over Trump administration actions, also used lengthy […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Gov. Paul LePage calls KKK fliers ‘disgusting’
AUGUSTA — Ku Klux Klan fliers purporting to be about a neighborhood watch drew concern for the safety of refugees and a swift rebuke from the governor in Maine. The fliers were found on Monday in Augusta, Gardiner and Freeport. The fliers found in Augusta said they were from “Traditionalist American Knights of the Ku […]
Posted inNation / World, sj-web
Donald Trump fires AG after she refuses to defend immigration order
WASHINGTON — In an extraordinary public showdown, President Donald Trump fired the acting attorney general of the United States after she publicly questioned the constitutionality of his refugee and immigration ban and refused to defend it in court. The clash Monday night between Trump and Sally Yates, a career prosecutor and Democratic appointee, laid bare […]
Posted inNation / World, sj-web
Trump’s supporters around the nation applaud immigration order
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — President Donald Trump’s order temporarily banning refugees and immigrants from seven mostly Muslim countries is playing well in Trump Country, those places that propelled him to the White House. Trump promised to put America first during the campaign, his supporters say, and he’s doing it. That includes securing the nation’s borders and […]