AUGUSTA — The governor’s proposed budget would do away with a school-funding surtax on the state’s top earners approved by voters in November. Question 2, which voters narrowly passed on Nov. 8, raised taxes by 3 percent on annual incomes of more than $200,000; that money would go to K-12 schools. Gov. Paul LePage has […]
politics
Posted inNation / World, sj-web
Donald Trump taps Robert Kennedy Jr. to lead ‘vaccine safety’ commission
Donald Trump met Tuesday with Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a prominent skeptic of vaccines for children, and asked him to chair a new commission on vaccine safety and scientific integrity, suggesting that the president-elect continues to believe a widely discredited theory that vaccines cause autism. Speaking to reporters in the lobby of Trump Tower on […]
advertisement
Posted inMaine
Sen. Angus King again credits insurance with saving his life
As a 29-year-old Senate aide, King beat a dangerous form of skin cancer — malignant melanoma — that was discovered during a routine checkup he may never had found had he lacked insurance. That experience left him with an abiding belief in the importance of health insurance, a commitment that has made him a staunch […]
Posted inBusiness, sj-web
PUC sees little benefit in gas pipeline for Maine ratepayers
AUGUSTA — A recent report says Maine taxpayers are unlikely to benefit from plans to invest up to $75 million a year into storing natural gas in liquid form. The report found 11 proposals received by the Maine Public Utilities Commission are not expected to provide a big return on investment for ratepayers if the […]
Posted inNation / World, sj-web
Sens. Susan Collins, Angus King say Trump hiring freeze should exempt VA
PORTLAND — Maine’s U.S. senators are calling for President-elect Donald Trump to exempt the Department of Veterans Affairs from a potential hiring freeze on civilian federal employees. Sens. Susan Collins and Angus King say Trump should not include critical VA personnel who provide care and support for veterans. They said Tuesday that a hiring freeze […]
Posted inNation / World, sj-web
Jeff Sessions promises to be fair, defy Trump if needed
WASHINGTON — Sen. Jeff Sessions cast himself as a strong protector of law and order at his confirmation hearing Tuesday, promising that as attorney general he would crack down on illegal immigration, gun violence and the “scourge of radical Islamic terrorism.” Sessions, echoing rhetoric used on the campaign trail by President-elect Donald Trump, warned of […]
Posted inLewiston-Auburn, Maine
Sen. Susan Collins seeks to delay Obamacare’s repeal
Maine’s senior senator joined four Republican colleagues late Monday to hit the brakes on a bid to quickly repeal the Affordable Care Act. In her amendment to the budget reconciliation measure that includes a provision to repeal Obamacare, U.S. Sen. Susan Collins seeks to extend the bill’s timeline to allow GOP leaders to develop an […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Legislators prepare to rework Gov. Paul LePage’s budget
AUGUSTA — Gov. Paul LePage’s $6.8 billion budget proposal was still being digested in the State House on Monday, but all signs were pointing toward the obvious: The Maine Legislature won’t let it pass the way it came. The LePage administration devoted much of Monday to briefing legislators on the budget, which was released late […]
Posted inLewiston-Auburn, Maine
Lewiston lawmakers schedule office hours for public
LEWISTON — The city’s legislative delegation plans to hold office hours on Jan. 21 to discuss issues related to state government. The 90-minute session will provide residents with a chance to ask questions and to hear updates on issues ranging from business to the budget. The office hours are slated to take place from 11 […]
Posted inLewiston-Auburn, Maine
Trump critics eyeing L.L. Bean boycott
Critics of President-elect Donald Trump are eyeing a boycott of Maine retail giant L.L.Bean. The #GrabYourWallet boycott site added the Freeport retailer Friday to its list of companies that consumers opposed to Trump should consider boycotting. Shannon Coulter, a California marketing specialist who created the online boycott list, said Saturday the company landed on the […]