The Legislature’s investigative arm Thursday released preliminary results of its review of the Maine State Lottery, saying that while academic research shows lottery sales increase as socioeconomic status declines, it had found no evidence that the state had specifically targeted particular segments of the population. Legislators in January had tasked the Office of Program Evaluation […]
politics
Posted inLewiston-Auburn
Bates students talk about their exploration of presidential elections
LEWISTON — Spending a semester engaged in a mock presidential election taught Bates College students how difficult it is to run a political campaign — and win one. Stephanie Kelley-Romano, a rhetoric professor, built a class around the mock election as a way to explore political speeches, debates, news and advertising in a real-life run […]
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Posted inNation / World, sj-web
Donald Trump reassures that transition is going ‘so smoothly’
NEW YORK — President-elect Donald Trump and his team are battling back against charges of chaos and infighting as they race to set up an administration. The incoming Republican administration got an unlikely boost from outgoing Vice President Joe Biden, who said that “no administration is ready on Day One.” Trump stayed out of the […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Patrick Woodcock to resign from Governor’s Energy Office next month
AUGUSTA — Gov. Paul LePage says the director of the Governor’s Energy Office is leaving the position next month. Patrick Woodcock will officially leave the post Dec. 9. Woodcock took the position in January 2013 after having worked for former U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe in Washington, D.C. Woodcock says he believes he’s leaving the position […]
Posted inFranklin, sj-web
Maine to recount House district 78 and 121 ballots
AUGUSTA — A pair of Maine House of Representative races could be the subject of recounts. The Maine Department of the Secretary of State says the requests have been made for House districts 78 and 121. The recounts haven’t yet been scheduled. Recounts of House districts generally take about half a day once they’re scheduled. […]
Posted inNation / World, sj-web
Mitch McConnell to lead Senate GOP; Charles Schumer new Democratic leader
The chamber’s Democrats replaced their departing leader with Sen. Chuck Schumer, meaning the New Yorker will be Washington’s most powerful Democrat as the party confronts a Republican-dominated government. “Where we can work together we will,” Schumer told reporters about his expected relationship with Trump, a fellow New Yorker with whom he shares a fondness for […]
Posted inNation / World, sj-web
Two GOP senators mentioned as possible picks for defense secretary
WASHINGTON — The two people most frequently mentioned to head the Pentagon in Donald Trump’s administration are both senators — and some of their chamber’s most hawkish Republicans. They are Alabama’s Jeff Sessions — one of Trump’s closest allies and a top booster since the start of the businessman’s unconventional campaign — and Arkansas’s Tom […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Maine Ethics Commission proposes new campaign finance rules
The Maine Ethics Commission has introduced a slate of new campaign finance rules that future candidates would have to follow if they win legislative approval. Some of the new rules, according to Jonathan Wayne, the ethics commission’s executive director, are the result of a 2015 referendum that was initiated by citizen petition. Other rules are […]
Posted inNation / World, sj-web
Donald Trump’s cabinet picks not guaranteed to sail through GOP Senate
Donald Trump sits atop Republicans in Washington, but that doesn’t necessarily mean the Senate will rubber-stamp everyone he picks for his Cabinet. While he can expect the Republican Senate to confirm the vast majority of his choices, the party’s narrow 52-48 edge and early infighting could slow or doom controversial ones. Sen. Rand Paul of […]
Posted inLewiston-Auburn, Maine
Bates students rally against Trump election
Our View: Take comfort in realities of adulthood LEWISTON — A week ago, Bates College students traipsed to the polls with enthusiasm and hope, spurred on by messages written in chalk all over campus urging them to #DumpTrump. Seven days later, with the chalk fading, more than 400 students gathered to bemoan Donald Trump’s presidential victory […]