AUGUSTA — In what could be a blow to public access to State House proceedings, a Lisbon lawmaker is questioning whether legislative committee meetings should continue to be recorded and archived. Streamed online, the public meetings of the Legislature and its standing committees are available to anyone with an internet connection. The sessions are also […]
politics
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Analysis: How many vetoes can the Legislature overturn Friday?
AUGUSTA — Legislators will return to the State House on Friday to vote on overriding at least 33 vetoes from Gov. Paul LePage, with bills at stake that would expand access to an heroin overdose antidote and reform Maine’s solar industry. Those will highlight the last regularly scheduled daily session of Maine’s 127th Legislature, which has overridden 70 […]
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Posted inNation / World, sj-web
BREAKING: Ted Cruz to pick Carly Fiorina as his running mate
INDIANAPOLIS — Ted Cruz, in an apparent act of desperation, announced Wednesday that Carly Fiorina will be his vice presidential running mate if he is the Republican nominee for president. Announcing a running mate is an unusual step that comes as he trails GOP front-runner Donald Trump by a wide margin and faces an increasingly […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Bill Beardsely wants to equalize educational opportunities
AUBURN — Bill Beardsley, Gov. Paul LePage’s point man on education reform, said Wednesday that his goal over the next couple of years is to finally make progress on issues that have baffled and defeated policymakers for decades. Beardsley said during a lunchtime lecture hosted by the Maine Heritage Policy Center that his priority is […]
Posted inBusiness, sj-web
Gov. Paul LePage vetoes solar bill
AUGUSTA — Maine Gov. Paul LePage has vetoed a bill that sought to modernize the state’s policies on solar power. The bill would change how solar customers are paid for their surplus power. Utilities would pay rates set by regulators instead of paying retail price. The Republican governor has been skeptical of the bill but […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Maine voters to decide marijuana legalization in November
Maine Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap says supporters of a referendum proposal to legalize marijuana have cleared the hurdle to appear on the November ballot. Dunlap said Wednesday election officials have certified an additional 11,305 signatures. That brings the number over the threshold of 61,123 valid signatures. Now the referendum initiative will go to lawmakers, […]
Posted inMaine
AMA urges Maine lawmakers to overturn Narcan veto
AUGUSTA — In a letter Wednesday, the top doctor for the American Medical Association urged Maine lawmakers to overturn the governor’s veto of a bill that would have provided broader access to the opioid overdose drug naloxone — known commonly by its brand name, Narcan. “Maine, like nearly every state in the nation, is seeing […]
Posted inFranklin
UMF protester proud to be called an ‘idiot’ by Gov. Paul LePage
FARMINGTON — Freshman Ally Hammond, an Auburn native, said she was shocked that a sign she held up Tuesday prompted Gov. Paul LePage to storm off a stage at the University of Maine at Farmington, calling her and another student “idiots.” Hammond, 19, a psychology major at UMF, said she doesn’t dislike LePage because he’s […]
Posted inMaine
Gov. Paul LePage apologizes for abruptly leaving UMF ceremony
AUGUSTA — Gov. Paul LePage apologized Wednesday to the president and the former president of the University of Maine at Farmington for abruptly leaving a dedication ceremony and calling two students “idiots.” Reacting to signs held by student protesters Nick Bray and Ally Hammond, LePage cut short his speech during a ceremony to rename a […]
Posted inBusiness, sj-web
Democrats in talks with Gov. Paul LePage to save solar bill
AUGUSTA — Gov. Paul LePage is considering an 11th-hour deal with Democrats that would allow a bill that would boost solar power in Maine to become law. The Republican governor said on WVOM-FM Tuesday that he has been working with Democrats to make the bill “more palatable,” but he doubted that a deal could be […]