AUGUSTA — A report released Friday by the Maine Legislature’s watchdog group found that Riverview Psychiatric Center hasn’t tracked staff behaviors that could undermine safety at the facility. It was among minor problems flagged at the hospital, which was decertified by the federal government in 2013 after violations including restraint and use of a stun […]
politics
Posted inMaine
Judge reverses rejection of marijuana legalization petitions
Superior Court Justice Michaela Murphy made the decision in a 26-page ruling issued Friday. She ruled that Dunlap “committed an error of law by applying a vague, subjective and/or unduly burdensome interpretation” of the law. She wrote that variations in signatures are understandable, given how citizen petitions are conducted. Murphy’s decision puts the question back […]
advertisement
Posted inMaine
Lewiston consultant was paid more than $760,000 for failed casino campaign
AUGUSTA — A Lewiston-based political consultant and former state lawmaker was paid more than $760,000 in a recent effort to collect voter signatures for a failed ballot question campaign for a Southern Maine casino. According to records filed with the Maine Commission on Governmental Ethics and Election Practices, Olympic Consulting, headed by Stavros Mendros, a […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Maine Senate OKs bill targeting hunger
AUGUSTA — The Maine Senate has given initial approval to a proposal designed to improve administration of federal rules so hungry children and seniors in the state can get access to nutritious food. The Senate approved the bill by a count of 29-6 on Thursday. Supporters say the bill would improve administration of the federal […]
Posted inMaine
Last-minute budget plan panned by legislative Democrats
AUGUSTA — An 11th-hour House Republican supplemental budget, and conditions attached to it, were being rejected by Democrats in the Maine Legislature late Thursday. House Speaker Mark Eves, D-North Berwick, said House Minority Leader Ken Fredette, R-Newport, offered the budget proposal that includes almost all of the items that were in a budget package that […]
Posted inAdvertiser Democrat, Maine
Maine lawmakers continue practice of meeting behind closed doors
AUGUSTA — Lawmakers on the Legislature’s Health and Human Services Committee thumbed their noses at Maine’s open-meeting law Thursday, taking their deliberations behind locked doors after being challenged by the Sun Journal on the matter. The committee was meeting to debate proposed Department of Health and Human Services rule changes that could result in the […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Maine Senate passes ‘In God We Trust’ resolution
AUGUSTA — The Maine Senate has adopted a resolution that reaffirms “In God We Trust” as the official motto of the United States. The Senate adopted the resolution on Thursday. The resolution supports the display of the motto in homes, houses of worship, public buildings, public schools and other government institutions. The resolution states that […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Lawmakers consider home birth regulations
AUGUSTA — The Maine Senate is considering a bill that would regulate home births in an attempt to ensure that they are safe. The bill states that it proposes to license and regulate certified professional midwives who practice in the state. It would create criteria for licensure and oversight, and require data collection for quality […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Judge says no dice to casino petition appeal
AUGUSTA — A superior court judge has upheld Secretary of State Matt Dunlap’s decision to reject a citizen petition to create a casino in southern Maine. In March, Dunlap deemed more than half the signatures on the casino petition were invalid. Horseracing Jobs Fairness, which led the casino petition drive and spent $156,000 on it, […]
Posted inBusiness, sj-web
Gov. Paul LePage says Maine about to lose 900 jobs
AUGUSTA — Gov. Paul LePage says that a company in southern Maine is on the verge of shedding 900 jobs, and he suggested that the company is leaving the state. The Republican governor told an audience at a town-hall-style meeting in Orono on Wednesday that he would not name the firm because he is he […]