Background AUGUSTA — The backers of a citizen petition to create a casino in southern Maine have appealed Maine Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap’s ruling that they didn’t gather enough valid signatures to qualify for this November’s statewide ballot. Kristen Schulze Muszynski, spokeswoman for Dunlap’s office, said the casino backers filed their appeal Friday in […]
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Posted inMaine, sj-web
Legislature kills Gov. Paul LePage’s immigrant status bill
AUGUSTA — A proposal by Gov. Paul LePage to force municipalities to share information about immigrants was killed by House Democrats in a rare parliamentary maneuver practically before it saw the light of day on Tuesday. Republican Rep. Ellie Espling, the House minority leader, said she was furious with the move. LD 1652, which was […]
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Posted inMaine, sj-web
Gov. Paul LePage wants to raise law enforcement salaries
AUGUSTA — Gov. Paul LePage says his state needs to raise the wages of law enforcement officers to bring them in line with other states in New England. LePage has crafted a bill to provide pay increases for some law enforcement workers as a recruitment and retention tool. The proposal increases salaries by 12 to […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
UMaine system freezes tuition
AUGUSTA — The University of Maine System’s board of trustees has decided to extend a tuition freeze at public universities in the state through the 2016-17 academic year. Next year will be the sixth in a row in which tuition is frozen. Tuition and fees at the system’s flagship campus in Orono are about $10,606 […]
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Some Maine public records requests can take months
AUGUSTA (AP) — Maine law says public records must be made available to the public within a “reasonable” amount of time. But that could mean hours, days or even months, depending on the volume of material requested and other factors. Senate President Michael Thibodeau produced his email and calendar records four days after the Republican […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Gov. Paul LePage wants to suspend drug dealers’ driver’s licenses
Gov. Paul LePage has introduced a bill that would suspend the driver’s license of convicted drug dealers. LD 1647 would require a six-month suspension of the driver’s license of anyone who is convicted of violating the federal Controlled Substances Act. If a person convicted of trafficking or furnishing illegal drugs does not have a driver’s […]
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Minimum wage hike campaign says opponents misused research data
AUGUSTA – Advocates for raising Maine’s minimum wage to $12 an hour by 2020 say their opponents are distorting research data in an attempt to mislead lawmakers and the public in advance of a statewide ballot question in November. The opponents — a coalition of Maine business organizations including the state’s restaurant association and the […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Maine to get $1.2 million to treat opioid abuse
PORTLAND — Federal Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell says four Maine health centers will receive more than $1.2 million to expand substance abuse services, with a focus on opioid use. Officials with the Human Services Department say the money will help Maine increase the number of patients that can be screened for substance […]
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Ben Chin says he’s honored to be on Paul LePage’s ‘wanted list’
Lewiston activist Ben Chin on Friday called Gov. Paul LePage’s “wanted” poster of the Maine People’s Alliance leader a baseless “arts and crafts project.” At a town hall meeting in Bath on Thursday night, the governor had unveiled three “wanted” posters targeting Chin, Matt Schlobohm of the Maine AFL-CIO and Nick Bennett of the Natural […]
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Ben Carson backs Donald Trump for president
PALM BEACH, Florida — Former Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson says he and Donald Trump have “buried the hatchet” after months of political wrangling, and he is endorsing the GOP front-runner’s White House bid. At a press conference in Palm Beach, Florida on Friday, Carson, who left the race earlier this month, described “two Donald […]