LEWISTON — A Bangor-area lawyer is facing a telephone harassment charge for a phone message he allegedly left for Auburn Mayor Jonathan LaBonte. The racially charged message, left on the mayor’s mobile phone, makes references to lynchings and a recent change in state law that allows adults to carry concealed handguns without permits, and refers […]
politics
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Federal law limits National Guard in law enforcement roles
PORTLAND — Gov. Paul LePage is threatening to call up the National Guard to fight an epidemic of heroin and other drugs if lawmakers don’t hire more agents. LePage made a surprise appearance in the Legislature on Thursday, telling panelists on the Appropriations Committee that there’s a “dire need” for a more robust response. He […]
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Posted inNation / World, sj-web
Analysis: Why Ben Carson’s West Point claim never made sense
Ben Carson’s campaign admitted that a central point in his inspirational personal story was fabricated: his application and acceptance into the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. Posted by POLITICO on Friday, November 6, 2015 Ben Carson’s story about receiving a scholarship to the prestigious U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York, is now under […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
National Guard 133rd Engineer Battalion will stay in Maine
AUGUSTA — The adjutant general of the Maine National Guard, Brig. Gen. Gerald Bolduc, says plans to convert the 133rd Engineer Battalion into an infantry battalion have officially been scrapped. The Maine National Guard confirmed Friday that the National Guard Bureau command plan retains existing Maine Army National Guard units and that none would convert […]
Posted inBusiness, sj-web
President Obama kills Keystone pipeline
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama rejected an application to build the Keystone XL pipeline Friday after 7 years of federal review, declaring the proposed project wouldn’t serve U.S. national interests and would have undercut America’s global leadership on climate change. The 1,179-mile proposed pipeline wouldn’t have lowered U.S. gas prices, Obama said, nor would it have […]
Posted inLewiston-Auburn
Bates student voters take issue with Lewiston candidate Soule
LEWISTON — Mayoral candidate Charles Soule said he was trying to make a point about local elections when he challenged a group of Bates College students at the polls Tuesday. “I explained the facts, about how would they feel if I went to their family’s home district and started voting in their election without changing […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
$1.7 million spent to raise public campaign financing
PORTLAND — Political committees spent a collective $1.7 million to campaign for expanding the state’s publicly financed election system, battling vocal but frugal opposition. A group working to defeat the measure raised just more than $44,000. The battle over proposed changes to Maine’s public campaign financing system was the most hotly contested of three state […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Gov. Paul LePage wants to use National Guard in war against drugs
AUGUSTA — Gov. Paul LePage said Thursday he may call out the Maine Army National Guard if legislators don’t quickly provide money to hire judges, agents and prosecutors to fight the state’s drug epidemic. The Republican governor made a surprise appearance before the Legislature’s budget-writing Appropriations Committee, speaking after Attorney General Janet Mills gave an update […]
Posted inBusiness, sj-web
Obama administration releases text of Trans Pacific Partnership pact
WASHINGTON — Details of a sweeping Pacific Rim trade deal released Thursday set the stage for a raucous debate in the U.S. Congress but also may provide reassurances to those who worried the agreement could gut protections for the environment, public health and labor. The text of the Trans Pacific Partnership agreement between the U.S. […]
Posted inLewiston-Auburn
Androscoggin commissioners offer settlement after successful Charter vote
AUBURN — The Androscoggin County commissioners have proposed a settlement to the county municipalities one day after voters strongly supported an amendment to the county charter that commissioners say “reaffirmed” their authority over the budget process. “The voters have now spoken with overwhelming support for the solution the board of commissioners proposed,” wrote Beth Bell, […]