AUGUSTA — Increasing the wage for the state’s lowest-paid workers is on the agenda for Democrats in the Legislature, and Republicans are likely to counter with right-to-work legislation that will be a nonstarter for the pro-union House majority. On Wednesday, rookie state Rep. Gina Melaragno, D-Auburn, offered a proposal that would increase the state’s minimum […]
politics
Posted inMaine
Maine hospitals say proposed LePage budget will cost them $55 million a year
AUGUSTA — Hospital executives and their representatives lined up Wednesday to say a proposed two-year budget offered by Republican Gov. Paul LePage would damage the state’s health care system and put hospitals deeper in debt if passed by the Legislature. Members of the Legislature’s budget-writing Appropriations Committee and the Health and Human Services Committee are […]
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Liquor inspector tells lawmakers pint law would be impossible to enforce
AUGUSTA — The state’s top liquor inspector told lawmakers Wednesday that legislation to ensure a pint of beer contains 16 ounces would be impossible to enforce. Time-crunched and scrambling to crack down on more serious crimes, Gregory Mineo, director of the Maine Bureau of Alcoholic Beverages and Lottery Operations, told legislators that inspectors would be overburdened if tasked with […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
LePage vows to keep fighting to kill Maine income tax
LePage spoke first at a luncheon held by the Maine Heritage Policy Center, a conservative think tank, at the Cross Insurance Center. About 70 people attended, each paying between $45 and $55 for the right to hear the governor’s speech. The governor’s sales pitch was roughly the same: LePage said his tax reform plan will […]
Posted inLewiston-Auburn
Auburn councilor files FOAA requests with city, Mayor LaBonte
AUBURN — A question of how Mayor Jonathan LaBonte and another city councilor obtained contract information regarding L/A Arts, which City Councilor Tizz Crowley said was not shared with her, convinced Crowley to file a formal Freedom of Access Act request for that document. Crowley said she filed the request with acting City Manager Howard […]
Posted inNation / World, sj-web
Justice Department won’t pursue civil rights action in Ferguson shooting
WASHINGTON — The Justice Department won’t prosecute a former Ferguson, Missouri, police officer in the shooting death of an unarmed black 18-year-old, but in a scathing report released Wednesday faulted the city and its law enforcement for racial bias. Federal officials concluded there was no evidence to disprove former officer Darren Wilson’s testimony that he […]
Posted inNation / World, sj-web
Supreme Court shows deep division over ACA
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court is sharply divided over the tax subsidies that make insurance affordable for millions of Americans under President Barack Obama’s health overhaul. The justices on Wednesday aggressively questioned the lawyers on both sides of the latest politically charged fight over the Affordable Care Act. Chief Justice John Roberts said almost nothing […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Legislator aims to tighten Maine’s household chemical rules
AUGUSTA — A Maine legislator wants to require the state to include products that threaten the health of pregnant women when it sets rules about potentially toxic products. Rep. Sara Gideon, D-Freeport, says her bill would tighten state laws about such products. She and a group of environmental and health advocates say the bill is […]
Posted inMaine
Opponents speak out against LePage cuts to immigrant welfare
AUGUSTA — The Legislature’s budget-writing committee on Tuesday heard from scores of people opposed to Gov. Paul LePage’s proposal to eliminate welfare programs that help asylum-seeking immigrants. Speaking in French, Vincent Mwamba, 70, told the Appropriations Committee that he was a judge in his home country of the Congo, but when he refused to find an innocent […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Maine DOT wants to double bridge replacement funds
AUGUSTA — Maine’s transportation officials say the state must double the amount of money it spends on bridges to ensure their safety and prevent significant long-term costs. The Maine Department of Transportation currently dedicates about $70 million a year for bridge replacement and maintenance projects. But a recent report by the department says it needs […]