AUGUSTA — A bill that would lift the requirement that adults wear seat belts in Maine encountered head-on resistance Friday from advocates who argued on behalf of their life- and money-saving attributes. Maine’s law mandating seat belts has evolved since 1983, when it required children from birth to age 4 to be in a child […]
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Posted inMaine, sj-web
LePage wants bill to restrict AG’s control of settlement funds
AUGUSTA — Republican Gov. Paul LePage says he’s introducing a bill to limit the powers of the attorney general when it comes to spending settlement money. LePage said it’s inappropriate that Attorney General Janet Mills has given herself sole discretion to spend Maine’s $21.5 million settlement with Standard and Poor’s. LePage said his bill “clarifies […]
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Brakey bill makes concealed carry without permit legal in Maine
AUGUSTA — A state senator from Auburn said Thursday he has nearly 100 co-sponsors for a bill that would make it legal to carry a concealed firearm without a permit in Maine. Republican Eric Brakey said a bipartisan coalition is backing the measure, which failed in the Legislature in 2013 and 2014. A total of […]
Posted inMaine
Chin to run for mayor in Lewiston
LEWISTON — Ben Chin, an activist with the Maine People’s Alliance, a left-leaning political organization, is running for mayor. An email sent by Chin’s campaign manager, Genevieve Lysen, inviting media to a campaign kickoff next week announced Chin’s campaign. “Ben decided to run for mayor because he believes in this city and its brightest possibilities,” […]
Posted inMaine
Legislation targets false claims of military service
AUGUSTA — People who falsely claim they’re military veterans for financial gain could be more easily prosecuted under a proposal passed by the Legislature’s Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee on Wednesday. Stemming from a bill offered by state Rep. Brad Farrin, R-Norridgewock, a change to state law would make it clear that a person falsely […]
Posted inMaine
Bill would put passenger rail on track for Lewiston and Auburn
AUGUSTA — Expanding passenger rail service from Portland to Lewiston-Auburn has been a decades-long struggle for local business and rail advocates, and a bill before the state Legislature could finally help advance that effort. State Rep. Jared Golden, D-Lewiston, is hoping his bill will provide the push needed to link the Twin Cities to Amtrak’s […]
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Breaking: State CDC director takes new role in DHHS
AUGUSTA — The director of Maine’s Center for Disease Control is moving to a new position. Department of Health and Human Services Commissioner Mary Mayhew announced Sheila Pinette will become Chief Health Officer for DHHS while Ken Albert will take over as director of CDC. “The Maine Centers for Disease Control is headed in an […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Federal judge nullifies Maine’s drug importation law
A federal judge has overturned Maine’s first-in-the-nation law allowing residents to purchase medication by mail from other countries. U.S. Chief District Judge Nancy Torresen’s ruling Monday comes more than a year after several Maine pharmacy groups filed suit against the state over the 2013 law, arguing it jeopardizes the safety of the nation’s prescription drug […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Human rights panel rules against owner of service Chihuahua
WINTHROP — The Maine Human Rights Commission says there are no grounds to believe a Farmingdale woman suffered housing discrimination when an apartment complex made her feel uncomfortable about her use of a service dog, a 3.6-pound Chihuahua. Fifty-one-year-old Laurie Randall accused S.J. Wood Construction, Scene Valley and Laurie Haefele, all of Winthrop, in the […]
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Increased sales tax proposal draws opposition
AUGUSTA — Republican Gov. Paul LePage is coming under fire for his attempt to raise and broaden the sales tax to help pay for his income tax cut. LePage wants to raise the sales tax — currently 5.5 percent — one percentage point and expand it to include things like legal and accounting services. Tickets […]