AUGUSTA — Maine voters could face competing pot ballot measures in 2016, both seeking to make recreational marijuana legal. But the split between a national legalization advocacy group and a home-grown Maine organization could divide support for marijuana reforms that most polls suggest are favored by a majority of the state’s voters. On Wednesday, Paul […]
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Posted inMaine
Maine bill would make a pint a pint; Rumford lawmaker wants a full glass
AUGUSTA — Beer drinkers, you know how it goes. You’re looking forward to that tall, cold one after work and what you get instead is an almost full glass or a glass with three inches of foam, instead of beer. But you’re so thirsty you don’t bother to complain. You pay up and drink. But […]
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Tax on Maine summer camps would force some to close, owners say
AUGUSTA — The snow may be piled high, but dozens of Maine summer camps are already sounding the alarm about a proposal by Republican Gov. Paul LePage that would force many to pay property taxes. LePage’s two-year budget proposal includes a recommendation that the state change its law to allow cities and towns to charge […]
Posted inMaine
Lewiston attorney makes case against LePage asking for lawyers
LEWISTON — A local attorney and law professor is making a case against Republican Gov. Paul LePage’s use of private attorneys when Maine’s attorney general refuses to represent the state. LePage has asked a state’s highest court to determine if he should be allowed to hire attorneys in those situations. Under the state’s constitution and […]
Posted inMaine
Maine DHHS questions Portland’s spending on General Assistance
LEWISTON — A proposal by Republican Gov. Paul LePage to revamp the way the state reimburses cities and towns for General Assistance payments takes clear aim at Maine’s biggest city. Under the proposed change, Portland would lose at least $4.4 million in reimbursements, although Portland officials estimate the figure could be as high as $6 […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Losing libertarian endorsement doesn’t worry Poliquin
PORTLAND — U.S. Rep. Bruce Poliquin is brushing off criticism he’s getting from some conservatives for not voting to repeal President Barack Obama’s health care law. Poliquin was one of three Republicans in the House to vote this week against repealing the law. The freshman congressman says he opposes it but believes a replacement plan […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Mills says court doesn’t need to rule on LePage request
AUGUSTA — Maine’s attorney general says the state’s highest court shouldn’t offer an opinion on whether Republican Gov. Paul LePage can hire private lawyers without her permission. LePage asked the Maine Supreme Judicial Court to weigh in on the issue last month. The Republican says giving Attorney General Janet Mills, a Democrat, power to deny […]
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CDC fails to tie measles outbreak to immigration
One of our colleagues noticed that virtually every Washington Post article concerning the measles outbreak is followed by comments that link the outbreak to illegal immigration. As it turned out, a number of prominent politicians have suggested that there might be a link — or that a link cannot be ruled out. (LePage did not […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Analysis: LePage’s tax reform plan may not be new but it’s bold
AUGUSTA — A conservative columnist in Forbes hailed it as the “most ambitious” proposal of the year, but here in Maine, when Gov. Paul LePage unveiled the comprehensive tax reform plan that is the cornerstone of his budget, many were left feeling a sense of deja vu. The pillars of the plan — a reduction […]
Posted inMaine
Collins and King offer bill to lower taxes on craft brewers
In an effort to help America’s craft beer makers, U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, has authored a bill that would reduce federal production taxes paid by companies that brew relatively small batches of beer. The bill, dubbed the Small BREW Act of 2015, is being co-sponsored by U.S. Sen. Angus King, I-Maine. It aims to […]