AUGUSTA — The outgoing executive director of the state Board of Corrections, Ryan Thornell, confirmed for lawmakers Tuesday that Maine’s county jails are indeed facing critical funding shortfalls and public safety could be at risk. Thornell and Sagadahoc County Sheriff Joel Merry told a joint meeting of the Legislature’s Appropriations and Criminal Justice and Public […]
politics
Posted inAdvertiser Democrat, Maine
North to Augusta: Delegation split on pipeline expansion, hayride safety on State House docket
Pipeline or no pipeline? In a sharp divide, the two junior members of Maine’s U.S. Congressional delegation made arguments for and against the now famed Keystone XL oil pipeline expansion proposal. In speeches earlier this month, U.S. Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, and 2nd District U.S. Rep. Bruce Poliquin, a Republican, offered countering views on the […]
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Posted inMaine
From Afghanistan to Augusta, Jared Golden says desire to serve drives him
LEWISTON — When state Rep. Jared Golden thinks about Maine veterans, he does it from a personal perspective. Serving his first term in the Maine House, Golden, 32, is a Marine Corps veteran of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. It’s why he wanted to be on the Legislature’s Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee. It’s […]
Posted inLewiston-Auburn
Forum focuses on tax reform and LePage budget plan
LEWISTON — The chief architect of a state tax reform plan that was rejected by the Legislature in 2013 said Friday that he sees hope on the horizon for a Gov. Paul LePage budget proposal that includes similar reforms. Former state Sen. Dick Woodbury, a Yarmouth independent, said LePage’s 2016-17 state budget proposal, currently being […]
Posted inMaine
Brakey pushes bill to allow medical pot in hospitals
AUGUSTA — State Sen. Eric Brakey, R-Auburn, is sponsoring legislation that would allow medical marijuana patients legal access to their prescriptions in a hospital. Brakey’s bill, LD 35, “An Act To Allow a Qualifying Patient To Use Medical Marijuana in a Hospital,” is a response to federal licensing laws, which prohibit hospital patients from using […]
Posted inMaine
Brooks launches proposal to allow cities local sales tax
AUGUSTA – State Rep. Heidi Brooks, D-Lewiston, has penned a bill that would allow cities and towns to levy a local sales tax on certain goods and services. Brooks, a freshman lawmaker, said she is responding to concerns she heard while campaigning for office last fall and an answer to her city’s ongoing struggles with […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
LePage’s budget proposal aims to overhaul forest service
Eight months after vetoing a bill that would have armed Maine forest rangers, Gov. Paul LePage, in his budget proposal, is seeking to overhaul the Maine Forest Service by creating a new class of natural resources law enforcement officers under the Bureau of Forestry and removing the police powers of existing rangers. The budget plan […]
Posted inNation / World, sj-web
U.S. Supreme Court to hear same-sex marriage case
WASHINGTON — Setting the stage for a potentially historic ruling, the Supreme Court says it will decide whether same-sex couples nationwide have a right to marry under the Constitution. The justices said Friday they will review an appellate ruling that upheld bans on same-sex unions in four states. The case will be argued in April […]
Posted inBusiness, sj-web
Auburn Manufacturing president to attend State of the Union speech
AUGUSTA — Independent Sen. Angus King has invited the head of an Auburn-based manufacturing company to next week’s State of the Union Address in Washington. Kathie Leonard, the president and co-founder of Auburn Manufacturing, Inc., will sit in the House gallery for President Barack Obama’s speech on Tuesday. King says that Leonard’s hard work, innovation […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Legislative session covers everything from getting a state dog to getting rid of cash bail
AUGUSTA — Just a guess, but creating in law an official state sweetener (maple syrup, of course) will probably go easier than naming Maine’s official dog (Labrador retriever?). Among the 1,514 bills proposed by lawmakers this year, there’s an attempt to make maple syrup the state sweetener, courtesy of Rep. Russell Black, R-Wilton, and to […]