AUGUSTA — Ann LePage has said she was hesitant to be Maine’s first lady, but Wednesday she again made history — and this time she didn’t have to jump from a “perfectly good airplane.” LePage spoke during her husband’s inaugural ceremonies, according to event organizers, a first for Maine first ladies. And while she took […]
politics
Posted inMaine
LePage launches second term with promises of job growth and a stronger economy
AUGUSTA — Paul LePage launched his second term as Maine’s governor Wednesday with robust promises to create jobs and improve the state’s long-flagging economy. He also vowed to tackle the state’s income tax, saying his vision was a Maine without an income tax. “We want Mainers to know prosperity and not poverty,” LePage said. He […]
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Posted inMaine, sj-web
Live Video: Watch Gov. Paul LePage’s Inauguration
Watch live video and social media coverage of the 2015 Inauguration ceremony for Gov. Paul LePage. Live Blog Gov. Paul LePage’s Inauguration
Posted inLewiston-Auburn, Maine
Lewiston mayor wants legislation to change General Assistance rules
AUGUSTA — The mayor of Lewiston is working with a pair of state senators from Auburn and Lisbon on a bill that would change the rules for dishing out city-controlled General Assistance, a state- and city-funded program for the poor facing financial hardships. Mayor Robert Macdonald said immigrants who are seeking asylum in his city […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
DHHS says EBT card photo fight could lead to loss of SNAP benefits
AUGUSTA — The roughly 249,000 Mainers who receive federal funds to help them buy food could see that aid vanish if an ongoing dispute between state and federal agencies over a new program that urges recipients to put their photos on the cards they use to buy groceries. Food and Nutrition Service — the U.S. […]
Posted inNation / World, sj-web
U.S. House re-elects Boehner as GOP takes control of Congress
WASHINGTON — Republicans assumed full control of Congress on Tuesday for the first time in eight years in a day of pomp, circumstance and raw politics beneath the Capitol Dome. Before the new Congress was two hours old, a veto showdown with President Barack Obama was set as the White House announced he would reject […]
Posted inBusiness, sj-web
Report forecasts wind power will generate 4,200 jobs in 2015
PORTLAND — Maine wind power supporters are touting the industry’s economic impact ahead of the legislative session. A report Tuesday by the Maine Center for Business & Economic Research at the University of Southern Maine says the industry will produce 4,200 jobs in 2015 and that the industry is poised to double over the next […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Maine’s first female chief federal judge takes over
PORTLAND — A former Maine-based federal prosecutor is the new chief judge of the United States District Court for the District of Maine. Officials say Judge Nancy Torresen became chief judge on Tuesday. She succeeds Judge John A. Woodcock, whose term as chief judge ended this month. Torresen worked for the United States Attorney’s Office […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
LePage: Critics of new service building should ‘get over it’
The new 75,000-square-foot structure, which cost approximately $10 million, will consolidate the regional offices of the Department of Labor, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Department of Education, now housed in several buildings in downtown Portland. The appeal of consolidating agencies under one roof is to make the services more accessible for […]
Posted inMaine
New chairmen of Legislature’s Health Committee set to start on friendly terms
AUGUSTA — The co-chairmen of the Legislature’s Health and Human Services Committee say they are committed to a civil and friendly process but the “devil will be in the details” when it comes to key issues such as welfare reform and changes to the state’s support for General Assistance, a local welfare program administered by […]