LEWISTON — About 50 immigrant families seeking asylum in Maine will lose state-funded food stamp and Temporary Assistance to Needy Family benefits in December, according to the Maine Department of Health and Human Services. About $260,000 in temporary funding for the benefits, which help 128 individuals statewide, including children, has been depleted, DHHS spokesman John […]
politics
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Second legalized marijuana group forms in Maine
AUGUSTA — A second group has formed with the intention of asking Maine voters to legalize recreational use of marijuana, raising questions about whether the two initiatives might spur the incoming Legislature to pre-empt them and write its own law to send to referendum. , formerly the legislative liaison for Medical Marijuana Caregivers of Maine, […]
advertisement
Posted inMaine, sj-web
LePage: Medicaid fight may go to Supreme Court
AUGUSTA (AP) — Maine Gov. Paul LePage said he expects that the state’s fight with the federal government over whether it can remove thousands of low-income young adults from the state’s welfare rolls will end up in the U.S. Supreme Court. The Republican governor told the Maine Public Broadcasting Network on Tuesday that he hopes the […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
King opposes Keystone pipeline, puts Senate vote in doubt
WASHINGTON — Republican leaders promised Tuesday to take up and pass a bill approving the Keystone XL pipeline next year if the Senate fails to advance the measure this fall, or President Barack Obama vetoes it. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who will become the majority leader in January, urged Democrats to vote Tuesday evening […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Federal court rejects Maine’s Medicaid cuts
AUGUSTA — About 6,000 19- and 20-year-old low-income Mainers will continue to receive health insurance coverage under MaineCare, the state’s Medicaid program, after a federal court ruling against ’s administration on Monday. Maine Department of Health and Human Services Commissioner Mary Mayhew said in a prepared statement that “judges have gone out of their way […]
Posted inLewiston-Auburn, Maine
Libby prevails in recount of Lewiston state Senate race
AUGUSTA — Nate Libby, a Lewiston Democrat, was officially declared the winner in the race for state Senate District 21 on Monday, according to Maine Secretary of State Matt Dunlap. Libby, who currently serves in the Maine House of Representatives and on the Lewiston City Council, was running against Republican Patti Gagne, a local insurance […]
Posted inBusiness, Maine
Maine’s lack of population growth source of economic concern
AUGUSTA — State lawmakers heard again Monday that Maine’s dwindling and aging population will continue to be one of the biggest factors in the state’s long-struggling economy. Key policymakers, including Gov. Paul LePage, are focused on a series of issues they believe would make the state a more welcoming place for job creators, including reducing […]
Posted inLewiston-Auburn
Forum speaker to talk about election results and what they mean
LEWISTON — Results of the recent election and what they mean will be the topic at the Great Falls Forum at noon Friday, Nov. 21, in Callahan Hall at the Lewiston Public Library. Bates College Associate Professor of Politics John Baughman will speaking on “The 2014 Election: What did we Learn and What Can We […]
Posted inMaine
‘What’s so damn liberal about wasting money?’: Madeleine Albright talks about politics, Muskie’s legacy in Portland
PORTLAND — Madeleine Albright told Portland audience members Saturday afternoon they must be willing to listen to political opinions that challenge theirs. Albright, a prominent Democrat who was the first woman to become U.S. secretary of state in 1997, said her mentor, the late former U.S. Sen. Edmund Muskie of Maine, was willing to buck […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Social service providers question direction of DHHS after high-level firings
The departure of two high-level managers in the Maine Department of Health and Human Services on Wednesday left some social services providers surprised and concerned about the fate of vulnerable children and Mainers struggling with addiction. Guy Cousins, director of the Office of Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services, and Therese Cahill-Low, director of the […]