AUGUSTA — Two candidates vying for seats in the Maine Senate are no longer seeking a ballot recount. Maine Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap’s office said Friday that there will no longer be recounts in the race for Senate District 2, which includes parts of Aroostook and Penobscot Counties. Unofficial results show that Republican Michael […]
politics
Posted inNation / World, sj-web
Report details Secret Service fails as fence jumper breached White House
WASHINGTON — Layer after layer of security measures that were supposed to block an intruder from getting into the White House all failed in stunning succession on the evening of Sept. 19, according to an internal review of a fence jumper’s breach. There were nearly a dozen failures in the Secret Service’s rings of security […]
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Posted inMaine, sj-web
Collins, King visit Guantanamo Bay
AUGUSTA — Maine Sens. Susan Collins and Angus King are heading to Guantanamo Bay to review the detention center there. Collins, a Republican, and King, an Independent, are among a bipartisan group of seven lawmakers traveling to the U.S. military base in Cuba on Friday. The senators’ offices called the trip a “fact-finding oversight mission” […]
Posted inMaine
Maine House GOP spokesman stepping down, moving on
AUGUSTA — The spokesman for Republicans in the Maine House of Representatives is leaving his post to pursue different political work, he said Thursday David Sorensen, who took a leave of absence last spring to serve as spokesman for the Maine Republican Party during the last election cycle will not return to his State House […]
Posted inMaine
Androscoggin County voters send young guns to state Senate
LEWISTON — In a state increasingly haunted by its ever-aging population and national notoriety for being the oldest state in America, voters in Androscoggin County have sent three people to the state Senate this year who are all younger than 30. At 26, Eric Brakey, an Auburn Republican and a freshman to the Legislature, will hold […]
Posted inNation / World, sj-web
Collins, King could be key to getting legislation passed in U.S. Senate
WASHINGTON — Soft-spoken Republican Sen. Susan Collins is quite popular these days, fielding calls from President Barack Obama, members of the GOP leadership and top Democrats Harry Reid and Chuck Schumer. The outreach was more than just congratulations for winning a fourth term. Both parties have an incentive for courting Collins. Come January, the centrist […]
Posted inMaine
Political leaders tip hats to Maine vets, point out progress and goals
AUGUSTA — The state’s top political leaders — including Maine’s Republican governor and Democratic speaker of the house — took time Tuesday to honor the state’s more than 140,000 military veterans. House Speaker Mark Eves, D-North Berwick, pointed to recent law changes that are aimed at making veterans’ lives better in Maine. Gov. Paul LePage […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Maine’s education commissioner takes medical leave
AUGUSTA — Jim Rier, the state’s education commissioner, has been placed on indefinite medical leave, according to Department of Education spokeswoman Samantha Warren. Warren did not provide details about Rier’s condition, but she said his absence is expected to be temporary and that Rier remains in close contact with department leadership. In the interim, Gov. […]
Posted inMaine
State House leaders offer outlook for pending Maine legislative session
AUGUSTA — As they prepare for the upcoming lawmaking session, Republican leaders in the Legislature said Monday they hope to home in on key policy initiatives, including more welfare reform, lowering energy costs and reducing tax burdens. Democrats, now in the minority in the Senate, said they will take a measured approach as they work […]
Posted inOp-Eds
Charles Krauthammer: To GOP: Seize the day
WASHINGTON — Memo to the GOP. You had a great night on Tuesday. But remember: You didn’t win it. The Democrats lost it. This is not to say that you didn’t show discipline in making the election a referendum on six years of Barack Obama. You exercised adult supervision over the choice of candidates. You […]