WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel on Monday proposed shrinking the Army to its smallest size in 74 years, closing military bases and making other military-wide savings as part of a broad reshaping after more than a decade of war. Hagel outlined his vision in a speech at the Pentagon, a week before President Barack […]
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Posted inMaine, sj-web
LePage requests disaster relief for December’s ice storm
AUGUSTA — Gov. Paul LePage is asking for federal disaster relief for all 16 counties for damage from the December ice storm. LePage said Monday that the request documents more than $1.8 million in damage from the ice storm that knocked out power to more than 160,000 homes and businesses and left many in the […]
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Posted inLewiston-Auburn
Auburn Democrats to caucus
AUBURN — Auburn City Democrats will caucus Sunday, March 2, at Auburn Middle School. Doors open at noon. The city clerk will register unenrolled and recently relocated Democrats from noon to 1 p.m. Check-in and seating will be from noon to 1:15 p.m. The caucus convenes at 1:15 to elect delegates to the Maine State […]
Posted inLewiston-Auburn
CDC office manager asks to join whistle-blower suit
RELATED NEWS: Lawmakers vote to subpoena Maine CDC officials involved in document-shredding probe A Maine Center of Disease Control & Prevention office manager wants to join the whistle-blower lawsuit filed by a former Maine CDC division director. And the suit plans to accuse additional CDC officials — Deputy Director Christine Zukas and Office of Minority Health […]
Posted inMaine
Lawmakers vote to subpoena Maine CDC officials involved in document-shredding probe
AUGUSTA — Lawmakers on the Government Oversight Committee voted Friday to subpoena officials at the Maine Center for Disease Control & Prevention to appear before the committee. The committee had invited five CDC officials to provide information Friday about the destruction of public records, including Director Sheila Pinette, Deputy Director Christine Zukas, Office of Minority […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
State forecasts revenue surplus but not enough to solve budget woes
AUGUSTA — Hopes expressed by lawmakers earlier this month that higher-than-projected state revenues associated with the improving economy would help solve budget woes shriveled Friday when new data showed that little has changed from previous predictions. A panel of experts on the state’s revenue forecasting committee, which met Friday morning, found that although revenues are […]
Posted inOur View
Our View: CDC employees are entitled to legal counsel
On Thursday, the Sun Journal published a front-page report on the fees to be paid to private lawyers hired to defend Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention employees in a federal whistleblower lawsuit. Attorney General Janet Mills authorized the expenditure of up to $50,000 for the firm of Kelly, Remmel & Zimmerman to represent […]
Posted inMaine
Maine DoC wants ‘shoot-to-kill’ rule for Windham prison
AUGUSTA — Officials at the Maine Department of Corrections say they want to change the rules for attempted prison breaks at the Maine Correctional Center in Windham. Unlike guards at the Maine State Prison in Warren, guards at the Windham facility are not allowed to shoot to kill if a prisoner makes a break for […]
Posted inMaine
Bill to arm Maine forest rangers moves towards House vote
AUGUSTA — An issue that’s ricocheted around the State House for nearly two years appears to be on its way to a vote before the Legislature soon. On Thursday, members on the Legislature’s Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry Committee agreed Maine Forest Service rangers should be allowed to carry firearms — much like other law enforcement […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Maine House kills bill that would add religious protections
AUGUSTA — A bill that would have added protections to religious freedom in Maine — most of which opponents said already exist — failed on Thursday in the House of Representatives, which means essentially that the measure is dead. The House voted 89-52 against the bill. Most Democrats and all four independents opposed the bill, […]