LEWISTON — City officials will be sworn into office Tuesday in Callahan Hall at Lewiston Public Library. The ceremony is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. The original ceremony was scheduled Monday night in the Franco Center. “But due to slippery driving and walking conditions, we decided to postpone,” City Administrator Ed Barrett said. Maine […]
politics
Posted inNation / World, sj-web
Supreme Court puts Utah same-sex marriage on hold
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Monday put same-sex marriages on hold in Utah, at least while a federal appeals court more fully considers the issue. The court issued a brief order blocking any new same-sex unions in the state. The order grants an emergency appeal by the state following the Dec. 20 ruling by […]
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Posted inMaine, sj-web
LePage names Jim Rier to lead Department of Education
AUGUSTA — Gov. Paul LePage announced Monday that he has selected Jim Rier as his nominee for commissioner of the Department of Education. Rier, who has worked in the department for 10 years and who was appointed acting commissioner by LePage in October of last year, has been overseeing the department since former Commissioner Stephen […]
Posted inLewiston-Auburn, sj-web
No delay planned for Lewiston inauguration
UPDATE: Storm bumps Lewiston inaugural until Tuesday LEWISTON — Plans for Lewiston’s inaugural ceremony is scheduled to continue Monday, in spite of rainy storm and cold settling into central Maine. The Lewiston City Clerk’s office confirmed that as of noon Monday, preparations are continuing for the 7 p.m. ceremony and swearing of the oaths of office […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Legislature returns Wednesday for 2014 session
AUGUSTA — Maine lawmakers return this week to begin their work on a host of issues including the state budget and college affordability, but what’s likely to be one of the biggest, most partisan debates of the year isn’t a new one. Democrats, who control the Legislature, are renewing their push to expand Medicaid coverage […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
New military recruiters bill proposed for Maine
AUGUSTA (AP) — A second effort is underway to pass legislation in Maine to guarantee that military recruiters would be allowed to wear uniforms in schools. A Republican-backed bill was narrowly defeated in the last session after acrimonious debate and accusations of anti-military bias. Opponents said the bill was unnecessary because there was no verified […]
Posted inMaine
LePage continues effort to lower energy costs for Maine ratepayers
AUGUSTA — For the fourth year in a row, Republican Gov. Paul LePage’s administration is pushing to roll back or significantly change portions of Maine law aimed at boosting in-state renewable energy production. LePage says he wants to level the state’s energy-production playing field and open the door to cheap, renewable hydropower from Quebec and […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
LePage wants to remove welfare work exemptions
AUGUSTA — Republican Gov. Paul LePage announced Friday that he will seek changes to the state’s Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program in order to avoid millions of dollars in federal penalties that he said result from a welfare system that’s too generous. Democrats said the problems in the TANF program are not new and […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Maine forest rangers make the case for sidearms
Bill Greaves knows how quickly things can go bad for a Maine Forest Ranger. In 1989, Greaves, now the regional forest ranger in Ashland, responded with a sheriff’s deputy to a call that nearly cost him his life. “The incident I was in was actually a medical emergency that went amok,” Greaves said. “It was […]
Posted inMaine
Maine’s political gaffes fetch mea culpas in 2013
AUGUSTA — They put on clown noses in committee, lambasted each other with crude insults on television and spent time thinking with or about their “man brains.” Maine politicians, both Democratic and Republican, were anything but boring in the things they did or said in 2013. And it wasn’t even an election year for most […]