The Government Oversight Committee will meet Jan. 10 to take public comment on a recent state investigation into the destruction of documents and grant funding that may have been manipulated by workers at the Maine Centers for Disease Control. The Office of Program Evaluation and Government Accountability, or OPEGA, completed its review of the CDC […]
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Posted inMaine, sj-web
Maine government sends layoff notices to 58 people
AUGUSTA — Maine Gov. Paul LePage says he’s sending layoff notices to 58 state employees in case of another federal government shutdown. The Republican governor says that while shutdown is unlikely, the union contract requires his office to “adhere to a rigid timeline” for notifying employees about layoffs. He says notices will start going out […]
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Posted inNation / World, sj-web
Judge rules NSA violates Constitution with bulk collection of phone data
WASHINGTON — A federal judge ruled Monday that the National Security Agency’s bulk collection of phone records violates the Constitution’s ban on unreasonable searches, but put his decision on hold pending a near-certain government appeal. U.S. District Court Judge Richard Leon granted a preliminary injunction sought by plaintiffs Larry Klayman and Charles Strange, concluding they were […]
Posted inBusiness, sj-web
LePage declares civil emergency to aid propane deliveries
AUGUSTA — Gov. Paul LePage issues a limited emergency proclamation on Friday to ensure that heating fuel delivery trucks can operate for extra hours in light of frigid temperatures and a propane shortage across Maine. The governor’s proclamation waives U.S. Department of Transportation rules and extends the hours of service for heating fuel transport and […]
Posted inBusiness, sj-web
Maine budget task force proposes eliminating $40 million in tax breaks
AUGUSTA — Democrats in the Legislature call a plan submitted to the budget-writing Appropriations Committee on Thursday a roadmap to closing $40 million worth of tax breaks — largely ones for businesses. Republicans quickly labeled it a scheme to increase taxes by $80 million. Sen. Anne Haskell, D-Portland — co-chairwoman of a special task force […]
Posted inBusiness, sj-web
Cianbro says it is committed to east-west highway
PITTSFIELD — Plans for a proposed east-west highway continue to move forward despite a flurry of towns adopting measures to keep it away from their land, according to a leading proponent of the project. Darryl Brown, the Cianbro Corp. project manager for the east-west highway, said there is still no mapped route to divulge, as […]
Posted inOur View
Bolduc’s email: Frustration plus really bad spelling
Police are familiar with all manner of nuisance complaints: The music is too loud. The car is “all over the road.” The kids are cutting through my lawn. And, yes, the perennial: My neighbor’s cat is doing his business in my flower beds. So we have no problem with Auburn resident Brian Bolduc asking police […]
Posted inMaine
State investigation finds host of problems with grant awards
AUGUSTA — A state investigation has found a host of problems with the way the Maine Centers for Disease Control distributed millions of dollars to Healthy Maine Partnerships programs last year. Problems include supervisors who ordered the destruction of public documents, funding criteria that was changed during the selection process, HMP funding scores that were […]
Posted inMaine
Maine campaign ethics panel expands scope of Lewiston casino campaign inquest
AUGUSTA — Maine’s panel on campaign finance and ethics unanimously voted Thursday to expand its investigation into a failed 2011 campaign to bring a casino to downtown Lewiston. The Maine Commission on Governmental Ethics and Election Practices decided a trio of out-of-state businessmen who funded the campaign and hired a political consultant in Virginia to produce […]
Posted inMaine
Maine Republicans defend $1 million no-bid welfare review contract
AUGUSTA — Republicans on the Legislature’s budget-writing Appropriations Committee on Thursday defended a controversial no-bid, $1 million contract with a Rhode Island company to study and issue an analysis of Maine’s welfare programs. The contract, issued to the Alexander Group, the group’s CEO, Gary Alexander, and Republican Gov. Paul LePage have come under withering criticism […]