PORTLAND (AP) — Residents of Maine’s largest city are being asked if they want to legalize possession of recreational amounts of marijuana. Tuesday’s vote comes a year after Washington and Colorado voters passed statewide ballot questions legalizing possession of up to an ounce of pot by people 21 and older. Advocates of legalizing pot possession […]
politics
Posted inMaine
Michaud says decision to reveal sexuality wasn’t easy; says he’s had relationships with women too
LEWISTON — In a bombshell announcement Monday, U.S. Rep. Mike Michaud, D-Maine, a candidate for governor, announced he’s gay. Michaud told the Sun Journal in a phone interview Monday he had relationships with women in the past, but announced he was gay because “other people were trying to make this an issue . . .” […]
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Posted inBusiness, sj-web
Gay rights bill clears first hurdle in Senate
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate pushed a major anti-bias gay rights bill past a first, big hurdle Monday, a clear sign of Americans’ greater acceptance of homosexuality nearly two decades after the law prohibiting federal recognition of same-sex marriage. The vote of 61-30 essentially ensured that the Senate has the votes to pass the Employment […]
Posted inBusiness, sj-web
Glassblowers see pot legalization as a boon to business
PORTLAND — In an anonymous storefront in Bayside, doughnuts are made around the clock. Phish music blares, chocolate frosting drizzles. Brian Owoc grabs a hot doughnut with an oven mitt. It resembles a real bakery, except instead of flour and sugar, there’s glass and fire. You won’t see these doughnuts sold by the dozen, but […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Does Michaud’s announcement help or hurt his campaign?
AUGUSTA — News broke early Monday that six-term congressman and the Democrats’ 2014 candidate for governor, Mike Michaud, is gay, but many insiders said they expected the revelation to have little effect on the gubernatorial race. Michaud became only the seventh sitting member of the U.S. House to openly identify as gay or bisexual, and one […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Michaud’s constituents surprised at announcement not news
MEDWAY — Waitress Nikki York came to work at The Aerie Monday morning and discovered for the first time in her five years there that the pilot burner to the restaurant’s grill wouldn’t stay lit. But that surprise was nothing, she said, compared to her shock at the front-page news of U.S. Rep. Mike Michaud’s announcement that […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Michaud’s view on same-sex marriage has evolved
Democratic Rep. Mike Michaud, who served 11 terms in the Legislature — seven in the House and four in the Senate — has an evolving record on gay rights legislation. After early opposition to gay rights issues, he softened his stance by voting to send the matter out to referendum and later sponsoring legislation to allow domestic […]
Posted inBusiness, sj-web
Bath residents organize effort to oppose BIW tax breaks
BATH — Some Bath residents object to a proposed tax rebate for a major expansion of Bath Iron Works, saying the subsidy is corporate welfare and BIW will expand whether or not it gets a tax break. BIW officials say if the proposed tax break is denied, they might not be able to expand, putting […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Rep. Mike Michaud: Yes, I am gay. ‘But why should it matter?’
When I entered the race for governor, I did so because I love the state of Maine and am tired of seeing it dragged in the wrong direction. There was never any question that it would be a tough race, but I know I have the vision, the experience and the commitment to lead Maine […]
Posted inMaine
Correction: Maine minimum wage $7.50 per hour
LEWISTON — A story about call center employment in Maine published on Page A1 Sunday should have said Maine’s minimum wage is $7.50 per hour. It was a reporting error.