AUGUSTA — A bill by the state’s House Republican leader to require able-bodied Mainers to show they have applied for three jobs before receiving welfare benefits could be killed even before the Legislature reconvenes in January. Republicans in the State House have made clear that welfare reform will be their top priority in the truncated […]
politics
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Legislators to discuss MaineCare transportation programs
AUGUSTA — Lawmakers are set to receive a briefing on the $40 million MaineCare rides program after reports of missed rides and thousands of complaints. The Portland Press Herald reports that Tuesday’s progress report could determine whether legislative leaders push to cancel any contracts with private companies that provide transportation to and from medical appointments […]
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Posted inLewiston-Auburn
Mohamed seeking School Committee seat as write-in
First of five stories about the Lewiston School Committee races for the Nov. 5 election. Next: incumbent Paul St. Pierre is being challenged by former legislator Stavros Mendos in Ward 2. LEWISTON — If he wins, Lewiston School Committee candidate Jama Mohamed, 29, would be the first Somali Bantu to hold an elected public office […]
Posted inNation / World, sj-web
Farm bill battle could affect milk prices
WASHINGTON — The fight over renewing the nation’s farm bill has centered on cuts to the $80 billion-a-year food stamp program. But there could be unintended consequences if no agreement is reached: higher milk prices. Members of the House and Senate are scheduled to begin long-awaited negotiations on the five-year, roughly $500 billion bill this […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Three bond issues to fund higher education projects
AUGUSTA — Maine voters will be considering three separate bonding requests for higher education on next week’s ballot. The approach by state education leaders differs from a year ago, when a single bond proposal for three state institutions was rejected by a narrow margin. Voters on Nov. 5 will be asked if they support a […]
Posted inLetters
S. Lyons: Vote for moderates
Everything in moderation. Isn’t that what we are taught? It is OK to eat food with high calories as long as you don’t overdo it. Similarly, it is OK to have a drink or two as long as you know your limit. Then shouldn’t moderation be the same for politics? The voting public continues to […]
Posted inLewiston-Auburn
3 running unopposed for Auburn School Committee
Last of four stories about Auburn School Committee election on Nov. 5. In this story we profile uncontested candidates Bonnie Hayes, running opposed for Ward 2, and Tracey Levesque, running unopposed for Ward 4. The Sun Journal attempted to profile Michael Farrell, who is running unopposed for Ward 1. When asked the five questions, Farrell […]
Posted inOur View
Approve all five Nov. 5
Maine — like most other states — bonds a great many projects not funded through the state’s regular budget process. We borrow, through bonds, to pay for upgrades to our bridges and roads, for building projects at our colleges and universities, for upgrades to water and sewer systems, and for other large public capital improvement […]
Posted inFranklin, Lewiston-Auburn, Maine, Oxford Hills, River Valley
The state of welfare in Maine
Her potential take-away: just under $19,900 worth of help for the year. If she lived in any one of 39 other states or the District of Columbia, a new national report shows, that single mother would receive more help — in some states, tens of thousands of dollars more. The Cato Institute, a Washington, […]
Posted insj-web
Former N.H. House Speaker says Maine fell behind because of taxes
SOUTH PORTLAND — Former New Hampshire House Speaker William O’Brien told a South Portland audience Friday afternoon Maine lost its economic edge over his state after World War II, when it added cumbersome taxes and watched as the Granite State passed it by. O’Brien’s appearance as the keynote speaker for the conservative Maine Heritage Policy […]