AUBURN — Two newcomers to city politics both say they have the temperament and experience to represent the residents in Auburn’s Ward 4. Doris Russell, a former state employee, said she has a mind for policy discussions. “It may sound weird, but I like policy,” she said. “A lot of things at the city level […]
politics
Posted inLetters
E. Field: Far too much influence
The Taliban are a religious dictatorship whose members believe that they are the only ones who can interpret the Koran. The American extreme religious right believes the same about the Bible. Neither believe in separation of church and state. Like our religious right, the Taliban are determined to eliminate many modern ideas, including most scientific […]
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Posted inNation / World, sj-web
Budget default looming
WASHINGTON — Republicans and Democrats in Congress lumbered through a day of political maneuvering Saturday while a threatened default by the Treasury crept uncomfortably closer and a partial government shutdown neared the end of its second week. “We haven’t done anything yet” by way of compromise, Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said after Senate leaders […]
Posted inMaine
Top LePage consultant worked on failed Lewiston casino campaign
LEWISTON — A top political consultant who is the campaign spokesman for Gov. Paul LePage was heavily involved in a failed 2011 attempt to bring a casino to downtown Lewiston. The Sun Journal has learned that Brent Littlefield was hired by a pair of Maine political action committees to buy airtime on Maine television and […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Political observers see civil emergency as a way for LePage to deal with shutdown
AUGUSTA — Gov. Paul LePage’s longtime political antagonists, including the state employees union and Democratic legislative leaders, called his declaration of a civil emergency a nuclear option power grab, but some more detached political observers in Maine described it as an act of strong leadership ahead of a looming catastrophe. LePage has been widely criticized […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
LePage says civil emergency meant to help state employees
AUGUSTA — Gov. Paul LePage on Thursday defended his proclamation of a civil emergency and said he intended to use his broadened authority for the benefit of state employees. “It is my goal, solely, to get money in state employees’ pockets as quickly as possible,” he told reporters after meeting with legislative leaders. On Wednesday […]
Posted inNation / World, sj-web
House GOP leaders seek short-term debt extension
WASHINGTON — House Speaker John Boehner told Republican lawmakers Thursday he will give President Barack Obama a proposal extending the government’s ability to borrow money through Nov. 22 — but only if he agrees to negotiate over ending the partial government shutdown and a longer-term increase in the debt ceiling. “It gets us down the […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Natural Resources Council of Maine says DEP downplayed environmental impact of Bald Mountain mining
AUGUSTA — The Natural Resources Council of Maine on Thursday released an investigative report alleging that Maine’s Department of Environmental Protection did not provide to Maine lawmakers or the public information it has indicating that an open-pit mine at Bald Mountain in Aroostook County is likely to pollute rivers, lakes and streams with sulfuric acid runoff and […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Maine tax climate improves in Tax Foundation ranking
The Washington, D.C.-based Tax Foundation ranked all 50 states for its 2014 State Business Tax Climate Index, which synthesizes data on more than 100 tax provisions in each state into an easy-to-use index score. Maine’s 29th ranking is a slight improvement from the foundation’s 2013 report, released last October, in which the state ranked 30th. Maine’s overall […]
Posted inMaine
Maine budget committee reviews status of Riverview
AUGUSTA — An ongoing federal government shutdown is complicating Maine Department of Health and Human Services’ efforts to figure out what it needs to do to prevent the loss of nearly $20 million for the state’s Riverview Psychiatric Center. The 92-bed hospital, which houses some of the state’s most violent mental health patients, has been […]